God mercifully halted the angel’s destruction in response to David’s repentance.
In this passage, we witness the dramatic moment of divine intervention as “When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, ‘It is enough; now relax your hand!’ And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (v.16). The angel had been carrying out judgment due to the census taken by King David, who reigned over Israel from around 1010 BC to 970 BC. Yet we see that God’s mercy overrules the destructive course of events. This interplay between justice and mercy also appears in other passages, such as when God relents from judging Nineveh in the book of Jonah (Jon. 3:10), pointing to the consistent character of grace shown by the Lord.
The city of Jerusalem, mentioned in the verse, serves as a significant geographical center throughout the Bible. Originally populated by the Jebusites, it became the capital after David conquered it, and it stands in a central hill country region in ancient Israel. Here, the angel’s outstretched hand symbolically illustrates the impending disaster that would have befallen this city had God not chosen to relent. The unity of God’s justice and mercy foreshadows the gift of reconciliation fully realized in the New Testament through Jesus (Rom. 5:8).
We also learn that “the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (v.16), highlighting a pivotal location in biblical history. The threshing floor in ancient Israel was a flat, elevated piece of land used for processing grain, but this particular spot would become vital in King David’s story. Araunah the Jebusite comes from the group who originally inhabited Jerusalem before David’s conquest. Later Jewish tradition identifies the area around this threshing floor with the future site of the temple, illustrating how God’s gracious hand leads from a moment of judgment to a place of worship. Just as David’s repentant heart guided him to seek God’s mercy, believers today are reminded that God’s mercy is perfectly fulfilled in the sacrificial atonement of Christ (John 3:16).
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2 Samuel 24:16 meaning
In this passage, we witness the dramatic moment of divine intervention as “When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, ‘It is enough; now relax your hand!’ And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (v.16). The angel had been carrying out judgment due to the census taken by King David, who reigned over Israel from around 1010 BC to 970 BC. Yet we see that God’s mercy overrules the destructive course of events. This interplay between justice and mercy also appears in other passages, such as when God relents from judging Nineveh in the book of Jonah (Jon. 3:10), pointing to the consistent character of grace shown by the Lord.
The city of Jerusalem, mentioned in the verse, serves as a significant geographical center throughout the Bible. Originally populated by the Jebusites, it became the capital after David conquered it, and it stands in a central hill country region in ancient Israel. Here, the angel’s outstretched hand symbolically illustrates the impending disaster that would have befallen this city had God not chosen to relent. The unity of God’s justice and mercy foreshadows the gift of reconciliation fully realized in the New Testament through Jesus (Rom. 5:8).
We also learn that “the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (v.16), highlighting a pivotal location in biblical history. The threshing floor in ancient Israel was a flat, elevated piece of land used for processing grain, but this particular spot would become vital in King David’s story. Araunah the Jebusite comes from the group who originally inhabited Jerusalem before David’s conquest. Later Jewish tradition identifies the area around this threshing floor with the future site of the temple, illustrating how God’s gracious hand leads from a moment of judgment to a place of worship. Just as David’s repentant heart guided him to seek God’s mercy, believers today are reminded that God’s mercy is perfectly fulfilled in the sacrificial atonement of Christ (John 3:16).