Why Jesus Apologetics

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.

John 17:16-17 (BSB)

At Why Jesus Apologetics, we address alleged Bible contradictions to strengthen believers’ confidence and respond to skeptics’ challenges. Another frequently cited issue is the differing number of years of famine threatened by God’s prophet to David after his sinful census, as reported in 2 Samuel 24:13 and 1 Chronicles 21:12. Critics claim this discrepancy undermines Scripture’s reliability. In this post, we resolve the issue applying relevant principles such as, Law of Non-Contradiction, cultural and/or historical context, hermeneutics, and inerrancy, to affirm the Bible’s truth.

The Passages in Question

The texts at the heart of this alleged contradiction are:

““So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.”

– 2 Samuel 24:13 (KJV)

“Either three years’ famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.”

– 1 Chronicles 21:12 (KJV)

The Problem

1. Seven years of famines (2 Samuel 24:13).
2. Three years of famines (1 Chronicles 21:12).

The difference between the two numbers is:

7yrs. – 3yrs. = 4yrs. of famines.

The question posed by critics is,How many years of famine did God’s prophet threaten David with? They said, we must account for the 4 years of famines or else the seemingly contradictory allegation stands.

In this post, we will directly address the critics’ claim. By examining the context and hermeneutical principles, we will demonstrate how these figures can be harmonized.

The Solution

Firstly, let us note that we have variance in this instance between LXX text and Hebrew text and both are not wrong in their rendering.

The Greek Septuagint (LXX) renders 2 Samuel 24:13 as “three years” rather than “seven years”, and the LXX reading here is followed by some modern Bible translations. But the Hebrew text of 2 Samuel 24:13 does say “seven years”. Setting aside the textual variants for the moment and taking the Hebrew text’s reading at face value, let us explore whether these passages can be harmonized.

Historical Context – Divine Judgment and Prophetic Role

David’s census was sinful due to his prideful motive: “And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done” (2 Sam. 24:10, KJV; cf. 1 Chron. 21:8). After subduing Canaanite, Syrian, and Phoenician kingdoms (2 Sam. 8–10), David focused on military strength rather than God’s provision: “Let not the mighty man boast of his might… but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me” (Jer. 9:23–24, KJV). This led to God’s judgment via three options (2 Sam. 24:13; 1 Chron. 21:12), with David choosing a three-day plague (2 Sam. 24:15; 1 Chron. 21:14).

You can read more about the historical context and how David’s internal motives led to the prescribed judgment we are addressing, at the link provided here.

Let’s now read the texts:

Seven (2 Samuel 24:13).

“So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.”

Versus

Three (1 Chronicles 21:12).

“Either three years’ famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.”

Now, let’s examine this more closely.

a. Applying the Law of Non-Contradiction

To determine whether these two passages are truly contradictory, we must apply the Law of Non-Contradiction, a fundamental principle of logic. In classical logic, the law of non-contradiction states:

“A thing cannot be both A and not-A at the same time and in the same respect.”

This is a foundational law of rationality and logic. If something violates this principle, it is logically incoherent or self-refuting. Geisler states:

“A contradiction occurs only when two statements assert opposing claims about the same subject, in the same sense, at the same time.”
(Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Bethany House, 2002, p. 118).

For a real contradiction to exist, three conditions must be met:

1. The statements must refer to the same thing,
2. They must speak of it at the same time, and
3. They must speak of it in the same sense.

For 2 Samuel 24:13 and 1 Chronicles 21:12 to be contradictory, they must assert mutually exclusive claims about the same famine threat, for the same speaker, at the same time. This is not the case and that is because:

1. Different Speakers. 1 Chronicles 21:12’s “three years’ famine” is spoken by the Lord (“Thus saith the Lord”), while 2 Samuel 24:13’s “seven years of famine” is spoken by Gad, after relaying the Lord’s words. The texts attribute the statements to different speakers.
2. Different Scopes. The “three years” in 1 Chronicles 21:12 refers to additional years of famine offered by the Lord. The “seven years” in 2 Samuel 24:13, as Gad’s statement, includes four prior years of famine (three years from 2 Samuel 21:1 plus one year during the census, 2 Samuel 24:8) plus the three additional years. The scopes differ (additional vs. cumulative).
3. Different Contexts. 2 Samuel emphasizes the severity of David’s sin (2 Sam. 24:1), with Gad’s “seven years” highlighting the cumulative impact. 1 Chronicles focuses on precision and divine mercy (1 Chron. 21:12), recording the Lord’s exact offer. The texts reflect different narrative purposes.

So No Mutually Exclusive Claims. A closer look shows that these passages fail to meet the criteria for a true contradiction as 1 Chronicles does not claim “the famine threat is not seven years,” nor does 2 Samuel claim “the famine threat is only seven years.” Since Gad’s “seven years” incorporates prior famine, the claims are complementary.

Thus, the texts do not violate the Law of Non-Contradiction, as they describe different speakers, scopes, and emphases.

When judged by the standard of logical consistency, the Bible stands firm.

N-O – B-I-B-L-E – C-O-N-T-R-A-D-I-C-T-I-O-N

b. How Do We Account for the Difference?

The wording in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles differs. A careful reading in CONTEXT reveals that there is no contradiction as the words in question in both passages are not even from the same speaker.

To show the differences, let’s use “bolded text” for the LORD and “un-bolded” for the other speaker – Gad and “the words in italics and strikethrough” are narrative linking both speakers

1 Chronicles 21:10-12 says:

“Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee Either three years’ famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.”

2 Samuel 24:12-13 says:

“Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.”

Harmonization of 1 Chronicles 21:10-12 and 2 Samuel 24:12-13:

If we combine the two accounts (1 Chronicles 21:10-12 join with 2 Samuel 24:12-13), it can be harmonized as follows:

2 Samuel 24:13 + 1 Chronicles 21:11–12

“Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee Either three years’ famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.” and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.”

The verbatim words of the LORD as recorded in 1 Chronicles 21:11-12 must fit in 2 Samuel 24:13 in between “and told him” and “and said unto him“ (phrase in strikethrough). Otherwise, the phrase “and told him, and said unto him” is very redundant. Thus the prophet Gad first “told him [David]” the verbatim words of the LORD as recorded in 1 Chronicles 21:11-12, and then “said unto him [David], Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land?”

Food for Thought:

Why did Gad speak of “seven years” after delivering the LORD’s word concerning three years of famine?

The figure “seven years” spoken by Gad is not the number of years that the LORD will be adding in the future. The seven years is the combination of the four prior years of famine and the possible future addition of three years

Let’s look at it again

The textual wordings where the two numbers are differ are:

1. In 1 Chronicles 21:12, the phrase is “three years of famine”, a direct option presented to David.
2. In 2 Samuel 24:13 however, the phrase is “shall seven years of famine come to you?”, a wording that suggests more than a simple choice.

This second phrasing appears more like a comment from the prophet Gad, reminding David of the previous famine that had already lasted approximately four years (as seen in 2 Samuel 21). By adding the upcoming three years mentioned here, the total reaches seven years. Thus, the phrase “shall seven years of famine come to you?” reflects the cumulative nature of God’s disciplinary dealings with Israel NOT just a fresh judgment, but a continuation or completion of an earlier one.

How do we know this?

Prior to this incident, in 2 Samuel 21:1, the narrator says “there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year.”

“Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the Lord.”

– 2 Samuel 21:1 (KJV)

We know it is not the same three years mentioned in chapter 24 because David did not choose that option. Therefore, it refers to a previous famine that had already lasted for three or more years. From the time of 2 Samuel 21:1 to 2 Samuel 24:13, we understand that there was a lapse of about one year.

Thus, by the time the LORD presented David with this dilemma in 2 Samuel 24:13, a total of four years of famine had already occurred. This means that between the time of the earlier census and the impending judgment, there was a four-year interval.

How long did the census actually take?

To find out, we can look back at verse 8 of 2 Samuel 24:

“So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.”

– 2 Samuel 24:8 (KJV)

The census itself, then, appears to have taken close to a year. And we also read in 2 Samuel 21:1 that there had already been a three year famine in the land.

Now, when Gad asked David, “Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land?” Gad was basically saying, “Shall [a total of] seven years of famine (four previous years and three added years) come unto thee in thy land?”

Seven years of famine would have been the cumulative result of receiving three more years of famine.

As it turned out, however, David opted for God’s third preference, and thereby received three days of severe pestilence, resulting in the deaths of 70,000 men in Israel.

Chronological and Mathematical Analysis of the Seven-Year Famine

To help put the famine durations mentioned in 2 Samuel 21 and 2 Samuel 24 into perspective, we analyze them using the timeline supported by the scriptural evidence cited earlier. The claim is that there was a total of seven years of famine, but these were spread across two separate events.

Let’s break it down step by step.

Step 1: A Previous 3-Year Famine (Already Experienced)

2 Samuel 21:1 (ESV):

“Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the LORD…”

This verse tells us that three full years of famine had already occurred before the census described in chapter 24.

So we start with: 3 years (past famine)

Step 2: A Lapse of About 1 Year Between the Two Events

Between 2 Samuel 21 and 2 Samuel 24, David conducts a military census, which took a considerable amount of time. Scripture gives us a clue:

2 Samuel 24:8 (ESV):

“So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.”

That’s nearly one full year between the end of the three-year famine and the moment when God confronted David after the census.

Add this:
3 years (past famine) + ~1 year (gap)
= 4 years of famine conditions so far (whether fully experienced or partly residual).

Step 3: A New Option of Another 3-Year Famine (Future Judgment)

When David sinned by taking the census, God gave him three choices:

2 Samuel 24:13 (ESV):

“So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, ‘Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes…? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land?’”

Here, three additional years of famine were proposed as a possible punishment. David, however, chose the third option (three days of plague).

But the key point is this:
3 years (past) + ~1 year (census gap) + 3 years (proposed future)
= 7 years total duration of famine considered.

Not a Contradiction, But Cumulative

A consistent and logical explanation is this:

1. 2 Samuel 21:1 describes a past 3-year famine.
2. 2 Samuel 24:8–13 spans a near year-long gap and introduces a new possible 3-year famine.
3. So when 2 Samuel 24:13 mentions “seven years of famine“, it can be understood as the cumulative total duration of famine David and the land faced or would face, not a single continuous event.

Analogy: The Droughts Before the Storm

Imagine a village facing repeated droughts due to disobedience.

1. First drought (Past famine – 2 Samuel 21:1). Think of it like a 3-year food shortage due to the villagers violating a peace treaty (Saul’s sin against the Gibeonites). This drought already happened and weakened everyone — people are still recovering.
2. Intermission (1-year gap). Then there was about a year of normal weather. But the people haven’t fully repented or learned their lesson. It’s like a short recovery before a harder decision must be made.
3. Second drought (Proposed famine – 2 Samuel 24:13). Now, the leader (David) is given a choice: “Do you want to face another 3 years of famine?”
   This famine hasn’t happened yet — it’s one of three judgment options.

It’s like a country recovering from three years of recession, has one year of slow recovery, and then is told:

“Choose: Another three years of economic crash, or some other harsh judgment.”

The famine in 2 Samuel 24:13 is not repeating the earlier one in 2 Samuel 21. Instead, it’s an additional judgment, and when combined with the historical timeline, the seven years make perfect sense when viewed cumulatively.

Period/Event	Duration	Reference
Previous famine (in Saul’s time)	3 years	2 Samuel 21:1
Census campaign duration	~1 year (9 months + 20 days)	2 Samuel 24:8
Proposed new famine punishment	3 years	2 Samuel 24:13
Total Possible Famine Duration	7 years	Synthesized deduction

This helps show there’s no contradiction, just a timeline of events and proposed consequences unfolding across distinct years and this view aligns with the Law of Non-Contradiction:

“A contradiction occurs only when two statements assert opposing claims about the same subject, in the same sense, at the same time.”
— Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, p. 118.

But here:

a. The 3 years in 2 Samuel 21 and the 3 years in 2 Samuel 24 are not the same event,

b. They are separated by time, and

c. They refer to different causes and purposes, so:

N-O – B-I-B-L-E – C-O-N-T-R-A-D-I-C-T-I-O-N

Biblical Inerrancy Upheld

This resolution aligns with biblical inerrancy, which holds that Scripture is without error in all it affirms (Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, Article XIII, 1978). The differing numbers, seven years in 2 Samuel 24:13 (Gad’s cumulative statement) and three years in 1 Chronicles 21:12 (Lord’s additional offer), reflect different speakers and scopes, not contradiction. The Law of Non-Contradiction confirms this, as the texts do not assert mutually exclusive claims.

Gleason L. Archer states,

“Numerical differences often arise from contextual or redactional differences”
(Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, Zondervan, 1982, p. 217).

R.C. Sproul adds,

“Apparent difficulties in Scripture often resolve when we recognize its multifaceted portrayal of historical events”
(Sproul, Knowing Scripture, IVP Books, 2003, p. 34).

Conclusion

The alleged contradiction between 2 Samuel 24:13 and 1 Chronicles 21:12 is resolved by recognizing that the “three years’ famine” (1 Chron. 21:12, Lord’s offer) is additional, while the “seven years of famine” (2 Sam. 24:13, Gad’s statement) includes four prior years (three years from 2 Sam. 21:1 plus one year during the census, 2 Sam. 24:8) plus the three additional years. The texts differ in speaker (Lord vs. Gad) and scope (additional vs. cumulative), with Gad’s reframing emphasizing severity. The Law of Non-Contradiction confirms the texts are complementary, not contradictory. David’s prideful census (2 Sam. 24:10) underscores God’s judgment, not textual errors. Join us as we continue our series, equipping you to defend the Bible’s reliability, as Peter urges: “always being ready to make a defense” (1 Pet. 3:15, KJV).

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