A Jebusite man, whose name is also spelled Orna in the LXX, living during Israel’s united kingdom. He was known for selling his threshing floor to David.
About Araunah (Ornan)
Araunah was a Jebusite whose threshing floor (where grain was separated from chaff) was the scene of some significant events in biblical history. (Jebus was the name of an ancient Canaanite city that later became Jerusalem.)
The Lord stopped an angel from further inflicting Israel with a pestilence (disease or plague) after the death of 70,000 Israelites (2 Samuel 24:15–16). This plague from the Lord was the result of King David’s prideful census. Araunah's threshing floor marked the site of this event.
Key References
But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
When David saw the angel striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “Surely I, the shepherd, have sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house.”
And that day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
So David went up at the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.
When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king.
“Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” Araunah said. “To buy your threshing floor,” David replied, “that I may build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”
Araunah said to David, “May my lord the king take whatever seems good to him and offer it up. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
All Scripture References (7)
2 Samuel (7)
But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
And that day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king.
“Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” Araunah said. “To buy your threshing floor,” David replied, “that I may build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”
Araunah said to David, “May my lord the king take whatever seems good to him and offer it up. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.