1 Chronicles 21:5

The context

First Chronicles 21 retells the census of David. The Chronicler changes the opening: what Samuel attributes to divine anger is here attributed to an adversary who incites David. Verse 5 gives totals that differ from the Samuel account, and the chapter proceeds to the threshing floor and the altar.

What it establishes

It establishes that the later writer retold the same episode with a different instigator and different figures, and that he was willing to reshape the story for his own purposes. The two versions are not identical and were not meant to be.

What it does not establish

It does not explain the difference. The text offers no note about counting methods or sources. The variation is evidence about how these books were composed, and it does not by itself tell a reader which figure is historically accurate.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• Dennis McKinsey single-handedly disproves Biblical inerrancy in his book, "Biblical Errancy" - your team should read it.

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.