Poole on 2 Samuel 24:1, 2: David's Order to Number the People

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[1017 BC]  Verse 1:[1]  And (2 Sam. 21:2) again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he (Satan, see 1 Chron. 21:1; Jam. 1:13, 14) moved David against them to say, (1 Chron. 27:23, 24) Go, number Israel and Judah.

[And the fury of the Lord added to be angry, ‎וַ֙יֹּסֶף֙ אַף־יְהוָ֔ה לַחֲר֖וֹת]  And it added, etc. (Pagnine, Piscator).  He was again angry (Vatablus), that is, as a little previously, 2 Samuel 21:1 (Vatablus, Junius, Malvenda).  The anger (or nose [Piscator]) of Jehovah went on to be kindled (Junius and Tremellius).  Compare 2 Samuel 22:8, 9[2] (Piscator).  First, Satan stirred up David, 1 Chronicles 21.  After that, the fury of the Lord was kindled (Tirinus).  By the fury of the Lord here some understand the Devil (thus Menochius, Tostatus and Jerome in Sanchez); who is so called, because he is a minister of the fury of God; just as Assyria is called the fury of God, or the rod of the fury, and the indignation of God, Isaiah 10 (Tostatus in Sanchez).  Others attribute these things, not to the Devil, but to the indignation of God, but they explain it in a variety of ways (Sanchez).  [Concerning which see what things follow.]

Again, to wit, after the former tokens of his anger, such as the three years’ famine, 2 Samuel 21.

[To be angry against Israel]  Question:  For what cause?  Responses:  1.  Because the people had rebelled with Absalom against David (Theodoret in Sanchez).  But on account of this sin twenty thousand were slaughtered, 2 Samuel 18 (Lapide).  2.  The rebellion of the people in following Sheba, etc., which was punished in Sheba alone[3] (Lyra, Cajetan in Lapide).  3.  The sins of the people were a great many, but yet hidden, which God most thoroughly knew (certain interpreters in Martyr, similarly Tostatus in Lapide).  With fertility restored, perhaps they were giving themselves to dissipation in luxury and leisure.  By their sins they gave occasion to the lapse of the prince.  Rightly does Gregory[4] say:  The actions and labors of shepherds are adjusted to the qualities of the flock:  and it often happens, that an otherwise good pastor falls short in duty because of the evil of the flock[5] (Martyr).  Therefore, subjects ought not to be angry with their princes, when they slip into any error or vice; but should ascribe the cause of the lapse to themselves and their own sins (Lapide out of Gregory).

[And He stirred up David among them, ‎וַיָּ֙סֶת אֶת־דָּוִ֤ד בָּהֶם֙]  And He roused David in those (Montanus, Grotius, Septuagint), namely, days (Grotius), or against them (Jonathan, Syriac, Munster, Tigurinus, Pagnine), or among them (Strigelius).  [They appear to refer to the Lord, or His anger; for these words connect with what precedes without any supplement.  Others otherwise:]  When the adversary had incited David (Junius and Tremellius).  This supplement was taken from 1 Chronicles 21:1; for nouns are conjugated in their verbs, as contrariwise verbs lie hidden, enclosed in their nouns, according to the quality of the language, as in Genesis 18:21 (Junius).  But this supplement is presumptuous, which the very order of the words rejects; for it is obvious that both are said concerning Jehovah, that His anger was kindled, etc., and that He incited David (Piscator).  And he (namely, Satan, out of 1 Chronicles) moved David against them (English).  The heart of David incited David; that is to say, David was tempted by his own lust[6] (Vatablus and Munster out of the Hebrews).  Or the active is put for the passive, David stirred up in the place of David was stirred up, namely, by the Devil, as we have t in 1 Chronicles 21:1.  Now, carelessness and negligence concerning the commandment of the law and prayer gives place to the Devil[7] (Grotius).  To this was impelled king David (Castalio).  [Others refer this to God (thus Cajetan and Theodoret in Sanchez, Tirinus, Lapide, Piscator):]  Here, God stirred up; but in 1 Chronicles 21:1, Satan incited; whence we understand that Satan is the fan of God’s anger, so that he pushes the hearts of men wherever God wills (Vatablus, Malvenda).  God stirred him up indirectly, but the Devil did it directly (Lapide).  Thus Jehovah is said to have stirred up Saul, 1 Samuel 26:19 (Piscator).  There is to be no shrinking from other expressions, which are found elsewhere, as in Joshua 11:20, it was of the Lord, that the Canaanites hardened themselves, etc.; Isaiah 19:14, God hath mingled error, etc.; Isaiah 63:17, He caused them to err; 2 Thessalonians 2:11, He sendeth upon them efficacious delusion, etc.  Neither does Scripture mislead us by those expressions; what things are said are true, if rightly understood (Martyr).  Question:  How, or in what way, does God do this?  Response:  1.  God does this by permission, etc. (Lapide, Sanchez out of Theodoret).  This is true:  God bears, and does not hinder, sins; but, should you take it as if God were leaving men to themselves, and not ruling over evil, we say that it is not sufficient.  The actions of men are not to be dissociated from the divine government.  That permission pertains to the will of God; He permits, not as one forced, but willing.  2.  The restraining God withdraws, namely, His grace.  3.  To the extent that there are actions, God concurs with them.  4.  God gives occasions, of which He knew that evil men were going to make an ill use.  5.  He does not allow them to prowl blindly upon whomever, but upon certain ones that He wills to punish:  He makes use of sins, and governs them (Martyr).  Divine justice stirred David to number the people, to the extent that the numbering was for a punishment of the people (Cajetan in Sanchez).  God by His hand so restrains devils and evil men, that, although they burn to do evil, they are nowhere able to break out, except where He sends them, or He Himself positively permits them to go, for the chastening of sinners (Lapide).  He makes use of sins, but His purpose is different, namely, that He might chasten, etc.  But, if we are seeking the beginnings of sin, we have a sufficient explanation in ourselves:  they are not to be sought more externally; God does not instill evils, nor will iniquity (Martyr).

He moved David.  He:  who?  Either, 1.  Satan, as is expressed, 1 Chronicles 21:1.  Or, 2.  God; who is said, in like manner, to stir up Saul against David, 1 Samuel 26:19, and to turn the hearts of the Egyptians to hate his people, Psalm 105:25, and to make men to err from his ways, Isaiah 63:17, and to send strong delusions, etc., and to harden their hearts.  All which expressions are not so to be understood, as if God did work these sinful dispositions; which neither was necessary, because they are naturally in every man’s heart, nor possible for the holy God to do; but because he permits them, and withdraws his grace and all restraints and hinderances from them, and giveth occasions and advantages to them; and directs their thoughts to such objects as may indeed be innocently thought of, which yet he knows they will wickedly abuse; and give them up to Satan, who he knows will deceive and entice them to such and such sins; which, being tempted to do by Satan, and being effected by their own wicked hearts, he so orders and overrules, that they shall be punishments for their former sins.  Against them, that is, for Israel’s punishment.

[He stirred up David among them, who in turn was saying:  Go, etc., ‎לֵאמֹ֔ר לֵ֛ךְ]  He, saying (Septuagint), by saying (Jonathan, Pagnine, Junius and Tremellius, Piscator), not with external speech; compare 2 Samuel 16:10:  but by inspiration, namely, through Satan.  Compare 1 Kings 22:22 (Piscator).  And he said to him (Syriac, Arabic); so that he might say (Munster, Tigurinus, Strigelius).  The heart of David incited him, that he might say within himself, Go, etc. (Munster); to say (English).  To this was David impelled, that he might command…to be numbered (Castalio).  [The ‎לֵאמֹר/saying a great many refer to God, some to Satan, this one to David.]

To say, or, saying:  For this may be referred, either, 1.  To God, of whom the same expression is used 2 Samuel 16:10, The Lord said to Shimei, Curse David; which in both places is not to be understood of any command or impulse of God, but of his secret providence disposing things in manner here above expressed.  Or, 2.  To David; he moved David to say, to wit, to Joab, as he did, 2 Samuel 24:2.

[Number Israel, etc.]  Question:  What then was the so very grievous sin here?  Responses:  1.  Ambition and pride (Sulpicius[8] and Ambrose in Lapide, Sanchez, Osiander).  Now, pride is a much more grievous sin than is commonly believed (Osiander, Martyr).  David had more confidence in the multitude of the people than in the name of the Lord (Munster).  He declined from modesty to ostentation (Martyr).  He instituted the census for the glorifying of his own name, and to show his power and dominion over the people, whom God had reserved for the glorifying of His name and dominion alone (Tirinus).  Perhaps from that census David wanted to have a profession of subjection (Martyr).  2.  The people were in no way able to be numbered, except either when military recruits were enlisted, or with God commanding, to whose honor that numbering was looking (Sanchez).  Not ordinarily, but only for a just cause ought a census to have been done (Martyr out of Kimchi).  David did not have a just cause for proclaiming this census; he only alleges, that I may know, etc.  This was curiosity.  But a different end for a census is set forth in Exodus 30:12.  [Which is at once to be addressed.]  He ought to direct it to the glory of God and the advantage of the people (Martyr).  This was a numbering without any legitimate cause, whether ecclesiastical, as in Exodus 30, or political, as in a time of war; against the promises of God, and his own prior faith, and against the public peace (Malvenda out of Junius).  3.  Perhaps he wanted to impose new taxes, which was not fitting.  That was the end of the census of Augustus, and of the Romans,[9] whence not only the heads, but also the means, were assessed; which, whether this was done by David, is uncertain (Martyr).  4.  God had promised that His people were going to be innumerable, and so He was unwilling that they should be numbered by anyone (Oleaster[10] in Sanchez, Martyr).  He was obliged rather to take care, that he might do the people good, than that he might number them (Martyr).  5.  It was a sin (namely, of the people, just as in another respect it was a sin of David, as we have observed [Tirinus]), because in this census they did not pay the half shekel, which God commanded each to pay, Exodus 30:12, 13, every man a ransom…and there shall be no plague among them (Josephus, Cajetan and Tostatus in Lapide, thus Grotius, Munster, Tirinus, Estius, Hebrews in Grotius).  Now, it was not a trifling sin, in such opulence of things to determine to defraud God of His right (Grotius).  This tribute, to be rendered in recognition of the supreme dominion of God, perhaps by most (with the king and royal ministers conniving) was not paid (Tirinus).  6.  He acted against the express command of God, Exodus 30:14; 38:26; Numbers 1:3; 26:2, where it was prescribed, that in taking a census they were reckoned from twenty years old and upward, but not below that year.  But David numbered all that were apt for war, as it is evident from the execution of Joab, who enlisted all that were able to draw the sword,[11] even men appearing of good stature and condition of body, rather than of legitimate age.  But, with this evinced out of 1 Chronicles 27:23, 24, where the Holy Spirit renders the reason why, while other censuses were related in the books of the Chronicles, this one by the commandment of David was passed over; namely, because that census was consisting of children of twenty years and under; by which words he understands, not only those that were twenty years old, but also those that were less than twenty years:  as it is evident from Matthew 2:16:  so also they are children of twenty years and upward, both those that are twenty years old, and those that are older (Bertram’s Lucubrations in Frankenthal[12] 2).

Verse 2:[13]  For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go (or, compass[14]) now through all the tribes of Israel, (Judg. 20:1) from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that (Jer. 17:5) I may know the number of the people.

[To Joab the captain of his army, ‎שַׂר־הַחַ֣יִל אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֗וֹ [15]]  The captain (or general [Munster, Tigurinus], chief [Jonathan]) of the army (or strength [Montanus, Septuagint]), which he was having with him (Pagnine, similarly Junius and Tremellius, Syriac), which (namely, army [Vatablus]) he had (Munster, Tigurinus), or reverse it, which Joab was with it (Vatablus).  To Joab, and to the captains of the soldiers, who were with him (Arabic).

[Walk about, ‎שׁוּט]  Circulate through (Montanus, Tigurinus), roam (Syriac, Munster, Pagnine, Junius and Tremellius), pass through (Septuagint), traverse the boundaries, etc. (Arabic).

That I may know the number of the people:  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, verses 3, 4.

[1] Hebrew:  ‎וַ֙יֹּסֶף֙ אַף־יְהוָ֔ה לַחֲר֖וֹת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיָּ֙סֶת אֶת־דָּוִ֤ד בָּהֶם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֵ֛ךְ מְנֵ֥ה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְאֶת־יְהוּדָֽה׃

[2] 2 Samuel 22:8, 9:  “Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth (‎כִּֽי־חָ֥רָה לֽוֹ׃, because there was anger to Him).  There went up a smoke out of his nostrils (‎בְּאַפּוֹ), and fire out of his mouth devoured:  coals were kindled by it.”

[3] See 2 Samuel 20.

[4] Gregory the Great (c. 550-604) was elected Pope in 590.  He was a monk, scholar, prolific author, and, having been made pope, instrumental in reinvigorating the missionary work of the Church.

[5] Pastoral Rule.

[6] See James 1:13, 14.

[7] See Ephesians 4:27.

[8] Sulpicius Severus (c. 360-425) was a member of the Roman senatorial aristocracy, who renounced all for the monastic life.  He wrote the first biography of Martin of Tours and the Chronicorum Libri Duo (or Historia Sacra), providing a history from the creation to 400 AD.  Drusius produced an annotated edition of his works.

[9] See Luke 2:1-3.

[10] Jerome Olivier, or de Oleastro (died 1563), was a Portuguese Dominican monk.  He was widely esteemed within his order for his abilities in Greek and Hebrew, and his intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures.

[11] 2 Samuel 24:9.

[12] Lucubrationes Franktallenses, sive Specimen Expositionum in Difficillima Utriusque Testamenti Loca.

[13] Hebrew: ‎וַיֹּ֙אמֶר הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֶל־יוֹאָ֣ב׀ שַׂר־הַחַ֣יִל אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֗וֹ שֽׁוּט־נָ֞א בְּכָל־שִׁבְטֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מִדָּן֙ וְעַד־בְּאֵ֣ר שֶׁ֔בַע וּפִקְד֖וּ אֶת־הָעָ֑ם וְיָ֣דַעְתִּ֔י אֵ֖ת מִסְפַּ֥ר הָעָֽם׃ ס

[14] Hebrew:  ‎שׁוּט.

[15] חַיִל can signify army, or strength.