1 Chronicles 21:16

¹⁴ So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.

¹⁵ Then God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and relented from the calamity, and He said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

When David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.

¹⁷ And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave the order to count the people? I am the one who has sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house, but do not let this plague remain upon Your people.”

¹⁸ Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: When David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.
KJV: And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
WEB: David lifted up his eyes, and saw the LORD’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.
ASV: And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
DARBY: And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah stand between the earth and the heavens, and his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. And David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.
BLB: And David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of YHWH standing between the earth and between the heavens, and his sword being drawn in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. And David fell, and the elders, covered in sackcloth, on their faces.

ÅB: Som nå David så opp, fikk han se Herrens engel, som sto mellom jorden og himmelen med draget sverd i sin hånd og rakte det ut mot Jerusalem. Da falt David og de eldste ned på sitt ansikt, kledd i sekk.
OTB: Da løftet David sine øyne og så Herrens engel stå mellom jorden og himmelen,
med sitt dragede sverd i hånden, strukket ut over Jerusalem.
Og David og de eldste, dekket med sekkestrie, falt på sine ansikter.
B1930: Som nu David så op, fikk han se Herrens engel, som stod mellem jorden og himmelen med draget sverd i sin hånd og rakte det ut mot Jerusalem. Da falt David og de eldste ned på sitt ansikt, klædd i sekk.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Numbers 14:5
Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel.
Read in context
1 Kings 21:27
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.
Read in context
Joshua 5:13–14
Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”
Read in context
Psalms 35:13–14
Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered.
Read in context
2 Kings 6:17
Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Read in context
Jonah 3:6–8
When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
Read in context
Genesis 3:24
So He drove out the man and stationed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.
Read in context
Numbers 16:22
But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”
Read in context