שמואל ב, פרק כ״ד, פסוק ט״ו

A sudden and heavy punishment strikes the nation, exacting a massive death toll from one end of the land to the other. The central focus of this tragedy is the exact duration of the plague and the profound gap between God's original decree and its actual execution. The devastation begins in the morning, immediately after David chooses the plague as his punishment and receives the prophecy from Gad the Seer [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל].

While there is a designated end time, commentators debate exactly how long the destruction lasts. One approach suggests the plague continues for a full twenty-four hours, ending at the exact same hour the following morning [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל], or perhaps concluding at the end of that first day [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another perspective maintains that the plague runs its full course, lasting the entire three days originally declared by the prophet [אברבנאל].

The primary approach among commentators, however, is that God has mercy on the nation and significantly shortens the original three-day decree. Opinions vary on just how much the time is reduced. Some suggest the plague stops at midday [רד״ק, מלבי״ם], while others believe it lasts only from dawn until sunrise [רד״ק, אברבנאל]. The most restrictive view argues that the disaster occupies only a tiny fraction of time, lasting just long enough to slaughter the daily morning sacrifice, bring it to the altar, and sprinkle its blood [רש״י, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל].

This dramatic reduction in time is credited to the merits of the Israelites. The spiritual weight of the Torah, the Sabbath, the covenant of circumcision, and the legacy of the Patriarchs stand in their defense, canceling out the many hours of decreed punishment until only a single hour remains [רד״ק].

This shortened timeframe carries profound existential weight. If seventy thousand people die in merely a single hour, a full three-day plague would have resulted in the total annihilation of millions, including women and children. Alternatively, if the plague lasts for six hours until midday, the death rate projected over three days would total roughly eight hundred and forty thousand people. This figure aligns almost perfectly with the number of Israelites counted in Joab's recent census [מלבי״ם].

The victims of this plague do not die at random. They are specifically the individuals who had previously sinned by participating in the rebellion of Sheba the son of Bichri. Ultimately, the fact that the original prophecy of a three-day plague is not completely fulfilled presents no contradiction. Instead, it reveals that God relents from the destruction in response to David's prayer, much like He canceled the decree against the city of Nineveh when its people repented [אברבנאל].