02/02/2026

 

Samuel Clifford

 

2 Samuel 24:13 and 1 Chronicles 21:11-12

 

“So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.” 2 Samuel 24:13

 

“So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee either three years’ famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.” 1 Chronicles 21:11-12 KJV

 

Problem:

 

The Lord gave David the opportunity to choose one of three possible judgments that would befall his nation. When reading the different accounts of this event there does seem to be an inconsistency: one passage offers a choice of three years of famine, while the other seemingly offers seven years of famine.

 

Some believe this to be a copyist error and that the original manuscripts had three in place of seven in 2 Samuel 24:13. However, I don’t believe this is needed as there are two possible explanations to the supposed contradiction.

 

Possible Solutions:

 

“Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.” 2 Samuel 21:1 KJV

 

Clearly, Israel had already experienced three years of famine before David numbered the people of Israel and Judah, for reasons unrelated to the situation in question. 2 Samuel 24:1-7 records the initiation of the census, but we find in verse 8 that “when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.”

 

So according to the text, numbering the people was nearly a year-long process, and there is no clear indication that God had suspended the initial three-year famine prior to the events in chapter 24. Now if God had combined three additional years of famine (1 Chronicles 21:12) with the three years of initial famine, and a possible intervening year while the census was conducted, the resulting overall famine would have totaled about seven years (2 Samuel 24:13).

 

This interpretation is strengthened by the narrative style of Hebrew historical writing, which often assumes the reader remembers earlier events and expects them to connect the dots. The Chronicler frequently simplifies or streamlines earlier accounts, which explains why he mentions only “three years” without revisiting the earlier famine. Samuel, on the other hand, preserves the fuller chronological picture. When these literary tendencies are taken into account, the two passages complement each other rather than conflict.

 

Another solution is that the passages describe two different occasions of Gad confronting David. It’s possible but less likely than the first reason given.