Who was Araunah the Jebusite? What was the threshing floor of Araunah?

The Jebusite from whom David purchased the place on which to build the altar of the Lord. 2 Sam. 24:16-24. Called ORNAN in 1 Chr. 21:15-28. In Samuel it is stated that David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. He there built an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, without anything being said of his building a house for the Lord on the spot: whereas in Chronicles David gave to Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the place. In 2 Chr. 3:1-2 we learn that the threshing floor was on Mount Moriah, and that the site was prepared by David for the temple, which was built by Solomon. Doubtless therefore 'the place' included a much larger area than was needed for David's altar, and perhaps included the homestead of Araunah. This no doubt formed a part of what is now called the Temple area, or Mosque enclosure, in the S.E. of Jerusalem, but on what part of that area the temple was built is not known.

The blow is heavy, for it is needed; and yet rightly has David counted on his Lord. It is from the Lord's own grace that the staying of the evil comes. "When the angel stretched forth his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, Jehovah repented Him of the evil, and said unto the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thy hand. And the angel was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite."

Government has done its needful work, and now the story of divine grace begins. And where should grace be shown as God would show it, but in the case of one of the chief of sinners? Araunah is a Jebusite, one of the Canaanite races of the land, long since under the curse, and a Jebusite, a "treader down" of God's royal city.

Had it been left to David or any of his advisers to select a site for the house that was to be built for the Ark, they would, no doubt, have fixed upon a spot in the city of David which is Zion, but God had quite another spot in His mind, one connected, too, with a signal failure on the part of David well towards the close of his reign. Upon that failure and its details it is not our province to dwell, but God selected the threshing-floor of Araunah, the Jebusite, on Mount Moriah, another of the mounts of Jerusalem, as the site for the Temple, the spot where David erected an altar after which the plague was stayed, which he had brought upon the people by his self-will in numbering them—the very place, too, where Abraham of old had offered up his son Isaac.

There is wonderful instruction for us, however, in the plague being arrested at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. The judgment of God only goes as far as the threshing floor. In other words, when God judges, it is with the object of bringing out the grain from the chaff. The process may be deeply painful, but the resulting blessing for genuine believers is unspeakably precious. The Jebusites had been true to their name, "treaders down" of the city God had declared to be His own center, that is, Jerusalem. But Araunah is one whose character has been changed by the grace of God, a prodigal of the Gentiles, spared when the judgment was impending over his head. Indeed, he is a picture of all Gentiles who are saved by the grace of God.

The prophet Gad is sent to David to instruct him to build an altar to the Lord in the threshing floor of Araunah. When Araunah sees the king and his servants coming, he willingly takes the lowly place of bowing before the king to ask the reason for his coming to a man so insignificant. When David desires to buy the threshing floor, Araunah offers it to him without charge, as well as oxen for sacrifice and wood for its burning.

When David came to Jerusalem he was defied by the Jebusite inhabitants, who apparently held it by a strong fort; but 'David took the stronghold of Zion,' and called it the city of David. Some of the Jebusites were however in Jerusalem long after; for it was the threshing floor of Araunah, or Ornan, the Jebusite, that David bought at the time of the plague. 2 Sam. 5:6, 8;

This He did, for "the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar to the Lord in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite." The ark was on Mount Zion. The tabernacle was at Gibeon (2 Chron. 1) The king was not to go to the ark, nor to wend his way to the brazen altar; but on Ornan's threshing-floor, the spot of ground still owned by a Jebusite, one of the ancient inhabitants of Jerusalem, an altar was now to be reared up. At once David obeyed. God had declared what should be done, and David would do it, that the plague might he stayed. The place was quickly bought, and the altar erected, the threshing instruments provided the wood, and the oxen were at hand for the sacrifice. The burnt-offerings and peace-offerings were offered up; and David called upon the Lord, who answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering. And now with that before God, which spoke of the death of His Son, the Lord commanded the angel, and he put his sword again into the sheath thereof.

The sword replaced in its scabbard, all could rest assured that further judgment, in connection with that for which chastisement had been sent, was now averted. The Lord commanded the angel, and he sheathed his sword. Israel were safe now, not that they deserved it, nor could ever have deserved it. They were safe, because the sword was sheathed in righteousness through grace. What brought this about? Was it not the sacrifice, which God had accepted, speaking, as it did, to Him of that which He only then understood, the sacrifice of His Son? How immediately and fully He responded. But how all was of grace. He arrested the arm of the angel because He is love. He was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed, because His righteousness and holiness had been typically cared for by the sacrifice. He acted in mercy then, and He acts so still, because of what He is, and judgment can be averted from those who deserve it by virtue of the sacrifice. Till the latter was offered, the angel's sword was not sheathed. That it might be offered, God arrested the angel in his work of destruction, and caused David to know that he should sacrifice to Him. He required the sacrifice. He made that known, and David found all ready to his hand, through the willingness of Ornan indeed, but surely through the goodness of God.

“The Place” is identified as a result of God's mercy to David and Israel, and on the basis of David offering a sacrifice to Jehovah. David had made a serious mistake in numbering the nation of Israel. Pride led him astray. Because of his failure the nation came under God's chastening hand. David confessed his sin and failure and obeyed the angelic command to go to the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite and rear an altar there. He was afraid to go to Gibeon and offer a sacrifice to God where the Tabernacle was. David purchased the site from Araunah and his oxen too. A sacrifice was made by slaughtering the oxen and using Araunah's wooden implements to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings to Jehovah. God, in His great mercy, stopped the plague that affected Israel in such a severe manner. It was on Mount Moriah that David offered his sacrifice to Jehovah, and it was there that the Temple was built by Solomon (2 Chr. 3:1. See Genesis 22:2). David then said these solemn words: “This is the house of Jehovah Elohim, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel” (1 Chr. 22:1). The Place in the Land and the Dwelling Place were now specified. All that remained to be done was the building of the Temple.

An altar needs a priest or an accepted worshipper, the Lord would not have directed the one, if he had not provided the other. "The Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering" (Gen. 4:4). His person was first accepted, and then His sacrifice; and here the Lord's readiness to receive an offering at the hand of David was a pledge that David himself, through mercy rejoicing against judgment, had been received, and his iniquity put away. If the Lord had been pleased to kill him, he would not have received a burnt-offering at his hand (Mal. 1:10-13).

1 Chr. 21:19-26. "And David went up at the saying of Gad which he spake in the name of the Lord. And Ornan turned back and saw the angel: and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat, and as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out of the threshing-floor; and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground. Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshing-floor, that I may build an altar therein unto the Lord; thou shalt grant it me for the full price, that the plague may be stayed from the people; and Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee and let my Lord the king do that which is good in his eyes; lo, I give thee the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal offering: I give it all. And king David said, Nay but I will verily buy it for the full price; for I will not take that which is thine for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight: and David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the name of the Lord; and He answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering."

David's heart then smote him and we see him coming to the Lord and confessing his sin. "I have sinned greatly in that I have done; and now I beseech thee, LORD, take away the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done very foolishly." It was a true confession he made that night. Then the Lord sent the answer through the prophet Gad. The Lord leaves the choice to David. Either three years of famine, three months of flight or three days of pestilence. (This is according to 1 Chron. 21:12; 2 Sam. 24:13 records seven years, which must be the error of some copyist.) And here the man of faith asserts himself "Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD; for His mercies are great, and let me not fall into the hand of man." And the Lord did not disappoint His servant's faith in His mercy. When the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it the Lord said, It is enough; stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord, the same who appeared to the patriarchs, to Moses, Joshua and others, was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Once more David's voice is heard in confession. "I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house." He was willing to be the one sufferer for his people; in this he is a type again of our Lord, the sinbearer. He is commanded to rear an altar upon the threshing floor of Araunah. "It was a fitting spot for mercy upon Israel, this place where of old faithful Abraham had been ready to offer his only son unto God; fitting also as still outside the city; but chiefly in order that the pardoning and sparing mercy now shown, might indicate the site where, on the great altar of burnt-offering, abundant mercy in pardon and acceptance would in the future be dispensed to Israel " (A. Edersheim).

It was the place upon which the temple was built (1 Chron. 21:28-22:1). And Araunah the Jebusite offered willingly the threshing floor and the sacrificial animals. But David would not consent. "Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing." For fifty shekels of silver he bought the oxen and the threshing floor. Then the burnt offerings and peace offerings ascended unto Jehovah as a sweet savour. And Jehovah answered by fire (1 Chron. 21:26). And David before that altar, who buys and offers, thus meeting the claim of God, is a type of our Lord who bought us with the great price and offered Himself And even so as this book closes with the Lord being merciful to His land and people, the plague stayed, so will Israel in the future receive and enjoy His mercy. It will be the result of the one sacrifice.

David who in figure established Zion prepared for the building within it of the temple of God, that in the people's worship there might ascend to God a suited response to His grace to them, and it is a point of deepest interest to note that the spot chosen for God's house, the spot from which peace offerings and burnt offerings ascended to God from the altar that David built, was the threshing floor of a Jebusite, Araunah by name. He had two names — Araunah, which means "Jah is firm," and Oman, which means "strong." And it was at the threshing floor of this Jebusite that the sword of judgment was arrested. Was he one of those weak Jebusites who had become strong in the sense of Jehovah's firmness and faithfulness to His own word and name? It would seem so. Indeed in the knowledge of God he seems to have been for the moment greater than David, for it is recorded of him, "All these things did Araunah, AS A KING, give to the king. And Araunah said to the king, The Lord thy God accept thee" (2 Sam. 24:30). Pity that David spoilt the beauty and grace of that by insisting upon paying for all he got.