The Skeptics Annotated Bible (371 page)

6 And yet again there was war at Gath, where was
a man of great stature
, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and
he also was the son of the giant.

(20.6) “A man of great stature … he also was the son of a giant.”

7 But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him.

8
These were born unto the giant in Gath
; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

(20.8)
“These were born unto the giant in Gath.”

21
And
Satan
stood up against Israel, and
provoked David to number Israel.

(21.1)
“Satan … provoked David to number Israel.”
212 Who tempted David to number Israel?
213 Is it OK to take a census?

2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.

3 And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?

4 Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.

5 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all
they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand
men that drew sword.

(21.5)
“They of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand.”
According to this verse David’s army had 1,100,000 men from Israel and 470,000 men from Judah, but 2 Sam 24.9 says the numbers were 800,000 and 500,000, respectively. Of course, either of these numbers is ridiculously high for a battle between two tribal armies in 1000 BCE. (The United States had about 1.43 million active duty soldiers in 2010.)
214 How many soldiers?

6 But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.

(21.7-17) God gets angry with David for counting the people. For a punishment, he offers him three choices: Three years of famine, three months to be destroyed by enemies, or three days of pestilence. When David can’t make up his mind, God decides for him and sends a pestilence that kills 70,000 men. (Presumably women and children were also killed. If so, the total must have been more than 200,000.) In the middle of the slaughter, God “repents of the evil” that he was doing and tells the angel to stop the killing. One wonders what God had in mind in the first place, since it was David who was supposed to have sinned by taking the census—not the people. Even David was confused by this, and asked God, “these sheep, what have they done?”

7 And
God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.

(21.7)
“God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.”
213 Is it OK to take a census?

8 And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.