2 Samuel 24:1 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

He moved David against them, to say, Go, number— This verse may be rendered thus, And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel; for he moved David, or, David was moved against them, to say, Go, number, &c. active verbs in the third person being frequently to be rendered as impersonals, and not to be referred to the nouns immediately foregoing: and thus the text will be fully reconcileable with that in Chronicles, which says, that Satan moved him to number the people. Genesis 16:13-14 is exactly parallel with this; where it is said of Hagar, "She called the name of the Lord, who spake to her, Thou, God, seest me; for she said, Have I here looked after him? therefore he called the well, the well Lahai-roi." Who called it so? Not that God who saw her; and therefore the words must be rendered, as in our version, the well was called. But there is another way of rendering and understanding this passage, viz. For he moved David, or, David was moved against them, not as in our version, to say, but by saying, Go, number; which last will then be, not David's words to his officers, which follow in the next verse, but his who counselled David to this action: and thus David's numbering the people will be neither by the inspiration of God, nor immediately by the instigation of Satan, as that word means the Devil. See the parallel passage, 1 Chronicles 21:1. And yet somebody actually said to him, Go, number the people; and this person seems to have been one of his courtiers, or attendants; one who, to give David a higher notion of his grandeur, and of the number and strength of his forces, put it into his head, and persuaded him to take the account of them; and in Chronicles is therefore called Satan, or an adversary, either designedly or consequentially both to David and his people. And this will exactly agree with what the author of the book of Chronicles says, An adversary stood up against Israel, and provoked, or, as the word is rendered here, moved him against them. The word שׂטן, Satan, properly signifies an adversary, whether to a bad or a good cause. In the former sense it is used Numbers 22:23 where the angel of the Lord is said to stand in the way לו לשׂטן lesatan lo, as an adversary, a Satan, to Balaam. In a bad sense it is used ch. 2 Samuel 19:22 where David calls the sons of Zeruiah his Satan or adversary; and thus in the place before us: "An adversary to the peace of David and Israel, stood up and excited him to number the people; ויסת vaiiaset, excited him by his persuasion and advice; actually saying to him, Go, number, &c." Thus "Jezebel, הסתה hesattah, stirred up her husband Ahab to work wickedness;" was continually soliciting and urging him to it. 1 Kings 21:25. See also Job 2:3.Deuteronomy 13:6. Houbigant is of opinion, that this passage is to be supplied from the Chronicles, and accordingly he translates it the same as in that place.