Numbering of the people

The Numbering of the People (also known as David's census) was the military census that King David commanded Joab to carry out throughout Israel and Judah, against Joab's protests (2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21). The account attributes the instigation either to the LORD's anger against Israel (2 Samuel 24:1) or to Satan (1 Chronicles 21:1) — reflecting the biblical understanding that God can use even human sin and spiritual opposition to accomplish his purposes of discipline. David himself later recognized the act as sinful, saying "I have sinned greatly in that I have done" (2 Samuel 24:10; 1 Chronicles 21:8).

The census yielded figures of 800,000 (or 1,100,000 in Chronicles) warriors in Israel and 500,000 in Judah. As punishment, God offered David three choices: seven years of famine, three months of military defeat, or three days of pestilence. David chose to fall into the hand of God rather than men, and the pestilence killed 70,000 in Israel. It ended at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite in Jerusalem, which David purchased and on which Solomon later built the temple (2 Samuel 24:18–25; 1 Chronicles 21:22–30).