Keraia
2 Samuel 24

2 Samuel 24:21

David Builds an Altar · 2 Samuel 24:18–25
Read 2 Samuel 24

Translations

Modern
“Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” Araunah said. “To buy your threshing floor,” David replied, “that I may build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”
Traditional
And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
Literal
And Araunah said, “Why has my lord come the king to his servant?” And David said, “To buy from you the threshing floor to build an altar to YHWH, that the plague may be restrained from the people.”
Latin
…et egressus adoravit regem prono vultu in terram, et ait: Quid causæ est ut veniat dominus meus rex ad servum suum? Cui David ait: Ut emam a te aream, et ædificem altare Domino, et cesset interfectio quæ grassatur in populo.

Original

Hebrew
English
“Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” Araunah said. “To buy your threshing floor,” David replied, “that I may build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”

Notes

2 Samuel 24:21

so that the plague: David did not know that God had already told the angel the plague would end (2 Samuel 24:16).

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 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?

Events

Parallels

1 Chronicles 21:18–30

People

David: Anointed king of Israel, ancestor of Jesus Christ Ornan: Jebusite, sold threshing floor to David

Glossary

Araunah David Genesis, Book of Moriah Samuel, Books of First and Second

Topics

Altars of David Araunah: A Jebusite from Whom David Bought a Site for an Altar Diseases: Plague Jerusalem: David Purchases and Erects an Altar Upon Araunah's Threshing Floor Ornan: Called Araunah Plague: On the Israelites: On Account of David's Sin Threshing: Floor of Araunah Purchased by David for a Place of Sacrifice