Again: the word so translated is actually a verb meaning “to add or repeat.” It apparently refers back to chapter 21, where the LORD’s anger with the people of Israel was the cause of the famine described there. Because of the two intervening chapters, which include material that is largely poetic in nature, translators may wish to follow the example of Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente and add a footnote explaining to the reader that this refers back to the events described in 21.1-14. This footnote states “at another time: allusion to the events told in 21.1-14.” Moffatt resolves the problem by transposing chapter 24 in its entirety to follow immediately after chapter 21. But this is not recommended to translators. The transition at the beginning of this chapter should, however, be worded in such a way as to show that there is a clear reference backward. One may say “At another time…” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente) or “later on….”
The passive expression anger of the LORD was kindled may be easily made active by saying “the LORD was annoyed…” or something similar. The Hebrew is more literally “the anger of the LORD burned hot.” Other uses of this kind of expression are found in 1 Sam 17.28, where Eliab is said to have been angry with David, and 1 Sam 20.30, where Saul was angry at his son Jonathan. In 2 Sam 6.7 this expression is used to portray the anger of the LORD because the ark was touched. In this case readers are not informed as to why the LORD was angry with the people of Israel.
He incited David against them: according to the account in this book, it was the LORD who caused David to bring trouble on the people of Israel. The theological difficulties of this passage are complicated by the fact that 1 Chr 21.1 places the blame on Satan rather than saying that God caused David to take the census. Some writers attempt to show that there is a sense in which both God and Satan were involved in provoking David to take this action, since the same Hebrew verb is used in each case. Translators cannot hope to solve the theological problems of the two texts, so they will do well to translate the text as it stands in each case and leave the details of the interpretation to preachers and theologians. In many languages a causative form of the verb will be the best way to translate the idea here: “he caused David to act against them” or “he caused David to turn against the Israelites” (New Century Version).
Number: the verb here means to count people or to take a census. It is uncertain why taking a census was considered wrong. Some have suggested that the real sin was the pride and ambition of David that was behind the counting of the people. Others, including Josephus, speculate that perhaps he failed to make the prescribed payment (see Exo 30.12). But all the translator has to do here is to communicate the idea of census taking, or counting the people, of the tribe of Judah and the northern tribes of Israel.
As noted in the introduction to this section, the census most likely included only males eligible to serve in the military. See Num 1.1-47, where only males old enough “to go forth to war” are included in the census. For this reason it may be wise here to say something like “count the number of people capable of fighting in all the tribes of Judah and Israel.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “the men of Israel and Judah” here and “the men fit for military service” in verse 2.
In some languages it will be more natural to change the direct quotation at the end of this verse into an indirect statement by saying something like “the LORD told him to order his men to count the people of Israel and Judah” or “the LORD instructed David to find out the number of all the people in Israel and Judah.” Bible en français courant reads “He caused David to act against their interests by suggesting to him to count the Israelites and Judeans.” Contemporary English Version says “and he made David think it would be a good idea to count the people in Israel and Judah,” but this translation unfortunately omits the idea that what David did was somehow against the best interests of his people. Compare New Living Translation, “and he caused David to harm them by taking a census.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .