Komentarz do Diwrej ha-jamim I 21:31

Now Satan arose upon Israel Although this chapter is not complimentary to David, it was written here because it says at the end of the chapter that he built an altar and the Lord answered him from heaven. This is complimentary to David.

the number of the census lit., the number of the number. A similar expression is (Num. 14:29): “... and all your numbered ones at all your numberings.”

and all Israel were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand, etc. and Judah was four hundred seventy thousand But in Samuel (II 24:9) it is written: “eight hundred thousand, etc., and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men,” which apparently means that there were not so many of Israel as are stated here. The truth is that because the anger of the Holy One, blessed be He, was upon David, Scripture did not write there the number of all of those whom he had counted. Neither did Joab count all the tribes, as it is written (verse 6): “... because the word of the king was repugnant to Joab.” But here, because of David’s honor, he does mention the number and the reckoning that he counted, because it is his honor that such a massive army was in his tribe. And the following is proof to what I explained: that even that small part of Israel that he counted, he did not write their entire number in Samuel, but here, [the Chronicler] did write the entire number that he counted, because it is written here: “and all Israel were,” whereas in Samuel it is not written: “all.” And it is explicitly proven here before us, as it is written: (below 27:24): “Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count but did not finish, and with this there was anger upon Israel, and the number did not reach the number of the chronicles of King David.”

But Levi and Benjamin he did not count among them, etc. Joab knew that it would be considered a sin for the people, leading to a plague; Joab therefore said, “I can save these tribes from the census. Concerning Levi, if David says: ‘Why did you not count Levi?’ I shall answer him that they were not counted among the Children of Israel (Num. 2:33). And this is what I shall say about Benjamin: ‘Weren’t they stricken in the episode of the concubine in Gibeah? If they are afflicted now, what will be left of them?’”

and now, please put aside the iniquity of Your servant - Heb. עֲווֹן. This עֲווֹן is written with the plene spelling, with two “vavim,” i.e., please put aside the full iniquity that I committed. This word is written with the plene spelling in four places in Scripture, and this is one of them. The second is in Psalms (51:7): “Behold with iniquity (בְּעָווֹן) I was formed,” as it is explained in Leviticus Rabbah (14:5), in the section entitled: (Lev. 12:2): “If a woman conceives seed: Even if one be the most pious of the pious, it is impossible that he should have no streak of unintentional iniquity, because he intended only for his own pleasure.” The third is (Prov. 5:22): “His iniquities (עֲווֹנוֹתָיו) shall trap the wicked man,” meaning his many iniquities. The fourth is in II Kings (7:9): “... we will incur guilt (עָווֹן). Now let us go and come and relate this in the king’s palace.” They said, “If we do not go and tell this in the king’s palace, it will be a grave iniquity, because enemies will come upon them.”

I am greatly oppressed You tell me, “Choose the mildest of them. It is hard for me, and I am greatly oppressed about it.” This can be compared to a [sick] person, to whom people said, “Behold you are going to die. Now in which grave do you wish to be buried? Beside your father or beside your mother?” Woe to the ears that hear such a thing!

let me fall now into the hand of the Lord with the pestilence, in which all are equal, both rich and poor.

for His mercies are great Perhaps He will have compassion, but our enemies will not have compassion on us.

"As the Destroyer was about to destroy, ha-Shem saw" -- and commanded the Destroyer to relax their hand in order not to destroy David.  For the Destroyer does not distinguish good from evil.

extended over Jerusalem In Joshua (5:13), it says: “... and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, etc. ’Are you for us or for our adversaries?” Joshua was standing with his back opposite his adversaries, and the angel came opposite him; therefore, he wondered and asked him, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” [Have you come] to help us since you are standing opposite me, or to help our enemies, because you are standing also opposite them? But here, since he saw the sword of the angel, which was extended over Jerusalem, he knew by himself that he had come to strike the enemies of Israel.

but these sheep, what have they done for they are like sheep brought to the slaughter, who cannot be saved from slaughter because they are destined for it.

hid from the angel, to fulfill the verse (Isa. 26:20): “Go, My people, come into your chambers and close your door about you; hide for but a moment, until the wrath passes.” And Scripture also says (Exod. 12:22): “... as for you, none of you shall go out of his house until morning.”

and Ornan was threshing wheat since Scripture states further (verse 23): “and the wheat for a meal offering,” lest you wonder how wheat was there.

and the threshing tools for [fire] wood [These are] boards with which they thresh the grain, as we learned in Avodah Zarah (24b): “A goat with hooks,” [which is the] name of a threshing-sledge, similar to (Isa. 41:15): “a new grooved threshing sledge (מוֹרַג חָרוּץ).”

shekels of gold, weighing six hundred but at the end of Samuel (II 24:24), it is written: “for fifty shekels of silver.” How is this possible? He took fifty shekels from each tribe, totaling six hundred shekels, so that all Israel should have a share in the altar.

For the place – for all the field around the threshing-floor

And the Lord commanded the angel to return his sword, and the sword was returned to its sheath. Similar to this is (Jonah 2:11): “And the Lord said to the fish, and it spewed Jonah, etc.”

At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him This section was not written in II Samuel, but because of David’s honor, it was written here that he made an altar, and all the verses of this section are connected to one another, as if they were all one verse.

and the altar of the burnt offerings of Moses was still at that time in the high place, which was in Gibeon.

But David could not Then, when that incident occurred that the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded him to offer up a sacrifice, David could not go before it to inquire of God, i.e., before the altar that was in Gibeon.

because he was frightened by the sword of the angel of the Lord and David went according to the words of the Lord and built an altar, and the Lord answered him.