2 Samuel 24:2

For the king said And the king said: yielding to the temptation to which he was subjected by permission of God through the instrumentality of Satan.

the host The word for hostin 2 Samuel 24:2; 2 Samuel 24:4is different from that generally used of the Israelite army, and perhaps indicates that this chapter was derived from a different source.

number ye It is stated in 1 Chronicles 21:2 that the commission was given to "Joab and to the captains (or princes) of the people." Their cooperation is here implied by the use of the plural, and by 2 Samuel 24:4. They were associated with Joab in the work, just as the princes of the tribes were associated with Moses and Aaron in taking the census (Numbers 1:4 ff.), and this indicates that the census had some military object in view.