2 Samuel 24:2

2. For the king said] And the king said: yielding to the temptation to which he was subjected by permission of God through the instrumentality of Satan.

the host] The word for host in 2Sa_24:2; 2Sa_24:4 is different from that generally used of the Israelite army, and perhaps indicates that this chapter was derived from a different source.

number ye] It is stated in 1Ch_21:2 that the commission was given to “Joab and to the captains (or princes) of the people.” Their cooperation is here implied by the use of the plural, and by 2Sa_24:4. They were associated with Joab in the work, just as the princes of the tribes were associated with Moses and Aaron in taking the census (Num_1:4 ff.), and this indicates that the census had some military object in view.

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.

2Sa 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.

Ver. 2. That I may know the number of the people.] As I have lately taken notice and made a catalogue of my worthies, and the forces under their command. This Augustus Caesar might do for his pleasure, and carry it away without punishment. {Luk 2:1} Not so David. God will take that from others that he will not bear with in his own. {Amo 3:2} The Philistines might cart the ark, but David smarted for so doing.

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.

2Sa 24:2. From Dan even to Beer-sheba — From one end of the country to the other. For Dan was the utmost bound of it in the north, and Beer-sheba in the south. That I may know the number of the people — This expression shows David’s sin in this matter, that he numbered them, not by direction from God, but out of mere curiosity, and pride, and vain-glory; accompanied with a confidence in the numbers of his people. All which sins were so manifest, that not only God saw them, but even Joab and the captains of the host.

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

24:2 Dan and Beersheba were the traditional northern and southern boundaries of Israel. This phrase meant the entire land of Israel.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Because he did this to try his power, and so to trust therein, it offended God, else it was lawful to number the people, Exod. 30:12; Num. 1:2.

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

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, Sa2 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 such a numerous people, and brag of their numbers to other nations, and place his confidence therein; and no wonder it was displeasing to the Lord.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

1Ch 21:2, supplies some missing words. This passage should run, as at 2Sa 24:4, “And the king said to Joab and to the princes of the host who were with him,” etc. (compare 1Ch 27:22). They were employed “with Joab” as his assistants in the numbering, exactly as in the previous numbering Num 1:4 when a prince was appointed from each tribe to be “with” Moses and Aaron.

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

Them. He was led by curiosity. (Menochius)

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).

Which expression points at David’s sin in this matter, that he numbered them, not by direction from God, nor for any important business of the church or kingdom; but out of mere curiosity, and pride, and vain-glory; accompanied either with a secret distrust of God’s promise; or rather, with a carnal confidence in the numbers of his people; all which were great sins, and were so manifest, that not only God saw them, and all the degrees and aggravations of them, in David; but even Joab and the captains of the host were very sensible of them, 2Sa 24:3,4.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

For the king said; Hebrew, and the king said. David"s command was not the cause of Jehovah"s auger, but the result of his having himself given way to ambition; and, as he yielded to the temptation, it so far became an act of Satan, in that it led to sin; but in its final result it led to good, in that the chastisement cured the people of their thirst for war. And as Satan can act only so far as the Divine will permits, the temptation was most truly the doing of Jehovah (but see note on. (1Sa_26:19) Captain of the host, which was with him. There is a good deal of difficulty about this passage, as the word for "host" is not that elsewhere used, and the last phrase is somewhat meaningless. In 1Ch_21:2 we find "David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people." Without the concurrence of these rulers, who were the princes of the tribes, the census could not have been taken. But as the ancient versions confirm the reading of the Hebrew here, no change of the text is admissible. Number ye. This is distinctly the war word, for which see note on 2Sa_18:1. It proves that the census was taken for military reasons. Even this in itself was not wrong, (Num_26:2) but it is indicative of David"s purpose. When, moreover, Moses numbered the people, the census was taken by the priests, (Num_1:3 Num_26:1, Num_26:2) and from the payment of the half shekel to the sanctuary, it appears that it was to some extent a religious ceremony. All this David neglects, and the employment of Joab goes far to prove that what David wanted was an examination of the military resources of his kingdom.

Ver. 2 (THE KING"S PALACE.) (1Ch_21:2)

Self-elation.

This chapter contains the spiritual history of a great soul in its "fall and rising again," its sin and recovery its

(1) self-elation,

(2) self-will (vers. 3, 4),

(3) self-deception (during many months),

(4) self-conviction (by self-examination, ver. 10),

(5) self-abasement,

(6) self-surrender (ver. 14),

(7) self-devotion for the people (ver. 17), and self-dedication to God (vers. 24, 25). Of self-elation, pride, presumption, vain glory (the sin of David), it may be said that it is

I A COMMON EFFECT OF EXTRAORDINARY PROSPERITY, temporal or spiritual. Pride; war, famine, or pestilence; suffering and humiliation; peace and industry; prosperity pride again; such is the melancholy circle of human affairs. (Exo_8:14) "If we knew how to enjoy our blessings in the fear of God, they would be continued unto us; but it is the sin of man that he extracts, even from the mercies of God, the poison which destroys his comforts; he grows fat upon the bounties of Heaven, spurns its laws, and awakens its vengeance" (R. Watson).

II AN UNGRATEFUL PERVERSION OF DIVINE BENEFITS. "The grave sin of proud exaltation, which David and the people of Israel here had in common, presupposed the elevation to victory and power that God had bestowed by his gracious mind; and its consequence was the judgment that revealed God"s anger against the perversion of his favours into plans of self-aggrandizement" (Erdmann). What should produce thankfulness and humility too often results in unthankfulness and vain glory. (2Ki_20:13)

III A SPECIAL TEMPTATION OF THE EVIL ONE. (1Ti_3:6) "And Satan an adversary stood up," etc.. (1Ch_21:1) "We see that God and Satan both had their hand in the work; God by permission, Satan by suggestion; God as a Judge, Satan as an enemy; God as in a just punishment for sin, Satan as in an act of sin; God in a wise ordination of it to good, Satan in a malicious intent to confusion" (Hall).

IV A GRIEVOUS EXHIBITION OF SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS; inconsideration of dependence, self-ignorance, self-deception, and foolish infatuation. (Jer_49:16) "David, when strongly tempted to this gratification of his vanity, was not at all sensible of the evil of such an act; while Joab was. Joab, though a man of blood, and apparently hardened in iniquity, could see through David"s vain and arrogant feelings, while David himself, whose mind was under ordinary circumstances eminently sensitive and pious, could not discover the impiety of his proceeding, but persevered in evil for several months. Such is the infatuation of sin!" (Lindsay).

V A PECULIAR PROVOCATIVE OF DIVINE WRATH 1 Samuel; (Pro_16:5) most odious of all things in the sight of God, because most directly opposed to him. "Pride is the beginning of sin" (Ecc_10:13). "And what is pride but the craving for undue exaltation? And this is undue exaltation when the soul abandons him to whom it ought to cleave as its end, and becomes a kind of end to itself. This happens when it becomes its own satisfaction. And it does so when it falls away from that unchangeable good which ought to satisfy it more than itself" (Augustine, "The City of God" 14:13).

VI A PERNICIOUS INFLUENCE IN RELATION TO OTHER PEOPLE; inciting in them a similar spirit, and bringing untold miseries upon them. What oppression, strife, and other deadly fruits grow out of this "root of bitterness"! (Exo_14:5)

VII A RUINOUS TENDENCY IN RELATION TO MAN HIMSELF. (Dan_4:28; Pro_16:18) "Pride wishes to dethrone God. Pride takes occasion from virtue itself. Pride was particularly odious in David, who was exalted from so lowly a state. His pride was accompanied by falsehood; for he had protested his humility in the psalms which he made for all the people to sing. David was a just man; but this was a reason why God should punish him more severely. For it is certain that the sins of the children of God are more deserving of condemnation than the sins of reprobates and slaves of the devil. These only offend their master, but those do outrage to their Father; these are only rebel subjects, but those are unnatural children and barbarians; these only abuse the gifts of nature, but those profane miserably the gifts of grace. And how much more abominable is Judas than Pilate! Be not surprised, then, that when David, who was complete in a thousand graces, committed the crime of felony against him, the Eternal could not suffer such an indignity without punishing him severely" (Du Bose, in Vinet"s "Histoire de la Predication"). D.

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