3And Joab said, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of guilt unto Israel? 4Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. 5And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword. 6But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was abominable to Joab. 7And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. 8And David said unto
Bāniās (Paneas), north of Lake Huleh (Waters of Merom). For its original name Laish, see Judg. xviii. 28.
that I may know] Either with a view to imposing a tax or to undertaking some fresh great military expedition.
3. The LORD make . . . are they not all my lord's servants?] Counting will not increase their numbers, only Jehovah's gracious favour can secure that. What more then can David desire than to know, as Joab now assures him, that one and all his subjects are loyal?
why will he be a cause of guilt unto Israel?] Cp. Lev. iv. 3, "if the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people" (R.V.). The community is a unit, and the guilt of one falls on all.
4. came to Jerusalem] In 2 Sam. xxiv. 4—8 the route is described and the time taken in the numbering is stated, nine months and twenty days.
5. they of Israel] Chron. gives Israel as 1,100,000 and Judah as 470,000; 2 Sam. gives Israel as 800,000 and Judah as 500,000. It is difficult to correlate these figures. There are, however, reasons for thinking that the last part of the ver. and Judah was 470,000, etc., may be a gloss. If so, then the 200,000 less in Chron. (1,300,000 in Sam.; 1,100,000 in Chron., where Israel would as so often denote both Israel and Judah) might well be explained as an allowance for the exclusion of Levi and Benjamin (see ver. 6).
that drew sword] All males over twenty years of age; cp. Num. i. 20.
6. Levi] In Num. i. 49 it is ordained that Levi is not to be numbered among the children of Israel, i.e treated as liable to military service. The Levites were, however, numbered separately: Num. iii. 15, xxvi. 57. In 2 Sam. there is nothing to correspond with this verse, Levi and Benjamin being there reckoned in the census. Why the Chronicler excludes Benjamin as well as Levi it is not easy to see.
7. he smote Israel] with the plague.
