1 Chronicles 21:1

An adversary ¹  opposed ²  Israel, inciting David to count how many warriors Israel had. ³ 

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.

Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.

Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the Israelites.

Now Satan entered the scene and seduced David into taking a census of Israel.

Now Satan, designing evil against Israel, put into David’s mind the impulse to take the number of Israel.

Satan stood up against Israel, and incited David to count the people of Israel.

Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.

An adversary ¹  opposed ²  Israel, inciting David to count how many warriors Israel had. ³ 

¹ tn Or “Satan.” The Hebrew word שָׂטָן (satan) can refer to an adversary in general or Satan in particular. There is no article accompanying the term here, which suggests it should be understood generally (cf. NAB “a satan”).

² tn Heb “stood against.”

³ tn Heb “and incited David to count Israel.” As v. 5 indicates, David was not interested in a general census, but in determining how much military strength he had.

sn The parallel text in 2 Sam 24:1 says, “The Lord’s anger again raged against Israel and he incited David against them, saying: ‘Go, count Israel and Judah!’“ The version of the incident in the Book of 2 Samuel gives an underlying theological perspective, while the Chronicler simply describes what happened from a human perspective. Many interpreters and translations render the Hebrew שָׂטָן as a proper name here, “Satan” (NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). However, the Hebrew term שָׂטָן, which means “adversary,” is used here without the article. Elsewhere when it appears without the article, it refers to a personal or national adversary in the human sphere, the lone exception being Num 22:22, 32, where the angel of the Lord assumes the role of an adversary to Balaam. When referring elsewhere to the spiritual entity known in the NT as Satan, the noun has the article and is used as a title, “the Adversary” (see Job 1:6-9, 12; 2:1-4, 6-7; Zech 3:1-2). In light of usage elsewhere the adversary in 1 Chr 21:1 is likely a human enemy, probably a nearby nation whose hostility against Israel pressured David into numbering the people so he could assess his military strength. For compelling linguistic and literary arguments against taking the noun as a proper name here, see S. Japhet, I & II Chronicles (OTL), 374-75.