And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.

1 CHRONICLES 21:20KJV
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1 Chronicles 21:20 (KJV)

What does 1 Chronicles 21:20 mean?

1 Chronicles 21:20 describes how Ornan, while working threshing wheat, turned and saw an angel, which caused his four sons to hide themselves out of fear. Ornan himself remained at his work, witnessing this extraordinary event.

This verse takes place during the aftermath of King David’s census, when God sends an angel to bring judgment on Jerusalem. Ornan (also called Araunah in other passages) is a local landowner; he and his sons react with fear when they see the angel, highlighting the seriousness of the situation. The detail that Ornan was threshing wheat shows he was engaged in ordinary work when confronted with something supernatural.

The Hebrew behind 1 Chronicles 21:20

  • "Angel" (מַלְאָךְ, mal’akh): This word means "messenger" and is often used for heavenly beings sent by God. Here, it emphasizes that the figure Ornan saw was not human but a divine messenger carrying out God’s command.
  • "Hid" (חָבָא, chava’): This verb means to conceal oneself. The use of this word shows the sons’ immediate fear and instinct to seek safety, underlining the awe and terror inspired by the angel’s appearance.
  • "Threshing" (דּוּשׁ, dush): This word refers to the process of separating grain from the stalks. Mentioning that Ornan was threshing wheat grounds the story in everyday life, making the sudden appearance of the angel even more striking.

Why 1 Chronicles 21:20 matters

  • This verse shows the real fear and awe that encounters with God’s messengers could inspire, even among ordinary people going about their daily work.
  • The detail that Ornan’s sons hid while Ornan saw the angel helps set up the following verses, where Ornan’s land becomes the site for David’s altar, linking everyday life to a key moment in Israel’s history.
  • The verse highlights the seriousness of the judgment on Jerusalem and the supernatural events surrounding David’s actions, helping the reader understand the gravity of the situation.

Where else these words appear

“Ornan” Hebrew H771 · used in 10 verses

  • 1 Chronicles 21:15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
  • 1 Chronicles 21:22 Then 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.
  • 1 Chronicles 21:25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

“threshing” Hebrew H1758 · used in 13 verses

  • Judges 8:7 And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.
  • Isaiah 28:27 For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
  • Hosea 10:11 And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.

“wheat” Hebrew H2406 · used in 30 verses

  • Genesis 30:14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.
  • 1 Samuel 6:13 And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
  • Psalms 81:16 He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

“hid” Hebrew H2244 · used in 33 verses

  • Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
  • 1 Samuel 13:6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait,(for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.
  • 2 Chronicles 22:9 And he sought Ahaziah: and they caught him,(for he was hid in Samaria,) and brought him to Jehu: and when they had slain him, they buried him: Because, said they, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom.