And 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.

2 SAMUEL 24:18KJV
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2 Samuel 24:18 (KJV)

What does 2 Samuel 24:18 mean?

2 Samuel 24:18 describes the prophet Gad coming to King David and instructing him to go to the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite and build an altar to the LORD there. This command sets in motion an important act of worship and obedience in response to a crisis affecting Israel.

In this verse, Gad, who serves as David’s prophet and advisor, delivers a message from God during a time of national trouble. The threshing floor mentioned is a specific location owned by Araunah, a Jebusite living in Jerusalem. The instruction to build an altar there is significant because it marks the spot where David is to seek God’s mercy and intervention.

The Hebrew behind 2 Samuel 24:18

  • גַּד (Gad): This is the name of the prophet who serves as a messenger between God and David. Gad’s role highlights the importance of prophetic guidance in David’s reign.
  • מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbeach): This word means "altar." The instruction to build an altar shows a call to worship and sacrifice, which in ancient Israel was a way to seek forgiveness and restore relationship with God.
  • גֹּרֶן (goren): This word means "threshing floor." A threshing floor was a flat, open area used for separating grain, but here it becomes a sacred place for an important act of worship.
  • אֲרַוְנָה (Araunah): The name of the Jebusite who owns the threshing floor. The mention of a non-Israelite owning the land where the altar is to be built is notable and adds depth to the story.

Why 2 Samuel 24:18 matters

  • This verse clarifies that God’s instructions are specific and often tied to particular places and people, showing that worship in ancient Israel was not random but directed by divine command.
  • The mention of Araunah the Jebusite’s threshing floor sets up the later significance of this site, which becomes the location for Solomon’s temple, making this a turning point in biblical history.
  • The verse shows David’s willingness to listen to God’s prophet and obey, even when it involves personal cost and public action, highlighting a key moment of humility and leadership.

Where else these words appear

“Araunah” Hebrew H728 · used in 7 verses

  • 2 Samuel 24:16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.
  • 2 Samuel 24:21 And 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.
  • 2 Samuel 24:23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.

“threshingfloor” Hebrew H1637 · used in 36 verses

  • Genesis 50:10 And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
  • Ruth 3:14 And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.
  • 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.

“Jebusite” Hebrew H2983 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 10:16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,
  • Joshua 9:1 And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;
  • 2 Samuel 24:16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.

“Gad” Hebrew H1410 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 30:11 And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.
  • Deuteronomy 27:13 And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
  • 1 Samuel 22:5 And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.