2 Samuel 24:15

Translations

Modern

So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.

Traditional

So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer–sheba seventy thousand men.

Literal

And YHWH sent a plague upon Israel from the morning and until the appointed time, and died of the people from Dan and to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

Latin

Immisitque Dominus pestilentiam in Israël, de mane usque ad tempus constitutum, et mortui sunt ex populo a Dan usque ad Bersabee septuaginta millia virorum.

Original

Hebrew

English

So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.

Notes

2 Samuel 21:1–24:25

The final chapters of 2 Samuel form a coda (a concluding section). This section brings together and summarizes the main themes from earlier chapters.

These chapters are thematic, not chronological (arranged by topic, not by time). Because of this, not all the events happened at the end of David’s reign (for example, 2 Samuel 22:1).

The material is arranged using a common Hebrew literary pattern called a chiasm (a mirror-like structure). In a chiasm, the first and last sections match, and the middle section is the focus.

The structure of this chiasm is as follows:

A: Saul’s sin against the Gibeonites and the punishment that affected the whole community (2 Samuel 21:1–14)
- B: David’s warriors and their heroic deeds (2 Samuel 21:15–22)
  - C: David’s Psalm (2 Samuel 22:1–51)
  - C′: David’s Psalm (2 Samuel 23:1–7)
- B′: David’s warriors and their heroic deeds (2 Samuel 23:8–39)
A′: David’s sin involving the census and the punishment that affected the whole community (2 Samuel 24:1–25)

A chiasm draws attention to the center section. Here, the center is David’s hymns. These hymns do not focus on David himself. Instead, they focus on David’s God.

Theme notes and profiles

David God or Satan? God’s Change of Mind

Events

Reign of David

Related verses

1 Chronicles 21:14
So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.
1 Chronicles 27:24
Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. For because of this census wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not entered in the Book of the Chronicles of King David.
Revelation 6:8
Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.
Numbers 25:9
…but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.
Isaiah 37:36
Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!
1 Samuel 6:19
But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.
Numbers 16:46–49
Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has begun.”
1 Chronicles 27:4
Dodai the Ahohite was in charge of the division for the second month, and Mikloth was the leader. There were 24,000 men in his division.
Matthew 24:7
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
2 Samuel 24:2
So the king said to Joab the commander of his army, who was with him, “Go now throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and register the troops, so that I may know their number.”

Parallels

1 Chronicles 21:14–17

People

Israel: Patriarch, son of Isaac, father of twelve tribes

Places

Beersheba: Important city in southern Israel, associated with the patriarchs Dan: Israelite tribe; city in northern Israel; originally called Laish/Leshem

Glossary

Araunah Census David Disease Gad (Person) Moriah Pestilence Samuel, Books of First and Second

Topics

Diseases: Plague Nation: Involved in Sins of Rulers Plague: On the Israelites: On Account of David's Sin Presumption: David, in Numbering Israel The Anger of God: Exemplified Against: Israelites The Plague or Pestilence: Sent Upon: David's Subjects for his Numbering the People

2 Samuel 24:15

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