Araunah
The Plague and God's Command
Araunah enters the biblical narrative during one of the darkest moments of David's reign. After David sinned by conducting an unauthorized census of Israel, God sent a plague that killed seventy thousand people (2 Samuel 24:15). When the angel of destruction reached Jerusalem and stood at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the Lord commanded him to stop. The prophet Gad then instructed David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on that very threshing floor (2 Samuel 24:16-18).
The Purchase of the Threshing Floor
When David approached Araunah, the Jebusite recognized the king and bowed down. When David explained his purpose, Araunah generously offered to give the threshing floor, along with oxen for the sacrifice and threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood, all free of charge (2 Samuel 24:22-23). David refused the gift, declaring, "I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing" (2 Samuel 24:24). He paid Araunah fifty shekels of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen. The parallel account in 1 Chronicles 21:25 states that David paid six hundred shekels of gold, which may refer to the purchase of the larger surrounding area.
David's Altar and the End of the Plague
David built an altar on the threshing floor and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. The Lord answered his prayer, the plague was stopped, and the angel of destruction sheathed his sword (2 Samuel 24:25; 1 Chronicles 21:26-27). This moment of divine mercy transformed a place of agricultural labor into a place of worship and atonement.
The Site of Solomon's Temple
The ultimate significance of Araunah's threshing floor is revealed in 2 Chronicles 3:1, which states that Solomon built the temple "on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite." Ornan is the alternate form of Araunah's name used in Chronicles. The threshing floor thus became the foundation of the temple, the central place of Israelite worship for centuries. The connection to Mount Moriah also links the site to Abraham's binding of Isaac (Genesis 22:2), creating a profound theological thread running from Abraham through David to the temple.
Araunah the Jebusite
Araunah's identity as a Jebusite is significant. The Jebusites were the original inhabitants of Jerusalem before David conquered the city (2 Samuel 5:6-9). That a Jebusite still owned property on the most prominent hill in Jerusalem indicates that not all Jebusites were expelled when David took the city. Araunah's generous offer to the king and his evident respect for David suggest a man of standing and character. Some scholars have even suggested that Araunah may have been a Jebusite king or noble, based on the way the text describes his interaction with David.
Biblical Context
Araunah appears in 2 Samuel 24:16-25 and 1 Chronicles 21:15-28 (where he is called Ornan). His threshing floor on Mount Moriah is identified in 2 Chronicles 3:1 as the site of Solomon's temple. The narrative connects to David's census sin, the resulting plague, and the establishment of the altar that would become the temple's foundation.
Theological Significance
Araunah's threshing floor became the place where God's judgment was stayed and His mercy was displayed, prefiguring the temple's role as the locus of atonement. David's insistence on paying full price established the principle that genuine worship involves sacrifice and cost. The site's connection to both Abraham's offering of Isaac and Solomon's temple creates a continuous thread of sacrifice and divine encounter running through Scripture.
Historical Background
The Jebusites were a Canaanite people who inhabited Jerusalem (called Jebus) before David's conquest around 1003 BC. Threshing floors were typically located on elevated, flat areas exposed to wind, which helped separate grain from chaff. Mount Moriah's summit provided an ideal location. Archaeological and traditional identification places the threshing floor beneath or near the Dome of the Rock on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. The site has been a center of religious significance for over three thousand years.