2tn Heb “stood against.”

3tn Heb “and incited David to count Israel.” As v. 5 indicates, David was not interested in a general census, but in determining how much military strength he had.

sn The parallel text in 2 Sam 24:1 says, “The Lord’s anger again raged against Israel and he incited David against them, saying: ‘Go, count Israel and Judah!’“ The version of the incident in the Book of 2 Samuel gives an underlying theological perspective, while the Chronicler simply describes what happened from a human perspective. Many interpreters and translations render the Hebrew שָׂטָן as a proper name here, “Satan” (NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). However, the Hebrew term שָׂטָן, which means “adversary,” is used here without the article. Elsewhere when it appears without the article, it refers to a personal or national adversary in the human sphere, the lone exception being Num 22:22, 32, where the angel of the Lord assumes the role of an adversary to Balaam. When referring elsewhere to the spiritual entity known in the NT as Satan, the noun has the article and is used as a title, “the Adversary” (see Job 1:6-9, 12; 2:1-4, 6-7; Zech 3:1-2). In light of usage elsewhere the adversary in 1 Chr 21:1 is likely a human enemy, probably a nearby nation whose hostility against Israel pressured David into numbering the people so he could assess his military strength. For compelling linguistic and literary arguments against taking the noun as a proper name here, see S. Japhet, I & II Chronicles (OTL), 374-75.

4tn Or “people.”

5tn Heb “Go, count Israel.” See the note on “had” in v. 1.

6tn Heb “their number.”

7tn Or “people.”

8tn Heb “Why should it become guilt for Israel?” David’s decision betrays an underlying trust in his own strength rather than in divine provision. See also 1 Chr 27:23-24.

9tn Heb “and the word of the king was stronger than Joab.”

10map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

11tn Heb “and Joab gave to David the number of the numbering of the army [or “people”].”

12tn Heb “a thousand thousands and one hundred thousand.”

13tc The parallel text in 2 Sam 24:9 has variant figures: “In Israel there were eight hundred thousand sword-wielding warriors, and in Judah there were five hundred thousands soldiers.”

14tn Heb “he”; the proper name (“Joab”) has been substituted for the pronoun here for stylistic reasons; the proper name occurs at the end of the verse in the Hebrew text, where it has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.

15tn Heb “There was displeasure in the eyes of God concerning this thing.”

16tn Heb “seer.”

17tn Heb “Three I am extending to you; choose for yourself one of them and I will do it to you.”

18tc The parallel text in the MT of 2 Sam 24:13 has “seven,” but LXX has “three” there.

19tc Heb “or three months being swept away from before your enemies and the sword of your enemies overtaking.” The Hebrew term נִסְפֶּה (nisppeh, Niphal participle from סָפָה, safah) should probably be emended to נֻסְכָה (nus˙khah, Qal infinitive from נוּס [nus] with second masculine singular suffix). See 2 Sam 24:13.

20tn Heb “or three days of the sword of the Lord and plague in the land, and the messenger [or “angel”] of the Lord destroying in all the territory of Israel.”

21tn Heb “There is great distress to me; let me fall into the hand of the Lord for his mercy is very great, but into the hand of men let me not fall.”

22tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 24:15 reports that God sent a plague, while 24:16-17 attributes this to the instrumentality of an angel.

23tn Or “destroy.”

24tn Heb “while he was destroying.”

25tn Or “saw.”

26tn Or “was grieved because of.”

27tn Heb “concerning the calamity.”

28tn For this nuance of the Hebrew word רַב (rav), see BDB 913 s.v. 1.f.

29tn Heb “Now, drop your hand.”

30tn In the parallel text in 2 Sam 24:16 this individual is called אֲרַוְנָא (’aravna’, “Aravna”), traditionally “Araunah.” The form of the name found here also occurs in vv. 18-28.

31tn Heb “and David and the elders, covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces.”

32tn “and doing evil I did evil.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite form of the verb for emphasis.

33tn Heb “let your hand be on me and on the house of my father.”

34tn Heb “but on your people not for a plague.”

35tn Heb “that he should go up to raise up.”

36tn Heb “and David went up by the word of Gad which he spoke in the name of the Lord.”

37tn Heb “nostrils.”

38tn Heb “the place of the threshing floor.”

39tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive here indicates the immediate purpose/result: “so I can build.”

40tn Heb “For full silver sell to me.”

41tn Following the imperative and first person prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive, this third person prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive introduces the ultimate purpose/result: “so the plague may be removed.” Another option is subordinate this form to the preceding imperative, but the latter may be taken as a parenthetical expansion of the initial request.

42tn Heb “take for yourself.”

43tn Heb “what is good in his eyes.”

44tn Heb “No, for buying I will buy for full silver.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

45tc The parallel text in 2 Sam 24:24 has the plural “burnt sacrifices.”

46tn Or “without [paying] compensation.”

47tc The parallel text of 2 Sam 24:24 says David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for “fifty pieces of silver.” This would have been about 20 ounces (568 grams) of silver by weight.

tn Heb “six hundred shekels of gold.” This would have been about 15 lbs. (6.8 kg) of gold by weight.

48tn Or “tokens of peace.”

49tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

50tn Heb “spoke to the messenger.”