II Samuel 24:18-25 · Bible study
2 Samuel 24:18-25 Commentary: Costly Worship at the Threshing Floor
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
David buys Araunah's threshing floor, builds an altar, and offers sacrifices that cost him something. The plague stops and the site becomes the Temple location.
Research Summary
- Meaning: David obeys God’s command to build an altar on the threshing floor, refuses a free gift, buys the site, offers sacrifices, and the plague stops, establishing the location of the future Temple.
- Key words: קָנָה (qanah, buy), מְחִיר (mekhir, price), חִנָּם (khinnam, without cost/freely), עָלָה ('olah, burnt offering), שָׁלַם (shalem, peace offering), עָתַר ('atar, entreat/pray).
- Main debate: The price of fifty shekels of silver in 2 Samuel 24:24 versus six hundred shekels of gold in 1 Chronicles 21:25, harmonized by some as payment for the threshing floor alone versus the whole hill.
- Theological theme: Costly worship as the appropriate response to sin and mercy; the connection between sacrifice, repentance, and divine acceptance.
- Best use: Preaching on sacrificial giving, repentance, the significance of the Temple site, or the principle that worship must cost the worshiper.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
18And that day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19So David went up at the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.
20When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king.
21“Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” Araunah said. “To buy your threshing floor,” David replied, “that I may build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”
22Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever seems good and offer it up. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
23O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
24“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.
WEB World English Bible 2000
18Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, build an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19David went up according to the saying of Gad, as Yahweh commanded.
20Araunah looked out, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. Then Araunah went out and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
21Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy your threshing floor, to build an altar to Yahweh, that the plague may be stopped from afflicting the people.”
22Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Behold, the cattle for the burnt offering, and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.
23All this, O king, does Araunah give to the king.” Araunah said to the king, “May Yahweh your God accept you.”
24The king said to Araunah, “No, but I will most certainly buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to Yahweh my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25David built an altar to Yahweh there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So Yahweh was entreated for the land, and the plague was removed from Israel.
KJV King James Version 1769
18And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
19And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded.
20And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.
21And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
22And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.
23All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee.
24And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
18And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
19And David went up according to the saying of Gad, as Jehovah commanded.
20And Araunah looked forth, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
21And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar unto Jehovah, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
22And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, the oxen for the burnt-offering, and the threshing instruments and the yokes of the oxen for the wood:
23all this, O king, doth Araunah give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, Jehovah thy God accept thee.
24And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee at a price; neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah my God which cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. So Jehovah was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
18And Gad cometh in unto David on that day, and saith to him, `Go up, raise to Jehovah an altar in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite;'
19and David goeth up, according to the word of Gad, as Jehovah commanded.
20And Araunah looketh, and seeth the king and his servants passing over unto him, and Araunah goeth out and boweth himself to the king--his face to the earth.
21And Araunah saith, `Wherefore hath my lord the king come unto his servant?' and David saith, `To buy from thee the threshing-floor, to build an altar to Jehovah, and the plague is restrained from the people.'
22And Araunah saith unto David, `Let my lord the king take and cause to ascend that which is good in his eyes; see, the oxen for a burnt-offering, and the threshing instruments, and the instruments of the oxen, for wood;'
23the whole hath Araunah given, as a king to a king; and Araunah saith unto the king, `Jehovah thy God doth accept thee.'
24And the king saith unto Araunah, `Nay, for I do surely buy from thee for a price, and I do not cause to ascend to Jehovah my God burnt-offerings for nought;' and David buyeth the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver,
25and David buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and causeth to ascend burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and Jehovah is entreated for the land, and the plague is restrained from Israel.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
18And Gad came that day to David, and said to him, Go up, rear an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
19And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as Jehovah had commanded.
20And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on towards him; and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
21And Araunah said, Why is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar to Jehovah, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
22And Araunah said to David, Let my lord the king take and offer up that which is good in his sight: see, [here are] oxen for the burnt-offering, and the threshing-sledges and implements of the oxen for wood.
23All these things, O king, doth Araunah give to the king. And Araunah said to the king, Jehovah thy God accept thee.
24And the king said to Araunah, No; but I will in any case buy [them] of thee at a price: neither will I offer up to Jehovah my God burnt-offerings without cost. And David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25And David built there an altar to Jehovah, and offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. And Jehovah was propitious to the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
18And Gad came to David that day, and said: Go up, and build an altar to the Lord in the thrashingfloor of Areuna the Jebusite.
19And David went up according to the word of Gad which the Lord had commanded him.
20And Areuna looked, and saw the king and his servants coming towards him:
21And going out he worshipped the king, bowing with his face to the earth, and said: Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said to him: To buy the thrashingfloor of thee, and build an altar to the Lord, that the plague, which rageth among the people, may cease.
22And Areuna said to David: Let my lord the king take, and offer, as it seemeth good to him: thou hast here oxen for a holocaust, and the wain, and the yokes of the oxen for wood.
23All these things Areuna as a king gave to the king: and Areuna said to the king: The Lord thy God receive thy vow.
24And the king answered him, and said: Nay, but I will buy it of thee, at a price, and I will not offer to the Lord my God holocausts free cost. So David bought the floor, and the oxen, for fifty sicles of silver:
25And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered holocausts and peace offerings: and the Lord became merciful to the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Samuel 24:18
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this passage marks the turning point of the plague sent after David’s census. The threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite is identified by Clarke, Gill, and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown as Mount Moriah, the mountain where Abraham offered Isaac and where Solomon later built the Temple (2 Chronicles 3:1).
David’s response to Araunah’s generous offer to give everything freely, “I will not offer burnt offerings to Yahweh my God which cost me nothing” (v.24), is universally recognized as the key theological statement. God’s acceptance of the sacrifice and the removal of the plague (v.25) show that worship offered at personal cost moves God to mercy. The site’s future significance as the Temple location is noted by the Cambridge Bible and others.
Matthew Henry adds that God’s command to build an altar was a sign that “he was now thoroughly reconciled to him; for, if the Lord had been pleased to kill him, he would not have accepted an offering.”
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Single purchase view: The fifty shekels in 2 Samuel 24:24 are the total price, and the six hundred shekels in 1 Chronicles 21:25 represent a different tradition or a later expansion.
- Complementary purchase view: Barnes, Poole, and others argue that fifty shekels of silver paid for the threshing floor and oxen, while six hundred shekels of gold later bought the entire hill for the Temple site.
- Araunah as Jebusite king: Some read the disputed phrase in v.23 as an indication that Araunah was the former king of Jebus, which would add political weight to the transaction.
What is clear: David built an altar on that threshing floor, offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and God stopped the plague on Israel.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Location of the altar | The threshing floor of Araunah is on Mount Moriah, later the site of Solomon’s Temple (2 Chronicles 3:1). | Some scholars note that the rabbinical tradition also places Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac on this spot, but the passage itself does not make that connection explicit. |
| Price paid for the property | David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver (v.24). | Christians who hold that 1 Chronicles 21:25 records a separate purchase of the whole hill for six hundred shekels of gold see no contradiction. Others see a textual problem and propose that the Chronicles figure includes the entire site, while Samuel records only the floor and animals. |
| Araunah’s status as a king | Araunah is a Jebusite living in Jerusalem, probably a convert to the worship of Yahweh. | The phrase “as a king” in v.23 (Hebrew: hammelech) may mean Araunah gave with royal generosity (so Cambridge Bible, Gill), or it may indicate that he was a former Jebusite king (so Adam Clarke). The Septuagint omits “the king” in reference to Araunah, suggesting the simpler reading is original. |
| Why the plague stopped only after the sacrifice | God’s mercy was already shown when he commanded the angel to stop (v.16), but the full removal of judgment was tied to the altar and offerings. | Some see the delay as pedagogical: David needed to complete the act of repentance. Others hold that God’s mercy was provisional and the sacrifice released its full effect. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The threshing floor was a flat, open area on Mount Moriah, just north of David’s city of Zion. Threshing sledges (iron-studded boards dragged by oxen) were used to separate grain from chaff (Barnes, Cambridge Bible). Araunah the Jebusite was likely one of the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Jerusalem who had remained after David’s conquest and had become a worshiper of Yahweh (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown).
The plague had begun when David took a census of Israel in pride, and seventy thousand people died (24:15). The angel of Yahweh was seen standing “by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (24:16), and it was there that God commanded, through the prophet Gad, that David build an altar. David went up to the threshing floor from the lower city, obeying the word of Gad just as Yahweh commanded (v.19).
Araunah, seeing the king approaching, came out and bowed with his face to the ground. He offered David the threshing floor, the oxen, the sledges, and wood for the sacrifice, everything needed, without payment. But David refused, insisting on buying it “for a price.” He purchased the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. This transaction became the legal basis for the altar and later the Temple. The Chronicles account adds that David later paid six hundred shekels of gold for the entire hill (1 Chronicles 21:25), suggesting the fifty shekels covered the immediate site and animals (Barnes, Poole).
Textual Notes
The major textual variant involves v.23: the phrase “the king” (hammelech) applied to Araunah (“All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king”). The Septuagint, Syriac, Arabic, and several Hebrew manuscripts omit “the king” in reference to Araunah, leading many scholars to prefer a reading that simply says “Araunah gave to the king” (so Cambridge Bible, Clarke). The name also appears as Ornan in 1 Chronicles 21, but this is a variant spelling of the same individual. No other significant variants are noted in the supplied sources for this passage.
Reception History
This passage has been a touchstone for Christian teaching on sacrificial giving. Bishop Joseph Hall (17th century), quoted in the Cambridge Bible, said: “It is an heartless piety of those base-minded Christians that care only to serve God good cheap.” David’s refusal of a free gift became a standard theme in sermons on stewardship. The early church saw in the threshing floor a type of the cross, the place of judgment and separation that becomes the site of reconciliation. Because the threshing floor is on Mount Moriah, later tradition connected it to Abraham’s offering of Isaac (Genesis 22). The purchase of the land by David prefigured the cost of redemption. Commentators such as Matthew Henry emphasized that God’s command to build an altar was proof that he had accepted David’s repentance. The passage is often read in penitential liturgies and continues to challenge believers to evaluate the cost of their worship.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- Obedience to God’s Word: David goes up “according to the saying of Gad, as Yahweh commanded” (v.19). The prophet’s direction is not questioned; the king submits to divine instruction even in a time of crisis.
- Worship That Costs: David refuses a free gift, saying he will not offer to God “that which cost me nothing” (v.24). The core principle: acceptable sacrifice requires personal investment.
- God Responds to Repentance: After the altar is built and offerings made, “Yahweh was entreated for the land, and the plague was removed from Israel” (v.25). Mercy follows costly worship.
Five-Point Outline
- God’s command through Gad: build an altar on the threshing floor (v.18)
- David’s obedient ascent (v.19)
- Araunah’s generous offer of everything (vv.22-23)
- David’s insistence on paying a price, the purchase (v.24)
- The sacrifice and its result: the plague stopped (v.25)
Illustration Hooks
- A friend offers to pay for a meal you owe as a gesture of thanks; you refuse because you want the gift to come from you, not from them. David insists on paying so the sacrifice is his, not Araunah’s.
- A family saves for months to give a special offering at church. The amount may be small, but the sacrifice of time and comfort makes it meaningful. David’s refusal of a free gift shows that love is measured by what we give up.
- Threshing floors were places of winnowing and separating. The site where judgment fell becomes the site of mercy, a concrete picture of how God turns our ruin into a meeting place.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- If Araunah was willing to give everything for free, why did David insist on paying? Is it wrong to accept generous gifts for ministry?
- Why did the plague stop only after the sacrifice, not the moment the angel withdrew in v.16?
- Does my worship cost me anything? How can I tell if I’m giving God leftovers?
Leading a Discussion
This passage shows us that worship is not only about the heart but also about the hands, what we bring, what we give up. David could have taken the easy path, but he chose a costly one. As you discuss, think about what it means to offer God something that requires sacrifice.
Discussion Questions
- Observation: What did David buy from Araunah? How does the list in v.22-24 help you picture the scene?
- Observation: What was David’s stated reason for building the altar? (v.21)
- Interpretation: Why didn’t David accept Araunah’s generous offer? What does this tell you about David’s understanding of worship and sacrifice?
- Interpretation: The threshing floor later becomes the site of the Temple. Why might God have chosen this place? How does the story of the plague connect to the later purpose of the Temple as a place of atonement?
- Interpretation: In what ways is the purchase of the land a picture of redemption? Think about how David’s costly purchase makes way for a future house of God.
- Application: “I will not offer burnt offerings to Yahweh my God which cost me nothing.” What areas of your life are hardest to offer to God at personal cost, time, money, reputation, comfort?
- Application: How does this passage challenge our culture’s emphasis on convenience and ease in spiritual life? What one step could your group take this week to give God something that costs you something?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Samuel 24:11 | When David rose up in the morning, Yahweh’s word came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, |
| I Chronicles 21:18 | Then 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. |
| I Chronicles 21:30 | But David couldn’t go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid because of the sword of Yahweh’s angel. |
| Genesis 6:22 | Thus Noah did. He did all that God commanded him. |
| I Chronicles 21:19 | David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spoke in Yahweh’s name. |
| II Chronicles 20:20 | They rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. As they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in Yahweh your God, so you will be established! Believe his prophets, so you will prosper.” |
| II Chronicles 36:16 | but they mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until Yahweh’s wrath arose against his people, until there was no remedy. |
| Nehemiah 9:26 | “Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against you, cast your law behind their back, killed your prophets that testified against them to turn them again to you, and they committed awful blasphemies. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws a sharp line between a cheap religion and a costly one. David will not offer what costs him nothing, since a sacrifice that is given free of charge is not the offerer's own. For Clarke, the whole point is that David must pay personally because he sinned, not Araunah, and the plague can only be turned away by a sacrifice that truly costs the sinner.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes reconciles the apparent price difference between the two accounts by arguing that the fifty shekels in Samuel were gold shekels, each worth twelve silver shekels, making them equivalent to the six hundred silver shekels mentioned in Chronicles. He also suggests Chronicles should be read as David giving gold shekels of that weight.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that David refused to offer to God what cost him nothing, insisting on purchasing the threshing floor and oxen at full price. The point is that true worship requires personal sacrifice; receiving everything as a gift would cheapen the offering and dishonor the Lord.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights David's refusal to offer to God what cost him nothing, calling it an "ingenuous spirit" contrary to those who serve the Lord cheaply. He also notes the threshingfloor's location on Mount Moriah, where Abraham offered Isaac and the temple later stood.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB clarifies that the plague did not stop until the altar was built and sacrifice offered, meaning the earlier verse was written in anticipation. He also distinguishes two separate payments: fifty shekels for the threshing floor and oxen, then a larger sum for the entire hill where the temple would later stand.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch identifies David's sin as self-exaltation, not merely the act of numbering
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange insists that the text says Jehovah himself incited David to number Israel, not Satan. This does not mean God forced David. Instead, God allowed his circumstances to stir up the pride already in David's heart, while the people shared the guilt of that pride.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry's point centers on David's refusal to offer sacrifices that cost him nothing. A worship that costs the worshiper nothing, Henry argues, is no true worship. David paid full price because giving God what comes freely cheapens the offering and the heart behind it.