211 Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel . 2 So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people , " Go , number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan , and bring me word that I may know their number ." 3 Joab said , " May the Lord add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king , are they not all my lord's servants ? Why does my lord seek this thing ? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel ?" 4 Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed against Joab . Therefore, Joab departed and went throughout all Israel , and came to Jerusalem . 5 Joab gave the number of the census of all the people to David . And all Israel were 1,100,000 e e e men who drew the sword ; and Judah was 470,000 e e e men who drew the sword . 6 But he did not number Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab .
7 God was displeased e with this thing , so He struck Israel . 8 David said to God , "I have sinned greatly , in that I have done this thing . But now , please take away the iniquity of Your servant , for I have done very foolishly ." 9 The Lord spoke to Gad , David's seer , saying , 10 "Go and speak to David , saying , 'Thus says the Lord , "I offer you three things ; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.""' 11 So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the Lord , 'Take for yourself 12 either three years of famine , or three months to be swept away before e your foes , while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord , even pestilence in the land , and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel .' Now , therefore, consider what answer I shall return to Him who sent me." 13 David said to Gad , "I am in great distress ; please let me fall into the hand of the Lord , for His mercies are very great . But do not let me fall into the hand of man ." 14 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel ; 70,000 e men of Israel fell .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Chronicles 21:1-14
Chapter Contents
David's numbering the people.
No mention is made in this book of David's sin in the matter of Uriah, neither of the troubles that followed it: they had no needful connexion with the subjects here noted. But David's sin, in numbering the people, is related: in the atonement made for that sin, there was notice of the place on which the temple should be built. The command to David to build an altar, was a blessed token of reconciliation. God testified his acceptance of David's offerings on this altar. Thus Christ was made sin, and a curse for us; it pleased the Lord to bruise him, that through him, God might be to us, not a consuming Fire, but a reconciled God. It is good to continue attendance on those ordinances in which we have experienced the tokens of God's presence, and have found that he is with us of a truth. Here God graciously met me, therefore I will still expect to meet him.