1 Chronicles 21:11
New International Version
So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Take your choice:

New Living Translation
So Gad came to David and said, “These are the choices the LORD has given you.

English Standard Version
So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Choose what you will:

Berean Standard Bible
So Gad went and said to David, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You must choose

King James Bible
So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee

New King James Version
So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Choose for yourself,

New American Standard Bible
So Gad came to David and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Take for yourself

NASB 1995
So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Take for yourself

NASB 1977
So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Take for yourself

Legacy Standard Bible
So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Take for yourself

Amplified Bible
So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Choose for yourself

Christian Standard Bible
So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Take your choice:

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Take your choice:

American Standard Version
So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Take which thou wilt:

Contemporary English Version
Gad went to David and told him: You must choose how the LORD will punish you:

English Revised Version
So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Take which thou wilt;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When Gad came to David, he said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Take your pick:

Good News Translation
Gad went to David, told him what the LORD had said, and asked, "Which is it to be?

International Standard Version
Gad went to David and told him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Make a choice for yourself:

Majority Standard Bible
So Gad went and said to David, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You must choose

NET Bible
Gad went to David and told him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Pick one of these:

New Heart English Bible
So Gad came to David, and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Take your choice:

Webster's Bible Translation
So Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee

World English Bible
So Gad came to David and said to him, “Yahweh says, ‘Take your choice:
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Gad comes to David and says to him, “Thus said YHWH: Take for yourself—

Young's Literal Translation
And Gad cometh in unto David, and saith to him, 'Thus said Jehovah, Take for thee --

Smith's Literal Translation
And Gad will come to David and say to him, Thus said Jehovah, Take to thee,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when Gad was come to David, he said to him: Thus saith the Lord: choose which thou wilt:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And when Gad had gone to David, he said to him: “Thus says the Lord: Choose what you will want:

New American Bible
Accordingly, Gad went to David and said to him: “Thus says the LORD: Decide now—

New Revised Standard Version
So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Take your choice:
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So Gad the prophet came to David and said to him, Thus says the LORD: Choose for yourself

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Gad the Prophet came to David and said to him: ‘Thus says LORD JEHOVAH: accept for yourself
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
So Gad came to David, and said unto him: 'Thus saith the LORD: Take which thou wilt:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose for thyself,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Judgment for David's Sin
10“Go and tell David that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against you.’ ” 11So Gad went and said to David, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You must choose 12between three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies and overtaken by their swords, or three days of the sword of the LORD—days of plague upon the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”…

Cross References
2 Samuel 24:13
So Gad went and said to David, “Do you choose to endure three years of famine in your land, three months of fleeing the pursuit of your enemies, or three days of plague upon your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”

2 Samuel 24:12
“Go and tell David that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against you.’”

2 Samuel 24:11
When David got up in the morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:

2 Samuel 24:14
David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”

2 Samuel 24:15
So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.

2 Samuel 24:16
But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

2 Samuel 24:17
When David saw the angel striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “Surely I, the shepherd, have sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house.”

2 Samuel 24:18
And that day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

2 Samuel 24:19
So David went up at the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.

2 Samuel 24:20
When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king.

2 Samuel 24:21
“Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” Araunah said. “To buy your threshing floor,” David replied, “that I may build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”

2 Samuel 24:22
Araunah said to David, “May my lord the king take whatever seems good to him and offer it up. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.

2 Samuel 24:23
O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”

2 Samuel 24:24
“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

2 Samuel 24:25
And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.


Treasury of Scripture

So Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus said the LORD, Choose you

choose thee [heb] Take to thee

Jump to Previous
Choice Choose David Gad Whichever Wilt
Jump to Next
Choice Choose David Gad Whichever Wilt
1 Chronicles 21
1. David, tempted by Satan, forces Joab to number the people
5. The number of the people being brought, David repents of it
9. David having three plagues proposed by God, chooses the pestilence
14. After the death of 70,000, David by repentance prevents the destruction of Jerusalem
18. David, by Gad's direction, purchases Ornan's threshing floor;
26. where having built an altar, God gives a sign of his favor by fire.
28. David sacrifices there, being restrained from Gibeon by fear of the angel














So Gad went
Gad, known as a seer or prophet, plays a crucial role in the narrative of David's life. The Hebrew root for "went" (הלך, halak) implies a purposeful journey or mission. Gad's obedience to God's command reflects the role of prophets as messengers who bridge the divine and human realms. Historically, prophets like Gad were integral in guiding Israel's leaders, emphasizing the importance of divine communication in governance and decision-making.

and said to David
David, the anointed king of Israel, is often depicted as a man after God's own heart, yet not without flaws. The act of Gad speaking to David signifies the direct line of communication between God and His chosen leaders. The Hebrew word for "said" (אמר, amar) is frequently used in the Old Testament to denote authoritative speech. This interaction underscores the accountability of leaders to divine authority and the necessity of humility and repentance in leadership.

This is what the LORD says
The phrase establishes the divine origin of the message. "LORD" (יהוה, Yahweh) is the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. This introduction is a common prophetic formula, asserting that the message is not of human origin but from the sovereign Creator. It reminds readers of the weight and authority of God's words, which demand attention and obedience.

You must choose
The directive to "choose" (בחר, bachar) places responsibility on David, highlighting the theme of free will and moral responsibility. In the context of 1 Chronicles 21, David is faced with the consequences of his actions—specifically, his decision to conduct a census against God's will. This moment of choice is pivotal, illustrating the biblical principle that while God is sovereign, humans are accountable for their decisions. Theologically, it reflects the tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility, a recurring theme throughout Scripture.

(11) And said unto him.--Samuel has the pleonastic, "And told him, and said," &c.

The following curse from the Annals of Tiglath Pileser I. (circ. 1120 B.C.) well illustrates the three penalties proposed by God to David: "May Assur and Anum, the great gods my lords, mightily rebuke him and curse him with grievous curse . . . The overthrow of his army may they work! In presence of his foes may they make him dwell altogether! May Rimaron with evil pestilence his land cut off! Want of crops, famine, corpses, to his country may be cast!"

Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee.--Not in Samuel, which has instead a direct question: "Shall there come to thee seven years' famine in thy land?" Our "choose" (take) is a word of later use in Hebrew. The Syriac gives the same term (qabbel).



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So Gad
גָ֖ד (ḡāḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1410: Gad -- a son of Jacob, also his tribe and its territory, also a prophet

went
וַיָּ֥בֹא (way·yā·ḇō)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

and said
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

David,
דָּוִ֑יד (dā·wîḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

“This is what
כֹּֽה־ (kōh-)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the LORD
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

says:
אָמַ֥ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘Take your choice
קַבֶּל־ (qab·bel-)
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 6901: To receive, take


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OT History: 1 Chronicles 21:11 So Gad came to David and said (1 Chron. 1Ch iCh i Ch 1 chr 1chr)
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