And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?

2 SAMUEL 24:3KJV
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2 Samuel 24:3 (KJV)

What does 2 Samuel 24:3 mean?

2 Samuel 24:3 shows Joab questioning King David’s desire to count Israel’s people, wishing instead that God would multiply the people many times over and that David would see it for himself. Joab respectfully challenges David, asking why he takes pleasure in this census.

Joab, David’s military commander, is speaking directly to the king. The setting is a moment when David has ordered a census of Israel, but Joab hesitates, sensing that counting the people may not be right. Joab’s words express loyalty to David and faith in God’s ability to bless Israel, while also gently warning David that his request may not be wise.

The Hebrew behind 2 Samuel 24:3

  • "Delight" (חָפֵץ, ḥāphēts): This word means to take pleasure in or desire. Joab is asking why David finds satisfaction in this particular action, hinting that the motivation behind the census may be questionable.
  • "Add" (יָסַף, yāsaf): This verb means to increase or add to. Joab’s wish is that God would increase the people a hundredfold, emphasizing trust in God’s blessing rather than human calculation.
  • "Hundredfold" (מֵאָה, mē’āh and פַּעַם, pa‘am): Together, these words express the idea of multiplying the people by a hundred times, stressing Joab’s hope for abundant growth from God, not from a census.

Why 2 Samuel 24:3 matters

  • This verse highlights Joab’s role as a voice of caution, showing that even loyal followers may question a leader’s choices when they seem unwise or unnecessary.
  • The verse hints at an underlying tension: counting the people could suggest a lack of trust in God’s provision, which becomes a key issue in the wider story.
  • Joab’s respectful but firm challenge helps the reader see that the census is not just a routine administrative act, but something with deeper spiritual and ethical implications.

Where else these words appear

“soever” Hebrew H1992 · used in 44 verses

  • Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
  • Numbers 13:3 And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.
  • Psalms 38:10 My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.

“delight” Hebrew H2654 · used in 71 verses

  • Genesis 34:19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.
  • Job 21:14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
  • Song of Solomon 2:7 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

“hundredfold” Hebrew H6471 · used in 108 verses

  • Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
  • Deuteronomy 9:19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.
  • 2 Kings 5:14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

“Joab” Hebrew H3097 · used in 124 verses

  • 1 Samuel 26:6 Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.
  • 2 Samuel 14:21 And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.
  • 2 Samuel 24:4 Notwithstanding the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.