God’s Word Translation
2 Samuel 24:13
13When Gad came to David, he told David this and asked, “Should seven years of famine come to you and your land, or three months during which you flee from your enemies as they pursue you, or should there be a three-day plague in your land? Think it over, and decide what answer I should give the one who sent me.”
2 Samuel 24:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.
- New International Version (NIV)So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, "Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me."
- New King James Version (NKJV)So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”
Context of 2 Samuel 24:13
11When David got up in the morning, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Gad, David’s seer. 12“Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I’m offering you three choices. Choose the one you want me to do to you.’ ” When Gad came to David, he told David this and asked, “Should seven years of famine come to you and your land, or three months during which you flee from your enemies as they pursue you, or should there be a three-day plague in your land? Think it over, and decide what answer I should give the one who sent me.” 14“I’m in a desperate situation,” David told Gad. “Please let us fall into the Lord’s hands because he is very merciful. But don’t let me fall into human hands.” 15So the Lord sent a plague among the Israelites from that morning until the time he had chosen. Of the people from Dan to Beersheba, 70,000 died.
Read all of 2 Samuel 242 Samuel 24:13 word by word
וַיָּבֹא־גָ֥ד אֶל־דָּוִ֖ד וַיַּגֶּד־ל֑וֹ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֡וֹ הֲתָב֣וֹא לְךָ֣ שֶֽׁבַע שָׁנִ֣ים׀ רָעָ֣ב׀ בְּאַרְצֶ֡ךָ אִם־שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה חֳ֠דָשִׁים נֻסְךָ֨ לִפְנֵֽי־צָרֶ֜יךָ וְה֣וּא רֹדְפֶ֗ךָ וְאִם־הֱ֠יוֹת שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת יָמִ֥ים דֶּ֙בֶר֙ בְּאַרְצֶ֔ךָ עַתָּה֙ דַּ֣ע וּרְאֵ֔ה מָה־אָשִׁ֥יב שֹׁלְחִ֖י דָּבָֽר׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- So Gadגָּדgâd · GadH1410
- cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
- and toldנָגַדnâgad · to tellH5046
- him, and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto him, Shall sevenשֶׁ֫בַעsheba‛ shib‛âh · sevenH7651
- yearsשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141
- of famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
- unto thee in thy landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- or wilt thou fleeנוּסnûs · to fleeH5127
- threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
- monthsחֹ֫דֶשׁchôdesh · monthH2320
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- thine enemiesצַרtsar tsâr · enemyH6862
- while they pursueרָדַףrâdaph · to pursueH7291
- days’יוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- pestilenceדֶּ֫בֶרdeber · pestilenceH1698
- now adviseיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- and seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: selectH7200
- what answerדָּבָרdâbâr · word: speakingH1697
- I shall returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- to him that sentשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
Cross-references for 2 Samuel 24:13
- 2 Samuel 21:1In the time of David, there was a famine for three successive years, and David asked the Lord’s advice about it. The Lord answered, “It’s because of Saul and his family. They are guilty of murder because they killed the people of Gibeon.”
- Leviticus 26:20You will work hard for nothing because your land will produce no crops and the trees will produce no fruit.
- 1 Kings 17:1Elijah, who was from Tishbe but had settled in Gilead, said to Ahab, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord God of Israel whom I serve lives, there will be no dew or rain during the next few years unless I say so.”
- 1 Chronicles 21:12either three years of famine, or three months during which your enemies will chase you away when their swords catch up to you, or three days of the Lord’s sword—a plague in the land with the Messenger of the Lord destroying the whole country of Israel.’ Decide what answer I should give the one who sent me.”
- Ezekiel 14:13“Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful to me. I will use my power against it, cut off its food supply, send a famine to it, and destroy its people and animals.
- Luke 4:25“I can guarantee this truth: There were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time. It had not rained for three-and-a-half years, and the famine was severe everywhere in the country.
- Leviticus 26:17I will condemn you so that you will go down in defeat in front of your enemies. Those who hate you will be your rulers. You will run away even when no one is chasing you.
- Deuteronomy 28:25The Lord will let your enemies defeat you. You will attack them from one direction but run away from them in seven directions. You will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms in the world.
- Leviticus 26:16then this is what I will do to you: I will terrorize you with disease and fever. You will suffer from eye problems and depression. You will plant your crops and get nothing because your enemies will eat them.
- Deuteronomy 28:22The Lord will strike you with disease, fever, and inflammation; heat waves, drought, scorching winds, and ruined crops. They will pursue you until you die.
- Psalms 91:6plagues that roam the dark, epidemics that strike at noon.
- Ezekiel 14:19“Suppose I send a plague into that country or pour out my fury on it by killing people and destroying animals.
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 24:13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13Shall seven years of famine - In 1 Chronicles 21:12, the number is three, not seven; and here the Septuagint has three, the same as in Chronicles: this is no doubt the true reading, the letter ז zain, Seven, being mistaken for ג gimel, Three. A mistake of this kind might be easily made from the similarity of the letters.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13Compare Ezekiel 14:13-21. The “seven” years of famine correspond with the “seven” years of famine in Genesis 41:27, Genesis 41:30, and with the same number of years in 2 Kings 8:1. But in Chronicles, it is “three years,” which agrees better with the “three” months and “three” days. The whole passage is amplified in Chronicles, which has less the aspect of an original text than this.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-15Verses 10-15 It is well, when a man has sinned, if he has a heart within to smite him for it. If we confess our sins, we may pray in faith that God would forgive them, and take away, by pardoning mercy, that sin which we cast away by sincere repentance. What we make the matter of our pride, it is just in God to take from us, or make bitter to us, and make it our punishment. This must be such a punishment as the people have a large share in, for though it…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13David had already experienced the first two options. He had fled from Saul and later from Absalom. He had also lived through a famine caused by Saul’s murder of the Gibeonites (2 Samuel 21:1). At first, three days of severe plague may have seemed less frightening. However, the plague caused the deaths of 70,000 people (2 Samuel 24:15).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-1310-13. David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned--The act of numbering the people was not in itself sinful; for Moses did it by the express authority of God. But David acted not only independently of such order or sanction, but from motives unworthy of the delegated king of Israel; from pride and vainglory; from self-confidence and distrust of God; and, above all, from ambitious designs of…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Samuel 24:13
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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