Antiquities Book 7, Chapter 13
That When David Had Numbered the People, They Were Punished; and How the Divine Compassion Restrained That Punishment.
1. Now king David was desirous to know how many ten thousands there were
of the people, but forgot the commands of Moses, 23 who told them
beforehand, that if the multitude were numbered, they should pay half a
shekel to God for every head. Accordingly the king commanded Joab, the
captain of his host, to go and number the whole multitude; but when he
said there was no necessity for such a numeration, he was not persuaded
[to countermand it], but he enjoined him to make no delay, but to go
about the numbering of the Hebrews immediately. So Joab took with him
the heads of the tribes, and the scribes, and went over the country of
the Israelites, and took notice how numerous the multitude were, and
returned to Jerusalem to the king, after nine months and twenty days;
and he gave in to the king the number of the people, without the tribe
of Benjamin, for he had not yet numbered that tribe, no more than the
tribe of Levi, for the king repented of his having sinned against God.
Now the number of the rest of the Israelites was nine hundred thousand
men, who were able to bear arms and go to war; but the tribe of Judah,
by itself, was four hundred thousand men.
2. Now when the prophets had signified to David that God was angry at
him, he began to entreat him, and to desire he would be merciful to him,
and forgive his sin. But God sent Nathan the prophet to him, to propose
to him the election of three things, that he might choose which he liked
best: Whether he would have famine come upon the country for seven
years, or would have a war, and be subdued three months by his enemies?
or, whether God should send a pestilence and a distemper upon the
Hebrews for three days? But as he was fallen to a fatal choice of great
miseries, he was in trouble, and sorely confounded; and when the prophet
had said that he must of necessity make his choice, and had ordered him
to answer quickly, that he might declare what he had chosen to God, the
king reasoned with himself, that in case he should ask for famine, he
would appear to do it for others, and without danger to himself, since
he had a great deal of corn hoarded up, but to the harm of others; that
in case he should choose to be overcome [by his enemies] for three
months, he would appear to have chosen war, because he had valiant men
about him, and strong holds, and that therefore he feared nothing
therefrom: so he chose that affliction which is common to kings and to
their subjects, and in which the fear was equal on all sides; and said
this beforehand, that it was much better to fall into the hands of God,
than into those of his enemies.
3. When the prophet had heard this, he declared it to God; who thereupon
sent a pestilence and a mortality upon the Hebrews; nor did they die
after one and the same manner, nor so that it was easy to know what the
distemper was. Now the miserable disease was one indeed, but it carried
them off by ten thousand causes and occasions, which those that were
afflicted could not understand; for one died upon the neck of another,
and the terrible malady seized them before they were aware, and brought
them to their end suddenly, some giving up the ghost immediately with
very great pains and bitter grief, and some were worn away by their
distempers, and had nothing remaining to be buried, but as soon as ever
they fell were entirely macerated; some were choked, and greatly
lamented their case, as being also stricken with a sudden darkness; some
there were who, as they were burying a relation, fell down dead, without
finishing the rites of the funeral. Now there perished of this disease,
which began with the morning, and lasted till the hour of dinner,
seventy thousand. Nay, the angel stretched out his hand over Jerusalem,
as sending this terrible judgment upon it. But David had put on
sackcloth, and lay upon the ground, entreating God, and begging that the
distemper might now cease, and that he would be satisfied with those
that had already perished. And when the king looked up into the air, and
saw the angel carried along thereby into Jerusalem, with his sword
drawn, he said to God, that he might justly be punished, who was their
shepherd, but that the sheep ought to be preserved, as not having sinned
at all; and he implored God that he would send his wrath upon him, and
upon all his family, but spare the people.
4. When God heard his supplication, he caused the pestilence to cease,
and sent Gad the prophet to him, and commanded him to go up immediately
to the thrashing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite, and build an altar there
to God, and offer sacrifices. When David heard that, he did not neglect
his duty, but made haste to the place appointed him. Now Araunah was
thrashing wheat; and when he saw the king and all his servants coming to
him, he ran before, and came to him and worshipped him: he was by his
lineage a Jebusite, but a particular friend of David's; and for that
cause it was that, when he overthrew the city, he did him no harm, as we
informed the reader a little before. Now Araunah inquired, "Wherefore is
my lord come to his servant?" He answered, to buy of him the thrashing-
floor, that he might therein build an altar to God, and offer a
sacrifice. He replied, that he freely gave him both the thrashing-floor
and the ploughs and the oxen for a burnt-offering; and he besought God
graciously to accept his sacrifice. But the king made answer, that he
took his generosity and magnanimity loudly, and accepted his good-will,
but he desired him to take the price of them all, for that it was not
just to offer a sacrifice that cost nothing. And when Araunah said he
would do as he pleased, he bought the thrashing-floor of him for fifty
shekels. And when he had built an altar, he performed Divine service,
and brought a burnt-offering, and offered peace-offerings also. With
these God was pacified, and became gracious to them again. Now it
happened that Abraham 24came and offered his son Isaac for a burnt-
offering at that very place; and when the youth was ready to have his
throat cut, a ram appeared on a sudden, standing by the altar, which
Abraham sacrificed in the stead of his son, as we have before related.
Now when king David saw that God had heard his prayer, and had
graciously accepted of his sacrifice, he resolved to call that entire
place The Altar of all the People, and to build a temple to God there;
which words he uttered very appositely to what was to be done afterward;
for God sent the prophet to him, and told him that there should his son
build him an altar, that son who was to take the kingdom after him.
of the people, but forgot the commands of Moses, 23 who told them
beforehand, that if the multitude were numbered, they should pay half a
shekel to God for every head. Accordingly the king commanded Joab, the
captain of his host, to go and number the whole multitude; but when he
said there was no necessity for such a numeration, he was not persuaded
[to countermand it], but he enjoined him to make no delay, but to go
about the numbering of the Hebrews immediately. So Joab took with him
the heads of the tribes, and the scribes, and went over the country of
the Israelites, and took notice how numerous the multitude were, and
returned to Jerusalem to the king, after nine months and twenty days;
and he gave in to the king the number of the people, without the tribe
of Benjamin, for he had not yet numbered that tribe, no more than the
tribe of Levi, for the king repented of his having sinned against God.
Now the number of the rest of the Israelites was nine hundred thousand
men, who were able to bear arms and go to war; but the tribe of Judah,
by itself, was four hundred thousand men.
2. Now when the prophets had signified to David that God was angry at
him, he began to entreat him, and to desire he would be merciful to him,
and forgive his sin. But God sent Nathan the prophet to him, to propose
to him the election of three things, that he might choose which he liked
best: Whether he would have famine come upon the country for seven
years, or would have a war, and be subdued three months by his enemies?
or, whether God should send a pestilence and a distemper upon the
Hebrews for three days? But as he was fallen to a fatal choice of great
miseries, he was in trouble, and sorely confounded; and when the prophet
had said that he must of necessity make his choice, and had ordered him
to answer quickly, that he might declare what he had chosen to God, the
king reasoned with himself, that in case he should ask for famine, he
would appear to do it for others, and without danger to himself, since
he had a great deal of corn hoarded up, but to the harm of others; that
in case he should choose to be overcome [by his enemies] for three
months, he would appear to have chosen war, because he had valiant men
about him, and strong holds, and that therefore he feared nothing
therefrom: so he chose that affliction which is common to kings and to
their subjects, and in which the fear was equal on all sides; and said
this beforehand, that it was much better to fall into the hands of God,
than into those of his enemies.
3. When the prophet had heard this, he declared it to God; who thereupon
sent a pestilence and a mortality upon the Hebrews; nor did they die
after one and the same manner, nor so that it was easy to know what the
distemper was. Now the miserable disease was one indeed, but it carried
them off by ten thousand causes and occasions, which those that were
afflicted could not understand; for one died upon the neck of another,
and the terrible malady seized them before they were aware, and brought
them to their end suddenly, some giving up the ghost immediately with
very great pains and bitter grief, and some were worn away by their
distempers, and had nothing remaining to be buried, but as soon as ever
they fell were entirely macerated; some were choked, and greatly
lamented their case, as being also stricken with a sudden darkness; some
there were who, as they were burying a relation, fell down dead, without
finishing the rites of the funeral. Now there perished of this disease,
which began with the morning, and lasted till the hour of dinner,
seventy thousand. Nay, the angel stretched out his hand over Jerusalem,
as sending this terrible judgment upon it. But David had put on
sackcloth, and lay upon the ground, entreating God, and begging that the
distemper might now cease, and that he would be satisfied with those
that had already perished. And when the king looked up into the air, and
saw the angel carried along thereby into Jerusalem, with his sword
drawn, he said to God, that he might justly be punished, who was their
shepherd, but that the sheep ought to be preserved, as not having sinned
at all; and he implored God that he would send his wrath upon him, and
upon all his family, but spare the people.
4. When God heard his supplication, he caused the pestilence to cease,
and sent Gad the prophet to him, and commanded him to go up immediately
to the thrashing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite, and build an altar there
to God, and offer sacrifices. When David heard that, he did not neglect
his duty, but made haste to the place appointed him. Now Araunah was
thrashing wheat; and when he saw the king and all his servants coming to
him, he ran before, and came to him and worshipped him: he was by his
lineage a Jebusite, but a particular friend of David's; and for that
cause it was that, when he overthrew the city, he did him no harm, as we
informed the reader a little before. Now Araunah inquired, "Wherefore is
my lord come to his servant?" He answered, to buy of him the thrashing-
floor, that he might therein build an altar to God, and offer a
sacrifice. He replied, that he freely gave him both the thrashing-floor
and the ploughs and the oxen for a burnt-offering; and he besought God
graciously to accept his sacrifice. But the king made answer, that he
took his generosity and magnanimity loudly, and accepted his good-will,
but he desired him to take the price of them all, for that it was not
just to offer a sacrifice that cost nothing. And when Araunah said he
would do as he pleased, he bought the thrashing-floor of him for fifty
shekels. And when he had built an altar, he performed Divine service,
and brought a burnt-offering, and offered peace-offerings also. With
these God was pacified, and became gracious to them again. Now it
happened that Abraham 24came and offered his son Isaac for a burnt-
offering at that very place; and when the youth was ready to have his
throat cut, a ram appeared on a sudden, standing by the altar, which
Abraham sacrificed in the stead of his son, as we have before related.
Now when king David saw that God had heard his prayer, and had
graciously accepted of his sacrifice, he resolved to call that entire
place The Altar of all the People, and to build a temple to God there;
which words he uttered very appositely to what was to be done afterward;
for God sent the prophet to him, and told him that there should his son
build him an altar, that son who was to take the kingdom after him.