2 Samuel 24:20
New International Version
When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

New Living Translation
When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he came and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.

English Standard Version
And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground.

Berean Standard Bible
When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king.

King James Bible
And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.

New King James Version
Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.

New American Standard Bible
And Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; so Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king.

NASB 1995
Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king.

NASB 1977
And Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king.

Amplified Bible
Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and he went out and bowed before the king with his face toward the ground.

Christian Standard Bible
Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, so he went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, so he went out and bowed to the king with his face to the ground.

American Standard Version
And Araunah looked forth, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.

Contemporary English Version
Araunah looked and saw David and his soldiers coming up toward him. He went over to David, bowed down low,

English Revised Version
And Araunah looked forth, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When Araunah looked down and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down with his face touching the ground in front of the king.

Good News Translation
Araunah looked down and saw the king and his officials coming up to him. He threw himself on the ground in front of David

International Standard Version
When Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his staff approaching him. Araunah went out, bowed down before the king with his face on the ground,

Majority Standard Bible
When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king.

NET Bible
When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants approaching him, he went out and bowed to the king with his face to the ground.

New Heart English Bible
And Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him, so Araunah went out and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming towards him: And Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.

World English Bible
Araunah looked out, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. Then Araunah went out and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Araunah looks, and sees the king and his servants passing over to him, and Araunah goes out and bows himself to the king [with] his face to the earth.

Young's Literal Translation
And Araunah looketh, and seeth the king and his servants passing over unto him, and Araunah goeth out and boweth himself to the king -- his face to the earth.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Araunah will look forth and see the king and his servants passing over to him: and Araunah will go forth and worship to the king, his face to the earth.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Areuna looked, and saw the king and his servants coming towards him:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And looking out, Araunah turned his attention to the king and his servants, passing toward him.

New American Bible
Now Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants coming toward him while he was threshing wheat. So he went out and bowed down before the king, his face to the ground.

New Revised Standard Version
When Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming toward him; and Araunah went out and prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And when Aran the Jebusite turned back and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, Aran fell down and did obeisance to the king with his face to the ground.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Aran the Yebusite turned and he saw King David and his Servants as they passed on the road, and Aran fell and he worshiped on his face on the ground before King David
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Araunah looked forth, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him; and Araunah went out, and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Orna looked out, and saw the king and his servants coming on before him: and Orna went forth, and did obeisance to the king with his face to the earth.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David Builds an Altar
19So David went up at the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded. 20When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king. 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.”…

Cross References
1 Chronicles 21:21
David came to Ornan, and when Ornan looked out and saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed facedown before David.

1 Chronicles 21:18-19
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. / So David went up at the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD.

Genesis 23:7
Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.

Genesis 23:12
Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land

Ruth 2:10
At this, she fell on her face, bowing low to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me, even though I am a foreigner?”

1 Samuel 25:23
When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey, fell facedown, and bowed before him.

2 Samuel 9:6
And when Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he fell facedown in reverence. Then David said, “Mephibosheth!” “I am your servant,” he replied.

2 Kings 1:13
So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. And the third captain went up, fell on his knees before Elijah, and begged him, “Man of God, may my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours please be precious in your sight.

2 Kings 4:37
She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.

Matthew 2:11
On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 8:2
Suddenly a leper came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Matthew 18:26
Then the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’

Mark 5:22
A synagogue leader named Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet

Mark 7:25
Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at His feet.

Luke 5:12
While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”


Treasury of Scripture

And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face on the ground.

bowed

2 Samuel 9:8
And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

Genesis 18:2
And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Ruth 2:10
Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

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Araunah Arau'nah Bowed Boweth Crossing Earth Face Forth Ground Obeisance Passing Servants Towards
2 Samuel 24
1. David, tempted by Satan, forces Joab to number the people
5. The captains, in nine months and twenty days, gather 1,300,000 fighting men
10. David repents, and having three plagues proposed by God, chooses pestilence
15. After the death of 70,000, David by prayer prevents the destruction of Jerusalem
18. David, by God's direction, purchases Araunah's threshing floor;
25. and the plague stops














When Araunah looked down
The name "Araunah" is of Jebusite origin, indicating that he was a native of Jerusalem before David's conquest. The act of "looking down" suggests a position of elevation, possibly from a threshing floor, which was typically located on higher ground to take advantage of the wind for separating grain. This setting is significant as it foreshadows the future site of the Temple, emphasizing God's sovereignty in choosing sacred spaces.

and saw the king
The "king" here is David, a central figure in the Old Testament known for his heart after God despite his imperfections. David's presence signifies authority and divine appointment. In the Hebrew context, seeing the king would evoke a sense of awe and respect, as the king was God's anointed leader over Israel.

and his servants coming toward him
The "servants" accompanying David highlight the king's status and the seriousness of his visit. In ancient Near Eastern culture, a king's entourage was a reflection of his power and the importance of his mission. This phrase underscores the gravity of the moment, as David approaches to make amends with God by purchasing the threshing floor.

he went out
Araunah's action of going out to meet David demonstrates hospitality and respect. In the cultural context, meeting someone of high status halfway was a gesture of honor and submission. This act sets the stage for the negotiation that follows, showing Araunah's willingness to serve the king.

and bowed facedown before the king
Bowing "facedown" is an act of deep reverence and submission, common in ancient Near Eastern customs when approaching royalty. This physical posture indicates Araunah's recognition of David's authority and his own humility. It reflects a heart attitude that is open to God's purposes, as Araunah unknowingly plays a part in the establishment of the future Temple site.

(20) Saw the king.--Not the angel, as in Chronicles, the words in Hebrew being much alike.

Verse 20. - Araunah... saw the king. In 1 Chronicles 21:20, "saw the angel;" but the text there is apparently corrupt, the difference, moreover, in Hebrew between "king" and "angel" being very slight. The addition there of the story of Araunah's four sons hiding themselves is very lifelike and natural. For these remnants of the aborigines, though tolerated, yet held a very insecure position, as we have seen in the dealings of Saul with the Gibeonites; and the coming of the king with his retinue to the out of the way spot where Araunah was at work, no doubt filled them all with terror.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When Araunah
אֲרַ֗וְנָה (’ă·raw·nāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 728: Araunah -- a Jebusite

looked out
וַיַּשְׁקֵ֣ף (way·yaš·qêp̄)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8259: To overhang, look out or down

and saw
וַיַּ֤רְא (way·yar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

the king
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

and his servants
עֲבָדָ֔יו (‘ă·ḇā·ḏāw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

coming
עֹבְרִ֖ים (‘ō·ḇə·rîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

toward him,
עָלָ֑יו (‘ā·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

he
אֲרַ֔וְנָה (’ă·raw·nāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 728: Araunah -- a Jebusite

went out
וַיֵּצֵ֣א (way·yê·ṣê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

and bowed
וַיִּשְׁתַּ֧חוּ (way·yiš·ta·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7812: To depress, prostrate

facedown
אַפָּ֖יו (’ap·pāw)
Noun - mdc | third person masculine singular
Strong's 639: The nose, nostril, the face, a person, ire

before the king.
לַמֶּ֛לֶךְ (lam·me·leḵ)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king


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OT History: 2 Samuel 24:20 Araunah looked forth and saw the king (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 24:19
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