2 Samuel 24:2-9 ESV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:1-9

Here we have, I. The orders which David gave to Joab to number the people of Israel and Judah, 2 Sam. 24:1, 2. Two things here seem strange:?1. The sinfulness of this. What harm was there in it? Did not Moses twice number the people without any crime? Does not political arithmetic come in among the other policies of a prince? Should not the shepherd know the number of his sheep? Does not the Son of David know all his own by name? Might not he make good use of this calculation? What evil has he... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:3

And Joab said unto the king ,.... Not so rudely and insolently as he did on account of his mourning for Absalom, but in a more modest, decent, and polite manner: now the Lord thy God add unto the people (how many soever they be) an hundredfold ; he wished his subjects were an hundred times more numerous than they were: and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it ; that he might live to see with his own eyes so great an increase: but why doth my lord the king delight in this... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:4

Notwithstanding the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host ,.... Who it seems were of the same mind with Joab, and were against numbering the people, yet their arguments and remonstrances were of no avail with the king; he was determined it should be done, and laid his commands upon them to do it, which they were obliged to comply with: and Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel ; seeing... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:5

And they passed over Jordan ,.... To take the number of the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh first: and pitched in Aroer ; for it seems that Joab and the captains had the army with them, and the several captains under their command, partly to assist in numbering the people, and partly to keep them in awe, lest they should oppose them, not knowing what was the design of all this Aroer was a city given to the tribe of Gad, and rebuilt by them, Numbers 32:34 , on... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:6

Then they came to Gilead ,.... The land of Gilead, half of which was given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the other half to the half tribe of Manasseh, Deuteronomy 3:12 ; which tribes were numbered, and the first of all: and to the land of Tahtimhodshi ; or the low lands of a new place; it seems to be a country newly possessed and inhabited; the Targum calls it the southern land of Hodshi; Bunting F23 Travels, &c.; p. 147. calls it the lower country of Hodshi, near to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:7

And came to the strong hold of Tyre ,.... That is, old Tyre, which stood thirty furlongs from new Tyre, the island F25 Strabo. Geograph. l. 16. p. 521. ; of which See Gill on Isaiah 23:1 ; this must be understood of the parts near unto it; for that itself was not within the land of Israel, and so its inhabitants not to be numbered: and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites : which were possessed by them, and from whence they were not driven out by the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:8

So when they had gone through all the land ,.... Beginning at the east, and from thence to the north, and then going about to the west, came to the south, which finished their circuit: they came to Jerusalem, at the end of nine months and twenty days : they were ten months wanting ten days in numbering the people; in which they seem to have been very expeditious. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:9

And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king ,.... Having collected from the several captains employed in this work their several particular numbers, he put them together, and gave in the sum total to David: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword ; though many of them might be under the age of twenty, yet being robust and tall, and fit to bear arms, though but sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen years of age, were... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Samuel 24:3

Joab said unto the king - This very bad man saw that the measure now recommended by the king was a wrong one, and might be ruinous to the people, and therefore he remonstrates against it in a very sensible speech; but the king was infatuated, and would hear no reason. read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:1-9

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:2

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:3

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:4

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:5

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:6

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 24:9

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Samuel 24:3

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