2 Samuel 24:24
New International Version
But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.

New Living Translation
But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.

English Standard Version
But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Berean Standard Bible
“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

King James Bible
And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

New King James Version
Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

New American Standard Bible
However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will certainly buy it from you for a price; for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

NASB 1995
However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

NASB 1977
However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Legacy Standard Bible
However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to Yahweh my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Amplified Bible
But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will certainly buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.” So David purchased the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Christian Standard Bible
The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for twenty ounces of silver.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 20 ounces of silver.

American Standard Version
And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee at a price; neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah my God which cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Contemporary English Version
But David answered, "No! I have to pay you what they're worth. I can't offer the LORD my God a sacrifice that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing place and the oxen for 50 pieces of silver.

English Revised Version
And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God which cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"No!" the king said to Araunah. "I must buy it from you at a [fair] price. I won't offer the LORD my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 11/4 pounds of silver.

Good News Translation
But the king answered, "No, I will pay you for it. I will not offer to the LORD my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing." And he bought the threshing place and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver.

International Standard Version
"No!" the king replied to Araunah. "I will buy them from you at full price. I won't offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 silver shekels,

Majority Standard Bible
“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

NET Bible
But the king said to Araunah, "No, I insist on buying it from you! I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver.

New Heart English Bible
But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the king said to Araunah, No; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt-offerings to the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

World English Bible
The king said to Araunah, “No, but I will most certainly buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to Yahweh my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the king says to Araunah, “No, for I surely buy from you for a price, and I do not cause burnt-offerings to ascend to my God YHWH for nothing”; and David buys the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver,

Young's Literal Translation
And the king saith unto Araunah, 'Nay, for I do surely buy from thee for a price, and I do not cause to ascend to Jehovah my God burnt-offerings for nought;' and David buyeth the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver,

Smith's Literal Translation
And the king will say to Araunah, Nay, but buying, I will buy of thee at a price; and I will not bring up to Jehovah my God a burnt-offering gratuitously. And David will buy the threshing-floor and the oxen for the silver of fifty shekels.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king answered him, and said: Nay, but I will buy it of thee at a price, and I will not offer to the Lord my God holocausts free cost. So David bought the floor, and the oxen, for fifty sicles of silver:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And in response, the king said to him: “It shall not be as you wish. Instead, I will purchase it from you at a price. For I will not offer to the Lord, my God, holocausts that cost nothing.” Therefore, David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

New American Bible
The king, however, replied to Araunah, “No, I will buy it from you at the proper price, for I cannot sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty silver shekels.

New Revised Standard Version
But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy them from you for a price; I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the king said to Aran, No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; and I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God of that which cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor by the garden and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And David said to Aran: “I buy from you for a price and I do not offer to LORD JEHOVAH my God a burnt offering that is without cost.” And David bought the granary of the garden and oxen for fifty shekels
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the king said unto Araunah: 'Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee at a price; neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto the LORD my God which cost me nothing.' So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the king said to Orna, Nay, but I will surely buy it of thee at a fair price, and I will not offer to the Lord my God a whole-burnt-offering for nothing. So David purchased the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David Builds an Altar
23O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.…

Cross References
1 Chronicles 21:24
“No,” replied King David, “I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the LORD what belongs to you, nor will I offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

Genesis 23:9-16
to sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me in your presence for full price, so that I may have a burial site.” / Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth. So in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham, / “No, my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.” ...

1 Kings 21:2-3
So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place—or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.” / But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

1 Kings 21:15-16
When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, who refused to give it to you for silver. For Naboth is no longer alive, but dead.” / And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

1 Chronicles 21:22-25
Then David said to Ornan, “Grant me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar to the LORD. Sell it to me for the full price, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.” / Ornan said to David, “Take it! May my lord the king do whatever seems good to him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering—I will give it all.” / “No,” replied King David, “I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the LORD what belongs to you, nor will I offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” ...

Exodus 30:12-16
“When you take a census of the Israelites to number them, each man must pay the LORD a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will come upon them when they are numbered. / Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD. / Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD. ...

Leviticus 27:24
In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom it was bought—the original owner of the land.

Numbers 16:46-48
Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has begun.” / So Aaron took the censer as Moses had ordered and ran into the midst of the assembly. And seeing that the plague had begun among the people, he offered the incense and made atonement for the people. / He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was halted.

Deuteronomy 16:16-17
Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed. / Everyone must appear with a gift as he is able, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you.

1 Samuel 15:22
But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.

1 Kings 8:63
And Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the house of the LORD.

2 Kings 3:27
So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him, and offered him as a burnt offering on the city wall. And there was great fury against the Israelites, so they withdrew and returned to their own land.

2 Chronicles 3:1
Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. This was the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Psalm 51:16-17
For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. / The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

Isaiah 55:1
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!


Treasury of Scripture

And the king said to Araunah, No; but I will surely buy it of you at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God of that which does cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Nay

Genesis 23:13
And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.

1 Chronicles 21:24
And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.

Malachi 1:12-14
But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible…

So David

1 Chronicles 21:25
So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

1 Chronicles 22:1
Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.

Jump to Previous
Araunah Bought Burnt Buy Cost David Fifty Floor Offer Offerings Oxen Price Shekels Silver Surely Threshing Threshingfloor Threshing-Floor Verily
Jump to Next
Araunah Bought Burnt Buy Cost David Fifty Floor Offer Offerings Oxen Price Shekels Silver Surely Threshing Threshingfloor Threshing-Floor Verily
2 Samuel 24
1. David, tempted by Satan, forces Joab to number the people
5. The captains, in nine months and twenty days, gather 1,300,000 fighting men
10. David repents, and having three plagues proposed by God, chooses pestilence
15. After the death of 70,000, David by prayer prevents the destruction of Jerusalem
18. David, by God's direction, purchases Araunah's threshing floor;
25. and the plague stops














But the king replied to Araunah
This phrase introduces King David's response to Araunah, a Jebusite who owned the threshing floor. The historical context here is significant, as it highlights David's role as a king who is not only a political leader but also a spiritual one. The interaction between David and Araunah underscores the importance of integrity and responsibility in leadership. David's insistence on paying for the land reflects his understanding of the value of sacrifice and the principle that true worship requires personal cost.

No, I insist on paying you for it
David's insistence on paying for the threshing floor is a powerful statement about the nature of sacrifice. The Hebrew root for "insist" conveys a sense of determination and resolve. This determination reflects David's commitment to honoring God with offerings that are meaningful and costly. In a broader theological context, this phrase emphasizes the principle that genuine worship involves giving something of value to God, rather than offering what is convenient or easy.

I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing
This declaration by David is central to understanding the heart of worship. The Hebrew word for "offer" implies a presentation or gift to God, and "burnt offerings" were a significant part of Israelite worship, symbolizing atonement and dedication. David's refusal to offer something that cost him nothing highlights the principle that true worship requires sacrifice. This principle is echoed throughout Scripture, where the sincerity of one's devotion is often measured by the willingness to give up something valuable for the sake of honoring God.

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver
The act of purchasing the threshing floor and oxen for fifty shekels of silver is not just a transaction but a demonstration of David's commitment to God. The specific mention of "fifty shekels of silver" provides a historical and economic context, indicating the tangible cost of David's offering. This purchase signifies the establishment of a place of worship that would later become the site of Solomon's Temple. Theologically, this act foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, who paid the highest price for humanity's redemption. David's willingness to pay for the threshing floor serves as an example of the costliness of true devotion and the importance of giving God our best.

(24) Of that which cost me nothing.--The principle on which David acted is that which essentially underlies all true sacrifice and all real giving to God.

For fifty shekels of silver.--This sum is expressly said to cover the cost both of the ground and of the oxen, and seems very small. In 1Chronicles 21:25, it reads "six hundred shekels of gold by weight." One of the most ingenious propositions for the reconciliation of the two statements is that our text speaks of fifty shekels, not of silver but of money, and that Chronicles means that these were of gold, in value equal to 600 shekels of silver. But the explanation is quite inconsistent with the text in both places. In one of them the statement of price must have been altered in transcription. In the entire uncertainty as to the extent of the purchase of Araunah (the whole hill of Moriah, or only a part), and of the value of land in the locality and at the time, it is impossible to decide between the two.

Verses 24, 25. - David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. In 1 Chronicles 21:25, "So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight." There is a superficial, but no real discrepancy between these two narratives. David gave the fifty shekels for the immediate use of the place, and for the oxen and implements. He had no idea at the time of permanently occupying it, and probably the note in the LXX., interpolated by scribes from the margin into the text, is true, "And Solomon added to the altar afterwards, for it was small at the first." It was a small altar hurriedly put together for the purpose of offering one sacrifice; and fifty shekels would be full compensation. But the sacrifice had hallowed the spot, and, when finally it was selected as the site for the temple, David bought the whole area and all that Araunah possessed there. Fifty shekels of silver would be about £9; six hundred shekels of gold would be about £1500; so that there is no comparison between the two sums. But the precious metals were worth very much more in David's time than in ours, so that the smaller sum was adequate compensation for David's first acquisition, while the larger implies the purchase of an extensive and valuable estate. Substantially the fuller narrative in Chronicles agrees with this. David refuses to sacrifice of that which cost him nothing, and must therefore have at once paid for what he took. But When God accepted his offering, and answered him by fire from heaven, then David said, "This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel." And as the Chronicler has in view throughout the selection of the site for the temple, he naturally mentions its full cost. In the Book of Samuel this purpose is not expressly mentioned, and the narrative closes with the forgiveness of the sin both of David and his people. Jehovah was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed. But this sudden smiting down of so large a host humbled both king and people, and their eagerness for war and their lust of empire ceased. ? DEO GLORIA.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“No,”
לֹ֚א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

replied
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

the king,
הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

“I insist on paying
קָנ֨וֹ (qā·nōw)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 7069: To erect, create, to procure, by purchase, to own

a price,
בִּמְחִ֔יר (bim·ḥîr)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4242: Price, payment, wages

for I will not
וְלֹ֧א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

offer
אַעֲלֶ֛ה (’a·‘ă·leh)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

to the LORD
לַיהוָ֥ה (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

my God
אֱלֹהַ֖י (’ĕ·lō·hay)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

burnt offerings
עֹל֣וֹת (‘ō·lō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5930: Whole burnt offering

that cost me nothing.”
חִנָּ֑ם (ḥin·nām)
Adverb
Strong's 2600: Gratis, devoid of cost, reason, advantage

So David
דָּוִ֤ד (dā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

bought
וַיִּ֨קֶן (way·yi·qen)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7069: To erect, create, to procure, by purchase, to own

the threshing floor
הַגֹּ֙רֶן֙ (hag·gō·ren)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1637: A threshing-floor, open area

and the oxen
הַבָּקָ֔ר (hab·bā·qār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1241: Beef cattle, ox, a herd

for fifty
חֲמִשִּֽׁים׃ (ḥă·miš·šîm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 2572: Fifty

shekels
שְׁקָלִ֥ים (šə·qā·lîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8255: A weight, a commercial standard

of silver.
בְּכֶ֖סֶף (bə·ḵe·sep̄)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3701: Silver, money


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OT History: 2 Samuel 24:24 The king said to Araunah No (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 24:23
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