But David couldn’t go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of Yahweh’s angel.
Parallel Translations
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But David couldn’t go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of Yahweh’s angel.
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But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
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But David could not go before it to inquire of God; for he was terrified because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
Cross-references (14)
Passages linked to 1 Chronicles 21:30 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let’s have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
- Revelation 1:17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last,
- Revelation 15:4 Who wouldn’t fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you only are holy. For all the nations will come and worship before you. For your righteous acts have been revealed.”
- Deuteronomy 10:12 Now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God require of you, but to fear Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
- 2 Samuel 6:9 David was afraid of Yahweh that day; and he said, “How could Yahweh’s ark come to me?”
- 1 Chronicles 13:12 David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring God’s ark home to me?”
- 1 Chronicles 21:16 David lifted up his eyes, and saw Yahweh’s angel standing between earth and the sky, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.
- Job 13:21 withdraw your hand far from me, and don’t let your terror make me afraid.
- Job 21:6 When I remember, I am troubled. Horror takes hold of my flesh.
- Job 23:15 Therefore I am terrified at his presence. When I consider, I am afraid of him.
- Psalms 90:11 Who knows the power of your anger, your wrath according to the fear that is due to you?
- Psalms 119:120 My flesh trembles for fear of you. I am afraid of your judgments.
- Jeremiah 5:22 Don’t you fear me?’ says Yahweh ‘Won’t you tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it can’t pass it? Though its waves toss themselves, yet they can’t prevail. Though they roar, they still can’t pass over it.’
- Jeremiah 10:7 Who shouldn’t fear you, King of the nations? For it belongs to you. Because among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royal estate, there is no one like you.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (9 sources)
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Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain David could not, i.e. durst not. Before it, i.e.…
David could not, i.e. durst not. Before it, i.e. before the tabernacle, where the altar stood.
To inquire of God, Heb. to seek God, i.e. humbly to beg his favour by prayer and sacrifice.
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Because of the sword of the angel of the Lord, i.e. when he saw the angel stand with his drawn sword over Jerusalem, as is related above, 1Ch 21:15,16, he durst not go away thence to Gibeon, lest the angel in the mean time should destroy Jerusalem; for the prevention whereof he thought it most proper to continue to worship God in that place, which he had consecrated by his special presence and gracious acceptance.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Afraid - When he saw the angel stand with…
Afraid - When he saw the angel stand with his drawn sword over Jerusalem, he durst not go away to Gibeon, lest the angel in the mean time should destroy Jerusalem: for the prevention whereof he thought it proper to worship God in that place, which he had consecrated by his special presence and acceptance.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 30. Because of the sword of the angel]…
Verse 30. Because of the sword of the angel] This is given as a reason why David built an altar in the threshing-floor of Ornan: he was afraid to go to Gibeon, because of the sword of the destroying angel, or he was afraid of delaying the offerings so long as his going thither would require, lest the destroying angel should in the mean while exterminate the people; therefore he hastily built an altar in that place, and on it made the requisite offerings, and by the fire from heaven God showed that he had accepted his act and his devotion. Such interventions as these must necessarily maintain in the minds of the people a full persuasion of the truth and Divine origin of their religion.
For a more circumstantial account of these transactions, see the notes on 2Sa 24:1, Ac., in which several difficulties of the text are removed.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 1Ch 21:30. David could not go before it —…
1Ch 21:30. David could not go before it — Did not dare to go before the tabernacle, where the altar stood. To inquire of God — Hebrew, לדרשׁ, lidrosh, to seek God, or humbly to entreat his favour by prayer and sacrifice. For he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the Lord — That is, when he saw the angel stand with his drawn sword over Jerusalem, he durst not go away to Gibeon, lest the angel in the mean time should destroy Jerusalem: for the prevention whereof he thought it proper to worship God in that place, which he had consecrated by his special presence and acceptance.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain David, knowing that by sacrifice on this altar he…
David, knowing that by sacrifice on this altar he had caused the angel to stay his hand, was afraid to transfer his offerings elsewhere, lest the Angel should resume his task and pestilence again break out.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain God. He performed what God had commanded. But he…
God. He performed what God had commanded. But he would have offered other voluntary victims at Gabaon, if he had been able. (Calmet) --- The distance shewed the propriety of building the temple at Jerusalem, (Du Hamel) which was nearly in the centre of the country. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 30. David could not go before it to inquire…
30. David could not go before it to inquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel — It was a moral and spiritual, not a physical cause, that hindered David from going to Gibeon. Gibeon had probably not been spared by the pestilence, and the fear inspired by the sight of the angel, together with the command to build an altar and sacrifice on the spot where the angel appeared, convinced the king that thenceforth he must offer his sacrifices on the threshingfloor of Ornan. Hence he could not go elsewhere to sacrifice without violating his convictions of duty and obedience. He may also have feared that any disregard of the command to sacrifice on this new spot would cause the sword of the destroying angel to appear again. With this verse the first verse of the next chapter should be connected. Convinced by a Divine revelation that this spot was chosen by God as a place for sacrifice, he proclaimed, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.” Here at length he found the spot on which the temple should be built.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 30. he was afraid] Or, he was terrified. The…
30. he was afraid] Or, he was terrified. The Heb. word is unusual.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (30) But (and) David could not go before it—i.e.,…
(30) But (and) David could not go before it—i.e., the Tabernacle at Gibeon and the altar of burnt offering (1Ch_16:4; 1Ch_16:37; 1Ch_16:39).
To enquire of God.—To seek Him, that is, to seek His favour by sacrifice and prayer. (But comp. 1Ch_13:3; 1Ch_15:13.)
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For he was afraid because of the sword.—“David could not go to Gibeon,” says Keil, “because of the sword of the angel of Jehovah: i.e., on account of the pestilence which raged at Gibeon.” Others have thought that the awful vision of the angel had stricken him with some bodily weakness. A more natural explanation is that the menacing aspect of the apparition overawed the king, so that he durst not follow the usual course in the present instance. It made, as we should say, an indelible impression upon his mind as to the sanctity of the place where it appeared. (Comp. Gen_28:17; Exo_3:5; Jos_5:15; Jdg_6:21; Jdg_6:26.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.