1 Chronicles 21:18-27 Meaning: The Offering That Costs Us Something
18Then Yahweh’s angel commanded Gad to tell David that David should go up and raise an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spoke in Yahweh’s name.
20Ornan turned back and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
21As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
22Then David said to Ornan, “Sell me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar to Yahweh on it. You shall sell it to me for the full price, that the plague may be stopped from afflicting the people.”
23Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes. Behold, I give the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal offering. I give it all.”
24King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will most certainly buy it for the full price. For I will not take that which is yours for Yahweh, nor offer a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”
25So David gave to Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.
26David built an altar to Yahweh there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on Yahweh; and he answered him from the sky by fire on the altar of burnt offering.
27Then Yahweh commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.
18Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the Lord.
20And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
21And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
22Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the Lord: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.
23And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all.
24And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.
25So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.
26And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.
27And the Lord commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.
18Then the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and rear an altar unto Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of Jehovah.
20And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons that were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
21And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing-floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
22Then David said to Ornan, Give me the place of this threshing-floor, that I may build thereon an altar unto Jehovah: for the full price shalt thou give it me, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
23And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal-offering; I give it all.
24And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for Jehovah, nor offer a burnt-offering without cost.
25So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.
26And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and called upon Jehovah; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering.
27And Jehovah commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.
18And the messenger of Jehovah spake unto Gad, saying for David, `Surely David doth go up to raise an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.'
19And David goeth up by the word of Gad, that he spake in the name of Jehovah.
20And Ornan turneth back, and seeth the messenger, and his four sons are with him, hiding themselves, and Ornan is threshing wheat.
21And David cometh in unto Ornan, and Ornan looketh attentively, and seeth David, and goeth out from the threshing-floor, and boweth himself to David--face to the earth.
22And David saith unto Ornan, `Give to me the place of the threshing-floor, and I build in it an altar to Jehovah; for full silver give it to me, and the plague is restrained from the people.'
23And Ornan saith unto David, `Take to thee--and my lord the king doth that which is good in his eyes: see, I have given the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for a present; the whole I have given.'
24And king David saith to Ornan, `Nay, for I surely buy for full silver; for I do not lift up that which is thine to Jehovah, so as to offer a burnt-offering without cost.'
25And David giveth to Ornan for the place shekels of gold in weight six hundred;
26and David buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and offereth burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and calleth unto Jehovah, and He answereth him with fire from the heavens on the altar of the burnt-offering.
27And Jehovah saith to the messenger, and he turneth back his sword unto its sheath.
18And the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and rear an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of Jehovah.
20And Ornan turned back and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
21And David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing-floor, and bowed himself to David with [his] face to the ground.
22And David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of the threshing-floor, that I may build an altar in it to Jehovah: grant it to me for the full money, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
23And Ornan said to David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his sight: see, I give the oxen for the burnt-offering, and the threshing-sledges for wood, and the wheat for the oblation; I give it all.
24And king David said to Ornan, No; but I will in any case buy [them] for the full money; for I will not take that which is thine for Jehovah, to offer up a burnt-offering without cost.
25And David gave to Ornan for the place in shekels of gold the weight of six hundred [shekels].
26And David built there an altar to Jehovah, and offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and called upon Jehovah; and he answered him from the heavens by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering.
27And Jehovah spoke to the angel; and he put up his sword again into its sheath.
Meaning in one sentence
David refuses to offer a sacrifice that costs him nothing, paying the full price for the threshing floor. God answers with fire, and the plague ends.
Context
This passage sits at the turning point of a terrible story. David had counted the fighting men of Israel against God’s will, and a plague swept through the land. Seventy thousand people died. An angel stood over Jerusalem with a drawn sword, ready to destroy. David saw him and cried out, begging God to punish him instead of the people.
Then the angel told the prophet Gad to send David to the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. That ordinary patch of ground, where a farmer was beating wheat, became the place where judgment would stop. David went immediately, bought the site at full price, built an altar, and offered sacrifices. God answered with fire from heaven, and the angel put his sword away. Later, that same threshing floor would become the foundation of the temple.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words give this passage its weight. The first is chinnam, the word David uses when he says he will not offer a burnt offering “without cost.” It means freely, for nothing, without payment. For David, a gift to God that cost him nothing was no gift at all. He would not give God the leftovers of someone else’s generosity.
The second is the verb qanah, to buy, to acquire. David doubles it in an emphatic form: “I will most certainly buy it” (kanoh ekneh). The repetition shows he will not be talked out of it. This is not a transaction he regrets; it is the heart of his worship.
The third is male’, the word for “full” price. David could have bargained or accepted a discount. But full price meant his offering carried the weight of his own sacrifice. When we give God something that costs us, it changes both the gift and the giver.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have noticed the difference between this account and the parallel in 2 Samuel 24: there, the prophet Gad delivers the command directly, with no mention of an angel. Some readers, following commentators like Barnes, see the angel as the Chronicler’s way of emphasizing that God’s word came through a chain of authority, from God to the angel, then to the prophet, then to the king. Others accept the angel as simply part of the fuller story that Chronicles records.
Another point of discussion is the price: 2 Samuel says fifty shekels of silver, while Chronicles says six hundred shekels of gold. Many interpreters (including Keil and Delitzsch) suggest that the smaller amount was for the oxen and the threshing instruments, while the larger sum covered the entire site, the land that would become the temple mount. Both accounts agree on the essential truth: David paid a genuine, sacrificial price.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think David was being stubborn or proud when he refused Ornan’s generous offer. They imagine a king too proud to accept a gift. In fact, David was upholding a deep principle: an offering to God must cost the giver. He would not take what belonged to another and present it as his own sacrifice. The text honors both Ornan’s generosity and David’s integrity.
Living This Out
This week, ask yourself what it would cost you to give something meaningful to God. It might be an hour of sleep to pray. It might be money you planned for something else. It might be a talent you are afraid to use because you might fail. David shows us that real worship involves risk and sacrifice. Don’t give God what costs you nothing. He gave you everything.
Main takeaway: An offering to God is only truly an offering when it costs the giver something.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
David wanted to give God a special gift. A man named Ornan said, “Take it for free!” But David said, “No, I will pay for it.” He wanted his gift to be real, not something someone else gave him. God was happy.
For ages 9, 12
David knew that the only way to stop the plague was a real sacrifice. When Ornan offered him the threshing floor and everything needed for free, David refused. He paid the full price because he would not give God something that cost him nothing. When you give to God, your time, your money, your effort, make it count. Give what costs you something. That is what makes it a sacrifice.
Questions People Ask
Why did David insist on paying the full price when Ornan offered it for free?
David said, “I will not offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” He meant that a gift to God must be genuine and sacrificial. Accepting it for free would have made it Ornan’s gift, not David’s. The cost represented David’s own heart and devotion, not someone else’s generosity.
What is the significance of the threshing floor of Ornan?
This ordinary place of work became the site where the plague stopped and the altar was built. Later, King Solomon built the temple there (2 Chronicles 3:1). A place of daily labor and judgment became the center of God’s presence and worship for Israel.
Why does Chronicles mention an angel when 2 Samuel does not?
The Chronicler may have been showing how God’s message came through a chain of mediation: the angel gave the word to the prophet Gad, who then told David. This emphasizes that the command came from God with full authority. Some scholars see it as the Chronicler’s later style, while others see it as part of the fuller story.
How does this passage connect to the future temple?
The threshing floor was on Mount Moriah, the very place where Abraham had offered Isaac. David purchased it as the site for the altar, and his son Solomon built the first temple there (2 Chronicles 3:1). This purchase was the beginning of Israel’s permanent house of worship.
Why is the price in Chronicles different from the price in 2 Samuel?
In 2 Samuel 24:24, David paid fifty shekels of silver for the oxen and the threshing floor. In Chronicles, the purchase expanded to the whole site, costing six hundred shekels of gold. Many commentators (like Keil and Delitzsch) believe the larger amount included the surrounding land that became the temple mount.
For pastors & researchers
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