And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
Araunah asked, 'Why has my lord the king come to visit his servant?' David replied, 'I want to buy your threshing floor from you so I can build an altar to the LORD, so that this plague will stop affecting the people.'
David is asking to purchase Araunah's threshing floor so he can build an altar to God and stop a plague that's hurting his people.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs after David conducted a census of Israel against God's will, which brought divine judgment in the form of a plague. The prophet Gad told David to build an altar on Araunah's threshing floor on Mount Moriah. A threshing floor was a flat area where grain was separated from stalks, and this particular location would later become the site of Solomon's temple.
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