1 Chronicles 21:12

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex)

English Translation

either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days the sword of Yahweh, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.

World English Bible · Public Domain

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נִסְפֶּ֥ה

çâphâh

H5595

“sweeping away”

Verb, Niphal, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Absolute

Appears 20× in the Hebrew Bible
First appears at Genesis 18:23

Full BDB Definition

Origin: a primitive root

TWOT: 1531

to sweep or snatch away, catch up, destroy, consume - (Qal) - to be snatched away - to sweep or snatch away - (Niphal) - to be swept away, be destroyed - to be caught up, be captured - (Hiphil) to catch up, gather

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

33: words
27: distinct lemmas
Historical: section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is נִסְפֶּ֥ה to sweep away H5595 — appearing just 20 times in the whole Hebrew Bible.

Shared distinctive vocabulary

נִסְפֶּ֥ה to sweep away H5595 occurs in 20 verses of the Hebrew Bible. Also found in:

Grammatical profile

7 verbs
17 nouns
3 adjectives
1 preposition
3 conjunctions
1 adverb
1 particle

Verb forms

נִסְפֶּ֥ה Niphal · Participle Active
אוֹיְבֶ֣ךָ Qal · Participle Active
לְמַשֶּׂגֶת֒ Hiphil · Participle Active
מַשְׁחִ֖ית Hiphil · Participle Active
רְאֵ֔ה Qal · Imperative
אָשִׁ֥יב Hiphil · Imperfect
שֹׁלְחִ֖י Qal · Participle Active

Repetition

Words recur within this verse — often emphatic in Hebrew:

שָׁל֨וֹשׁ three H7969 ×3
וְחֶ֣רֶב sword H2719 ×2
יְהוָ֤ה LORD H3068 ×2
אִם if H518 ×3

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 60 words from the Hebrew and 74 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — closely comparable.

A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.

Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.

In the original languages it is 33 Hebrew tokens and 46 Greek tokens — but the two are counted differently (Hebrew bundles its prefixes and suffixes into one token; the Greek is in lemma form), so that isn’t a like-for-like length.

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to 1 Chronicles 21:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Exodus 12:23 For Yahweh will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood on the lintel, and on the two side-posts, Yahweh will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you.
Leviticus 26:10 You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall move out the old because of the new.
Leviticus 26:17 I will set my face against you, and you will be struck before your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you; and you will flee when no one pursues you.
Leviticus 26:25–29 I will bring a sword upon you, that will execute the vengeance of the covenant; and you will be gathered together within your cities: and I will send the pestilence among you; and you will be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
Leviticus 26:36–37 "'As for those of you who are left, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies: and the sound of a driven leaf will put them to flight; and they shall flee, as one flees from the sword; and they will fall when no one pursues.
Deuteronomy 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day, that all these curses shall come on you, and overtake you.
Deuteronomy 28:22 Yahweh will strike you with consumption, and with fever, and with inflammation, and with fiery heat, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue you until you perish.
Deuteronomy 28:25 Yahweh will cause you to be struck before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them, and shall flee seven ways before them: and you shall be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth.

Deuteronomy 28:27 Yahweh will strike you with the boil of Egypt, and with the tumors, and with the scurvy, and with the itch, of which you can not be healed.
Deuteronomy 28:35 Yahweh will strike you in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore boil, of which you can not be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.
Deuteronomy 28:51–52 and shall eat the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed; that also shall not leave you grain, new wine, or oil, the increase of your cattle, or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish.
2 Samuel 21:1 There was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of Yahweh. Yahweh said, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put to death the Gibeonites.
2 Samuel 24:13–14 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said to him, Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? now advise you, and consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.
1 Kings 17:1 Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the foreigners of Gilead, said to Ahab, As Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
2 Kings 8:1 Now Elisha had spoken to the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go you and your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn: for Yahweh has called for a famine; and it shall also come on the land seven years.
2 Kings 19:35 It happened that night, that the angel of Yahweh went forth, and struck in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred eighty-five thousand: and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

1 Chronicles 21:15–16 God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was about to destroy, Yahweh saw, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now stay your hand. The angel of Yahweh was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
Psalms 91:6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.
Isaiah 66:16 For by fire will Yahweh execute judgment, and by his sword, on all flesh; and the slain of Yahweh shall be many.
Jeremiah 12:12 Destroyers are come on all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Yahweh devours from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh has peace.
Jeremiah 42:16 then it shall happen, that the sword, which you fear, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are afraid, shall follow hard after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die.
Jeremiah 47:6 You sword of Yahweh, how long will it be before you be quiet? put up yourself into your scabbard; rest, and be still.
Lamentations 4:9 Those who are killed with the sword are better than those who are killed with hunger; For these pine away, stricken through, for want of the fruits of the field.
Ezekiel 14:19–21 Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath on it in blood, to cut off from it man and animal;

Matthew 13:49–50 So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come forth, and separate the wicked from among the righteous,
Luke 4:25 But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land.
Acts 12:23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn't give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Revelation 7:1–3 After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint

The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.

These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.

Hebrew 1 Chronicles 21:12 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

אִם שָׁל֨וֹשׁ שָׁנִ֜ים רָעָ֗ב וְאִם שְׁלֹשָׁ֨ה חֳדָשִׁ֜ים נִסְפֶּ֥ה מִפְּנֵי צָרֶיךָ֮ וְחֶ֣רֶב אוֹיְבֶ֣ךָ לְמַשֶּׂגֶת֒ וְאִם שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָ֠מִים חֶ֣רֶב יְהוָ֤ה וְדֶ֨בֶר֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּמַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה מַשְׁחִ֖ית בְּכָל גְּב֣וּל יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְעַתָּ֣ה רְאֵ֔ה מָֽה אָשִׁ֥יב אֶת שֹׁלְחִ֖י דָּבָֽר

either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days the sword of Yahweh, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX 1 Chronicles 21:12 Septuagint · lemma form

ἤ τρεῖς ἔτος λιμός ἤ τρεῖς μήν φεύγω σύ ἐκ πρόσωπον ἐχθρός σύ καί μάχαιρα ἐχθρός σύ ὁ ἐκὀλεθρεύω ἤ τρεῖς ἡμέρα ῥομφαία κύριος καί θάνατος ἐν ὁ γῆ καί ἄγγελος κύριος ἐκὀλεθρεύω ἐν πᾶς κληρονομία ἰσραήλ καί νῦν ὁράω τίς ἀποκρίνω ὁ ἀποστέλλω ἐγώ λόγος

either three years of famine, or that you should flee three months from the face of your enemies, and the sword of your enemies shall be employed to destroy you, or that the sword of the Lord and pestilence should be three days in the land, and the angel of the Lord shall be destroying in all the inheritance of Israel. And now consider what I shall answer to him that sent the message.

LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain

On this verse, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers discusses the Septuagint’s reading. Read the note in Commentary ↓

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →

Commentary

Notes on 1 Chronicles 21:12 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Trapp's Complete Commentary

John Trapp

1Ch 21:12 Either three years’ famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh [thee]; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.

Ver. 12. Either three years’ famine.] It is in Samuel, seven years’ famine. Seven years, say some, was God’s first offer: but David, praying for a shorter time - as Abraham brought God down from a fifty to ten persons, {Gen 18:24-32} and as Ezekiel obtained ox dung for man’s dung {Eze 4:15} - he reduced it to three years. See a better solution to this seeming contradiction in 2Sa 24:13. {See Trapp on "2Sa 24:13"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joseph Benson's Commentary

1Ch 21:12-13. Either three years of famine — In 2Sa 24:13, it is said the prophet propounded to David seven years of famine, concerning which see the note there. Let me fall now into the hand of the Lord — The pestilence is more properly called the hand, or sword of the Lord, than other common calamities. For they have visible causes, but none know whence this sudden destruction comes, unless immediately from the hand or stroke of God.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Geneva Bible (1599)

Geneva Bible translators

Or, smite thee.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 12. Three days - the pestilence in the land] In 2Sa 24:13, seven years of famine are mentioned: see the note there.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(12) Three years’ famine.—This appears correct, as harmonising with the three months and three days of the other visitations. Samuel has the reading “seven,” which perhaps originated in some scribe’s memory of the famine described in Gen_41:30, sqq.

To be destroyed.—Samuel has, “thy flying,” and so LXX. and Vulg. here. This is doubtless right, as the word in our Hebrew text might easily be a corrupt form of that in Samuel.

While that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee.—Literally, and the sword of thy foes at overtaking. The word “overtaking” (massègeth) only occurs besides in Lev_14:21. Samuel has simply, “and he pursuing thee.” Perhaps the right text is, and he pursue thee to overtaking. (Comp. the Syriac here: “Three months thou shalt be subdued before thy enemy, and he shall be pursuing thee, and he shall be mastering thee.”)

Or else three days the sword of the Lord . . . coasts of Israel.—Samuel has the brief, “Or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land.” Our text appears to be an exegetical expansion of the older statement. Others suppose it to be the original, of which Samuel is an epitome, alleging that otherwise “the angel” is introduced in 2Sa_24:16 quite suddenly and abruptly. But we must remember that in the thought of those times pestilence and “the sword,” or “angel of the Lord,” would be suggestive of each other. (Comp. 2Ki_19:35; and for the three judgments, Eze_5:17; Eze_14:13-19; Eze_14:21; Lev_26:25-26.)

Throughout all the coasts.—In every border.

Now therefore advise thyself.—And now see. Samuel, “Now know and see.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

12. three years’ famine] 2 Sam., seven years of famine (LXX. however three, as Chron.).

three months to be destroyed] R.V. three months to be consumed (Heb. nispeh). Some scholars would correct the text of Chron. into agreement with 2Sa_24:13, or wilt thou flee three months?

the angel of the Lord] Cp. 2Ki_19:35; Act_12:23.

throughout all the coasts] Render, in every border, i.e. through the whole extent.

advise thyself] R.V. consider.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the angel of the Lord destroying ... - These words are not in Samuel, which puts the third alternative briefly. They prepare the way for the angelic appearance 1Ch 21:16, on which the author is about to lay so much stress.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

Three years’ famine; which joined with the three foregoing years of famine, mentioned [in] 2 Kings xxi., and the seventh year of the land’s resting, would make up the seven years proposed by the prophet, 2 Kings xxiv. 13. (Challoner) --- Perhaps it would be as well to acknowledge a mistake, (2 Kings; Haydock) on account of the similitude of the Hebrew words signifying three and seven: (Tirinus) unless the prophet reduced the time from seven to three years; as in Ezechiel (iv. 15.) God mitigates the severity of his first threat. (Sanctius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The Pulpit Commentary

Three years" famine. The parallel place has, in our Hebrew text, "seven" instead of "three." But the Septuagint indicates this to be but a corruption of a later text; for it reads" three," as here. The parallel place shows no mention of the destroying angel here spoken of. The three inflictions of famine, sword, pestilence, are found not unfrequently elsewhere in Scripture (see Deu_28:21-25; Eze_14:21; Rev_6:4-8) Now advise thyself. The simple text is" Now see," in place of "Now know and see" of the parallel passage.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Scofield Reference Notes

C. I. Scofield

Marg

(See Scofield "Heb 1:4").

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

1 Chronicles, in the Historical, opens this verse with 33 words (27 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is çâphâh (“to sweep away”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

What does “to sweep away” (çâphâh) contribute to the verse as a whole?
How does Genesis 18:23, which shares the word «to sweep away», read alongside this verse?
What does the repetition of “three” (3× in this one verse) do in this verse?
These translations render this verse differently; the difference is in the English rendering, not the original. What questions does that raise?
«נִסְפֶּ֥ה» is a Niphal Participle Active verb. How does that grammatical form shape the action described?
Compare how Trapp's Complete Commentary and Joseph Benson's Commentary read this verse. Where do they agree or differ?

Things to notice

This verse counts 33 Hebrew ↔ 46 Greek words.
These translations choose different wording for 39 words in this verse.
“three” occurs 3× in this single verse.
27 distinct Hebrew lemmas span 33 words in this verse.