Original Word: אָרְנָן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Ornan
Pronunciation: or-NAHN
Phonetic Spelling: (or-nawn')
KJV: Ornan See H0728
NASB: Ornan
Word Origin: [probably from H766 (אוֹרֶן - fir)]

1. strong
2. Ornan, a Jebusite

Ornan

Probably from 'oren; strong; Ornan, a Jebusite -- Ornan. See 'Aravnah.

see HEBREW 'oren

see HEBREW 'Aravnah

Word Origin
from the same as Aran
Definition
a Jebusite
NASB Translation
Ornan (12).

אָרְנָן proper name, masculine a Jebusite, whose threshing-floor was bought by David to erect an altar 1 Chronicles 21:15,18,20 (twice in verse); 1 Chronicles 21:21 (twice in verse); 1 Chronicles 21:22,23,24,25,28, & according to 2Chronicles 3:1 became site of temple; called אֲרַוְנָה 2 Samuel 24:16f. q. v.

Historical Background

Ornan the Jebusite appears exclusively in the Chronicler’s account, corresponding to “Araunah” in Samuel. He is the proprietor of a threshing floor on Mount Moriah, just north of the City of David, during the reign of King David. Although a non-Israelite by ethnicity, Ornan lives peaceably within Israelite Jerusalem after its conquest (2 Samuel 5:6–9) and conducts his agricultural work on the heights that once belonged to the Jebusites.

Narrative Context (1 Chronicles 21)

David’s illicit census provokes divine judgment in the form of a plague. As “the angel of the LORD was standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite” (1 Chronicles 21:15), David is instructed by the prophet Gad: “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite” (21:18). The ensuing encounter dominates twelve verses in Chronicles, underscoring the floor’s theological weight.

Ornan’s Character and Actions

1. Spiritual perception: Ornan and his four sons see the angel (21:20), highlighting that divine revelation is not limited by ethnic boundaries.
2. Generous offer: “Take it for yourself… I give the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering—I give it all” (21:23). His willingness reflects a heart attuned to God’s purposes.
3. Submission to covenant order: Ornan allows David to assert royal and covenantal responsibility by paying the full price, thus maintaining the integrity of Israel’s worship.

David’s Purchase and the Price Question

David refuses the gift: “I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take for the LORD what is yours or offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (21:24). The Chronicler records 600 shekels of gold, whereas Samuel mentions 50 shekels of silver. The most natural reading is that Samuel cites the price of the oxen and sledges, while Chronicles gives the sum for the entire site—a distinction that reconciles both accounts and affirms Scriptural consistency.

Significance of the Threshing Floor

1. Altar of atonement: The plague is halted when David offers sacrifices there (21:26–27). The location becomes a tangible witness to substitutionary atonement: judgment is stayed through blood sacrifice.
2. Future Temple site: “Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite” (2 Chronicles 3:1). Thus the place of wrath and mercy becomes the permanent center of Israel’s worship.
3. Continuity with patriarchal history: Mount Moriah recalls Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22:2), uniting the faith of Abraham, Davidic kingship, and Temple worship in one geographical and theological thread.

Theological Implications

• Divine sovereignty and human responsibility intersect: God directs the plague and its cessation, yet requires David to act in obedience and to pay a price.
• Worship must be costly: David’s refusal of a gift underscores that authentic worship demands personal sacrifice.
• Inclusion of the nations: A Jebusite plays an essential role in Israel’s redemptive story, anticipating the gathering of the Gentiles into the people of God.

Typological Foreshadowing

Ornan’s threshing floor prefigures the cross: judgment poised over humanity is diverted when the rightful price is paid and an acceptable sacrifice offered. The site later houses the Temple where daily sacrifices anticipate the ultimate atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:1–14).

Legacy for Israel’s Worship

From David’s altar to Solomon’s Temple to post-exilic rebuilding, Mount Moriah remains the chosen place for God’s name. Every pilgrim entering the Temple courts would tread ground once owned by a generous Jebusite, a silent testimony to God’s grace and the necessity of obedient faith.

Practical Applications for Ministry

• Stewardship: Ornan’s open-handedness encourages believers to hold possessions loosely for God’s use.
• Responsible leadership: David models accountability by refusing shortcuts in sacrificial giving.
• Understanding sacred space: God often transforms ordinary locations—like an agricultural threshing floor—into holy ground through acts of repentance and worship.

אָרְנָ֑ן אָרְנָ֗ן אָרְנָ֣ן אָרְנָ֤ן אָרְנָ֥ן אָרְנָן֙ ארנן וְאָרְנָ֖ן וארנן לְאָרְנָ֔ן לְאָרְנָ֖ן לארנן ’ā·rə·nān ’ārənān areNan lə’ārənān lə·’ā·rə·nān leareNan veareNan wə’ārənān wə·’ā·rə·nānInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts