· Translation: KJV

1 Chronicles 21:22Then David said to Ornan, "Give me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build thereon an altar to Yahweh. You shall sell it to me for the full price, that the plague may be stopped from afflicting the people."

The setting

Mount Moriah, Jerusalem, ~1000 BC. 70,000 Israelites have died from plague because of David's census. The angel of death stopped here, and David knows he must build an altar immediately...

The emotion here: desperate urgency mixed with regal determination to do what's right

The original word

kāsaph (כֶּסֶף) — silver money, full market value, not a discounted or favor price

Why it matters

David paid 600 shekels of gold for this site - approximately $400,000 in today's currency

Read with care

What most readers miss in 1 Chronicles 21:22

David insists on full price because worship that costs nothing is worthless - he won't offer God something free

Common misconceptionPeople think David is just being polite by offering to pay, but he's actually establishing a spiritual principle - true worship requires personal sacrifice and cost.

Bible Genome reading

1 Chronicles 21:22 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerDavid
EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotiondeciding
Literary typedialogue

Emotional genome

Comfort power30%
Quotability30%
Memorability40%
Crisis relevance40%
Standalone30%
Themes:worship preparationfair dealing

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 1 Chronicles 21

1 Chronicles 21:22 comes from the book of 1 Chronicles, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to David. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is conversational. It belongs to the dialogue genre of biblical literature. Key themes include worship preparation, fair dealing. Notable phrases: build thereon an altar; sell it to me.

Your reflection

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