2 Samuel 24:22
ESV
Then Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.
NIV
Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
NASB
Araunah then said to David, 'Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, here are the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.
CSB
Araunah said to David, "My lord the king may take whatever he wants and offer it. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
NLT
Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,' Araunah said to David. 'Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar.
KJV
And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.
NKJV
Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood.
What does 2 Samuel 24:22 mean?
Araunah owns a threshing floor on the top of the mountain above Jerusalem. Readers should be reminded that the "mountains" of Israel are considered "hills" in most other regions. They are high, but not nearly the snow-capped giants which make up the Alps, Himalayas, or Rockies. Still, the elevation is high enough for wind to blow chaff from the valuable wheat kernels. Araunah and his sons are working when an angel appears with a sword stretched out toward Jerusalem. Araunah's sons flee. It's not certain that they know the angel was sent by God to spread a three-day plague over all of Israel. Or that the mission has been terribly successful so far (2 Samuel 24:15; 1 Chronicles 21:16, 20).When Araunah looks down toward Jerusalem, he sees King David and the elders of the city climbing the mountain. They're dressed in sackcloth, the clothing of mourning and lament. Araunah asks David what he wants. David says he needs to buy Araunah's threshing floor to build an altar (2 Samuel 24:20–21). Araunah agrees to sell the land and offers his oxen, wheat, threshing sledges, and yoke, as well. His offer is reasonable. As king, David could just take whatever he wanted. Without a threshing floor, Araunah may not need the oxen and implements.
It's a generous offer, but David can't accept. The angel is there because David ordered a census of the fighting men of Israel against God's will (2 Samuel 24:1–2, 15). David needs to offer a sacrifice so no one else will die (2 Samuel 24:18). David can't sacrifice what he hasn't paid for. He buys the land and everything Araunah has offered, and his sacrifice stops the plague (2 Samuel 24:24–25).
An ox is a large, docile cow or steer used for heavy labor. A yoke is a large piece of wood that rests on the oxen's shoulders. Straps of leather or chains connect it to the heavy piece of wood with metal protruding from it. As the oxen pull the sledge over the wheat, the friction removes the chaff: the covering that protects the kernel. Once the wheat is sledged, it's "winnowed" by being thrown into the air where the wind blows away the lighter chaff, leaving the kernels to fall to the ground.
