David Instructing Joab to Number the People (adapted) etc.usf.edu
A Census Causes a Plague?
King David conducts a census, which brings about a divine plague killing 70,000 people. During the first wilderness census, Exodus requires the Israelites to pay a half shekel to avoid a plague. What’s so dangerous about a census?
Published: February 21, 2016
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Last Updated: September 7, 2026
This piece is an updated adaptation of a chapter from my MA thesis, submitted to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2008 (under the supervision of Dr. Nili Wazana).
In contrast to some sacrifices (e.g., Leviticus 5:7).
The use of these offerings can be seen in Exodus 38:21-31.
The presentation of the three options is as follows:
שמואל ב כד:יא וַיָּ֥קָם דָּוִ֖ד בַּבֹּ֑קֶר וּדְבַר יְ־הֹוָ֗ה הָיָה֙ אֶל־גָּ֣ד הַנָּבִ֔יא חֹזֵ֥ה דָוִ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר: כד:יב הָל֞וֹךְ וְדִבַּרְתָּ֣ אֶל דָּוִ֗ד כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְ־הֹוָ֔ה שָׁלֹ֕שׁ אָנֹכִ֖י נוֹטֵ֣ל עָלֶ֑יךָ בְּחַר לְךָ֥ אַֽחַת מֵהֶ֖ם וְאֶֽעֱשֶׂה לָּֽךְ: כד:יג וַיָּבֹא גָ֥ד אֶל דָּוִ֖ד וַיַּגֶּד ל֑וֹ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֡וֹ הֲתָב֣וֹא לְךָ֣ שֶֽׁבַע שָׁנִ֣ים׀ רָעָ֣ב׀ בְּאַרְצֶ֡ךָ אִם שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה חֳ֠דָשִׁים נֻסְךָ֙ לִפְנֵֽי־צָרֶ֜יךָ וְה֣וּא רֹדְפֶ֗ךָ וְאִם הֱ֠יוֹת שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת יָמִ֥ים דֶּ֙בֶר֙ בְּאַרְצֶ֔ךָ עַתָּה֙ דַּ֣ע וּרְאֵ֔ה מָה אָשִׁ֥יב שֹׁלְחִ֖י דָּבָֽר: כד:יד וַיֹּ֧אמֶר דָּוִ֛ד אֶל גָּ֖ד צַר לִ֣י מְאֹ֑ד נִפְּלָה נָּ֤א בְיַד יְ־הֹוָה֙ כִּֽי רַבִּ֣ים (רחמו) [רַֽחֲמָ֔יו] וּבְיַד אָדָ֖ם אַל אֶפֹּֽלָה: כד:טו וַיִּתֵּ֨ן יְ־הֹוָ֥ה דֶּ֙בֶר֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מֵהַבֹּ֖קֶר וְעַד עֵ֣ת מוֹעֵ֑ד וַיָּ֣מָת מִן הָעָ֗ם מִדָּן֙ וְעַד בְּאֵ֣ר שֶׁ֔בַע שִׁבְעִ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף אִֽישׁ:
2 Sam 24:11 When David rose in the morning, the word of YHWH had come to the prophet Gad, David’s seer: 24:12 “Go and tell David, ‘Thus said YHWH: I hold three things over you; choose one of them, and I will bring it upon you.’” 24:13 Gad came to David and told him; he asked, “Shall a seven-year famine come upon you in the land, or shall you be in flight from your adversaries for three months while they pursue you, or shall there be three days of pestilence in your land? Now consider carefully what reply I shall take back to Him who sent me.” 24:14 David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of YHWH, for His compassion is great; and let me not fall into the hands of men.” 24:15 YHWH sent a pestilence upon Israel from morning until the set time; and 70,000 of the people died, from Dan to Beersheba.
Note that the book of Chronicles lacks both the Bathsheba story and that of Absalom’s revolt – two stories that might reflect badly on King David and his rule.
This is also Rashi’s view (see below). For a medieval objection to this line of thought by Yefet ben ‘Eli as well as Sa’adiah Gaon, see Yoram Erder, “Yefet ben ‘Eli as evidences in his Interpretation of the two Biblical Stories: The Sins of King David in the Census and the Sins he Committed with Bathsheba,” Revue des etudes juives 174 (2015): 47-76 [57-59]. See also his general survey of pre-modern exegesis (pp. 54-65).
For a survey of these opinions in modern exegesis see, e.g., A.A. Anderson, 2 Samuel (Word Biblical Commentary; Dallas, Texas: Word, 1989), 284; K.R. Greenwood, “Labor Pains: The Relationship between David’s Census and Corvée Labor,” Bulletin for Biblical Research 20,4 (2010), 467-478.
Moshe Garsiel, “The Portrayal of David’s Census in 1 Chr. 21 in Light of the Parallel Account in 2 Sam. 24,” in Studies in Bible and Exegesis, vol. V – Presented to Uriel Simon, ed Moshe Garsiel et al. (Ramat Gan: Bar-Ilan University Press, 2000), 139. (Hebrew)
Editor's note: For more on this concept, see Nicole L. Tilford, “Does the Bible Believe in the Evil Eye?” TheTorah (2022).
William H. C. Propp, Exodus 19-40 (Anchor Bible; New York: Doubleday, 2006), 535-536. Although I quote this above, in my view the claim is not accurate; I plan to elaborate on this issue and discuss the comparable ancient Near Eastern examples in a publication in the near future.
Some specific elements of “measure for measure” in the presentation of the plague as punishment for David’s census were observed also by Garsiel, “The Portrayal of David’s Census,” 137-160.
