2 Samuel 24:2

For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
king	הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ ha.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
said	וַיֹּ֨אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Joab	יוֹאָ֣ב yo.'Av	H3097	Joab · proper noun, a man's name
captain	שַׂר sar-	H8269	a head person (of any rank or class) · noun, common masculine singular construct
host	הַחַ֣יִל ha.Cha.yil	H2428	probably a force · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
through	שֽׁוּט shut-	H7751	properly · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine singular
tribes	שִׁבְטֵ֤י shiv.Tei	H7626	a scion · noun, common masculine plural construct
Israel	יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ Yis.ra.'El	H3478	Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
Dan	מִדָּן֙ mi.Dan	H1835	Dan · preposition + proper noun, a place name
Beer-sheba	בְּאֵ֣ר be.'Er	H884	Beer-Sheba · proper noun, a place name
number	וּפִקְד֖וּ u.fik.Du	H6485	to visit (with friendly or hostile intent) · conjunction + verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
people	הָעָ֑ם ha.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
know	וְיָ֣דַעְתִּ֔י ve.Ya.da'.Ti	H3045	to know (properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 1st person common singular
number	מִסְפַּ֥ר mis.Par	H4557	a number · noun, common masculine singular construct
people	הָעָֽם ha.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Samuel 3:10 To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba.
Judges 20:1 Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land…
2 Samuel 20:23 Now Joab was over all the host of Israel: and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites:
Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
2 Samuel 8:16 And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;
2 Samuel 17:11 Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitu…
2 Samuel 23:37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armourbearer to Joab the son of Zeruiah,
1 Chronicles 21:2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, t…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 24:1

He moved David against them - God could not be angry with David for numbering the people if he moved him to do it; but in the parallel place (Ch1 21:1) it is expressly said, Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel. David, in all probability, slackening in his piety and confidence toward God, and meditating some extension of his dominions without the Divine counsel or command, was naturally curious to know whether the number of fighting men in his empire was sufficient for the work which he had projected. See more on Sa2 24:10 (note). He therefore orders Joab and the captains to take an exact account of all the effective men in Israel and Judah. God is justly disple…

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John Gill on 2 Samuel 24:2

For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him,.... Or who was with him, even Joab, who was now at court, and was a counsellor of David, as well as his general; or which army was with Joab, a standing army he had the command of: go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba; from the northern part of the land of Israel to the southern part of it, and this course was accordingly steered, 2 Samuel 24:6, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people; so that this appears to be done not through any urgent necessity, but merely out of curiosity, and to gratify the pride of his heart, and please himself with the thought of ruling…

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Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 24:1-9

"Again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel; and He moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah." לחרות ... ויּסף points back to the manifestation of the wrath of God, which Israel had experienced in the three years' famine (2 Samuel 21). Just as that plague had burst upon the land on account of the guilt which rested upon the people, so the kindling of the wrath of God against Israel a second time also presupposes guilt on the part of the nation; and as this is not expressly pointed out, we may seek for it generally in the rebellions of Absalom and Sheba against the divinely established government of David. The subject to "moved" is Jehovah, and the words "again…

The Church Fathers

You say these were the disgraceful acts of a few men and what was not done by all could not injure all. Indeed, I have said above quite often that the crime of one man was the destruction of many among the people of God, just as the people was ruined by Achan's theft, just as pestilence arose from Saul's jealousy, just as death came from the counting of the people by the holy David. The church of God is as the eye. As a speck of dirt, even though small, which falls into the eye blinds the sight completely, in the same way, if some, even though they are a few in the body of the church, commit filthy acts, they block almost all the light of the splendor of the church.
— Salvian the Presbyter, THE GOVERNANCE OF GOD 7.19

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Beersheba — Well of the oath, or well of seven, a well dug by Abraham, and so named because he and Abimelech here entered into a compact (Gen. 21:31). On re-opening it, Isaac gave it the same name (Gen.…
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Governor — (1.) Heb. nagid, a prominent, conspicuous person, whatever his capacity: as, chief of the royal palace (2 Chr. 28:7; comp. 1 Kings 4:6), chief of the temple (1 Chr. 9:11; Jer. 20:1), the leader of…
Joab — Jehovah is his father. (1.) One of the three sons of Zeruiah, David’s sister, and “captain of the host” during the whole of David’s reign (2 Sam. 2:13; 10:7; 11:1; 1 Kings 11:15). His father’s name…
Temptation — (1.) Trial; a being put to the test. Thus God “tempted [Gen. 22: 1; R.V., ‘did prove’] Abraham;” and afflictions are said to tempt, i.e., to try, men (James 1:2, 12; comp. Deut. 8:2), putting their…
Armies · E — E
Census · .By David — .By David

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

2 Samuel 24:2

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 24:1

John Gill on 2 Samuel 24:2

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 24:1-9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

2 Samuel 24:2

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 24:1

John Gill on 2 Samuel 24:2

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 24:1-9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Samuel 24:2

Rashi on 2 Samuel 24:1