And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
Satan stood up against Israel. God, by withdrawing His grace at this time from David, permitted the Tempter to prevail over him; and as the result of this successful temptation was the entail of a heavy calamity as a punishment from God upon people, it might be said that "Satan stood up against Israel." "Satan" has not hitherto been used in the sacred history as a name for the Devil. For the true meaning of the term, see the note at 2 Samuel 24:1.
Number Israel. In the act of taking the census of a people there is not only no evil, but much utility. But numbering Israel-that people who were to become as the stars for multitude-implying a distrust of the divine promise, was a sin; and though it had been done with impunity in the time of Moses, at that enumeration each of the people had contributed 'half a shekel toward the building of the tabernacle,' that there might be no plague among them when he numbered them (Exodus 30:12). Hence, the numbering of that people was in itself regarded as an undertaking by which the anger of God could be easily aroused; but when the arrangements were made by Moses for the taking of the census, God was not angry, because the people were numbered for the express purpose of the tax for the sanctuary, and the money which was thus collected. "the atonement money" (Exodus 30:16), appeased Him. Everything depended, therefore, upon the design of the census (Bertheau). The sin of David numbering the people consisted in its being either to gratify his pride, to ascertain the number of warriors he could muster for some meditated plan of conquest, or, perhaps, more likely still, to institute a regular and permanent system of taxation, which he deemed necessary to provide an adequate establishment for the monarchy, but which was regarded as a tyrannical and oppressive exaction-an innovation on the liberty of the people-a departure from ancient usage unbecoming a king of Israel.