2 Samuel 24:9
ESV
And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.
NIV
Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.
NASB
And Joab gave the number of the census of the people to the king: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
CSB
Joab gave the king the total of the registration of the troops. There were eight hundred thousand valiant armed men from Israel and five hundred thousand men from Judah.
NLT
Joab reported the number of people to the king. There were 800,000 capable warriors in Israel who could handle a sword, and 500,000 in Judah.
KJV
And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
NKJV
Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
What does 2 Samuel 24:9 mean?
Against his better judgment, Joab has followed David's command to make a census of all the fighting men in Israel: those at least twenty years old (Numbers 1:3). It has taken him and the regular army nearly ten months (2 Samuel 24:1–8).The numbers given in Samuel don't match 1 Chronicles 21:5. The latter verse claims 1,100,000 men in the northern tribes of Israel and 470,000 in Judah. First Chronicles 21:6 says that Joab refused to include Benjamin or Levi. It was his small way to rebel against David's sinful order. The exclusion of Levi is understandable. God did not include the Levites in the census for soldiers; they had their own census for serving the tabernacle (Numbers 1:47–51; 4). Benjamin is less clear. It may have been tactical; Benjaminites weren't always friendly to David (2 Samuel 16:5–8; 20).
It seems that 800,000 is the number of the northern tribes minus Benjamin and the Levites there. Five hundred thousand is 470,000 rounded up. As always, when reading numbers of people, it's useful to remember that the Hebrew word translated "thousand" can also be used for clans and fighting units.
Joab's deception is minor, considering his history with David. He will usually obey David's direct orders, but only if he thinks they're reasonable and wise. He hated that David made a treaty with Abner, Saul's general and the man who killed Joab's brother (2 Samuel 2:18–23). So, Joab murdered Abner (2 Samuel 3:27). He had to follow orders and allow Uriah to be killed in combat, but he sent back a snarky comment (2 Samuel 11:18–25). He ignored David's command to be gentle with David's son Absalom and killed the immobilized traitor (2 Samuel 18:14–15). Then he told David to stop mourning about Absalom and start thanking the men who had defended him during the war (2 Samuel 19:5–7). When David fired Joab and replaced him with Absalom's general Amasa, Joab murdered Amasa and retook his position (2 Samuel 20:10).
The edited numbers are a small and inconsequential matter, other than to illustrate Joab's disagreement. Even the lower numbers make David realize how greatly he's sinned against God. God gives him a choice of three punishments: two from nature and one from man. David agrees to either of the ones God controls directly. Within days, thousands of men die of a plague (2 Samuel 24:10–15).
