“Is my lord the king come to his servant?”
The full verse · 2 Samuel 24:21 · KJV
And , Wherefore is my the to his ? And , To the of thee, to an unto the , that the may be from the .
Asked by
Asked to
David, king of Israel, came in person to Araunah’s property seeking to purchase it for a sacred purpose.
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionAraunah’s question expresses humble deference while seeking to understand the unexpected royal visit. By asking rather than presuming, he shows respect for David’s authority and creates space for the king to state his own purpose. The question acknowledges the unusual nature of a king personally visiting his subject’s property.
The Response
What Scripture recordsDavid explained that he had come to purchase the threshing floor in order to build an altar to the LORD so that the plague devastating Israel might be stopped (2 Samuel 24:21).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyAraunah’s question reveals his astonishment at receiving an unannounced royal visit during a time of national catastrophe. The Hebrew phrasing madua ba, ‘why has come,’ emphasizes the unexpected nature of David’s arrival. A subject would normally be summoned to the palace; kings did not make house calls to purchase property from commoners. Araunah’s deferential language, ‘my lord the king’ and ‘his servant’, acknowledges the vast social distance between them. He frames his inquiry as a question rather than a direct challenge because protocol demanded that he wait for the king to reveal his purpose. The question carries theological weight because this humble exchange takes place at the very spot where God would later choose to place His name, where the temple would stand, and where heaven and earth would meet in Israel’s worship for centuries to come.
Sometimes God’s most important work happens when powerful people humble themselves to ask for what they need. David didn’t command or seize what he required, he came as a buyer, willing to pay full price for holy ground. When you’re in a position of strength, remember that some transactions require humility, not authority. The most valuable things in life, reconciliation, healing, sacred space, can’t be taken by force. They must be received with open hands and a servant’s heart. As James 4:6 reminds us, God gives grace to the humble. When you approach others with genuine respect, you create room for God to work through unexpected partnerships.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land?”
“But why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?”
“But these sheep, what have they done?”
“What thing is this that thou hast done?”