Synopsis of the Chapter
David, by numbering the people, provokes God to anger, and from three punishments offered by God he chooses the plague: which being sent accordingly carries off many; but at last David, by appeasing God through prayer and sacrifice, puts it to rest.
Verse 12: Three Years of Famine ¶
12. EITHER THREE YEARS OF FAMINE. — In 2 Kings 24:13, it says: "Either seven years of famine"; namely the first offer from God made to David was seven years; but when David pleaded against such a long duration, God moderated the punishment and reduced it to three years. Similarly in Genesis 18, God came down from fifty just men to ten, and if He had found them in Sodom, He would have spared it; and to Ezekiel, chapter 4, praying against using human dung, He grants cow dung for fuel.
Verse 18: Ornan ¶
18. ORNAN. — In 2 Kings 24:23, with a slightly altered name he is called "Araunah," and is likewise a king, that is, a petty king or prince among the Jebusites.