Page 278 - ירושלים: גיליון רפואי

Plagues, Miracles, Angels and the
Immunity of Jerusalem

Yair Zakovitch

The Bible relates two miraculous events resulting in the same outcome, namely the rescue
of Jerusalem. In the first instance, during the reign of David, a plague sweeps through the
entire country but God does not permit the angel of destruction to harm Jerusalem. In the
second, during the reign of Hezekiah, the angel of the Lord brings death to the Assyrian camp
laying siege to Jerusalem, thus sparing the city from destruction. The fact that Jerusalem is
twice redeemed leads to a belief that Jerusalem, the Lord’s city and chosen abode, is immune
from all harm.

Different versions exist of the story of the plague in David’s time. The first comes at the end
of the Book of Samuel. For some reason, the Lord tempts David into ordering a census of the
people, an act that entails the danger of a plague. Following the king’s orders, Joab carries
out a census of Israel and Judah. A plague strikes the people, but God stops the angel from
harming Jerusalem (2 Samuel 24:16). David sacrifices at an altar he erects on the threshing-floor
of Araunah the Jebusite, and the plague is halted.

Careful reading of the story shows that it was not originally written as a single unit, and that the
purchase of the threshing-floor and the sanctification of Jerusalem were added at a later time.
The story recalls three other biblical stories dealing with the purchase of plots of land in Eretz
Israel: The cave of Machpelah that Abraham bought in Hebron (Genesis 23:1–20), the parcel
of land that Jacob bought in Shechem (Genesis 33:18–20), and Omri’s purchase of Samaria (1
Kings 16:24). All these stories deal with cities that served as capitals at one time or another:
Hebron was the first capital of David when he was king of Judah; Shechem was the first capital
of Jereboam, son of Nebat; and Omri made Samaria the capital of his kingdom.

The Chronicler’s version of the story about the plague is slightly different, in keeping with his
beliefs and ideals. In Chronicles, the plague is not caused by the People of Israel’s sins, and
it is not God who incites David against the people, but Satan. His description of the angel is
also different. The Book of Samuel does not describe what David saw, and only says: “When he

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