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HaSatan

Question:

There are 27 instances of the word satan; in five distinct inflections, occuring in 23 verses of the Tenach. There is also the word sitnah which occurs as a noun in Bereshit 26:21 (as the name of a place) and in Ezra 4:6 and as a verb found six times in four inflections. Well here is my question, looking at Divrei Hayamim 21:1 and Samuel 24:1 and the meanings of the words I gave, could the verse of Divrei Hayamim then be translated as: There arose opposition for, regarding or because of Israel… ? OR should I understand it as follow: Because the anger of HaShem was kindled against Israël, it moved (triggered; yarat) David to act opposing (as a adversary; Satan) to G’ds will and take a census. Later he regrets this choice of listening to this inner voice that said: “Go, take a census of Yisrael and Yehudah”. Or should it be understand that the anger of HaShem caused the people to trigger David to count?

So to sum things up: who or what did rose up, and what was it that triggered David to take a census?

Answer:

Hashem incited David via the Satan (i.e the evil impulse) in retribution for a misstatement of his, also the Jews were worthy of punishment. Hashem merely put the idea into his head so that if he failed to withstand the test, the census would be the catalyst to punish the people for their own sin, whatever it was.

Sources:

Radak

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