Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 21:11
So Gad went and said to David, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You must choose
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet Gad delivers a direct message from Yahweh to King David immediately following the census. The moment captures the precise instant before God enumerates three disciplinary consequences for David to select.
The words — The phrase כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה (koh amar Yahweh) literally renders “thus says Yahweh,” a fixed prophetic marker denoting authoritative divine speech. The verb וַיֹּאמֶר (va-yomer) emphasizes the immediate transmission of the command to choose.
The thread — This delivery pattern appears in the parallel narrative of 2 Samuel 24:11-13 and aligns with the disciplinary warning in Proverbs 19:20. The text places the choice directly in David’s hands before any divine execution occurs.
Why it lands — The passage requires an immediate decision among three divinely ordained judgments, presenting the reader with the structural reality of choosing under authoritative command. The text establishes the choice first; the resulting consequence follows only after selection.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee
Cross-references
- Proverbs 19:20 Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.