שמואל ב, פרק כ״ד, פסוק ה׳

The controversial national census ordered by King David begins as the army commanders cross the Jordan River to the east. The journey's starting point serves as both a geographical record of the expedition and a reflection of the deep reluctance felt by Joab, the commander of the army, toward the entire mission.

The delegation establishes its first camp in the area of Aroer, settling just outside the city [רד״ק] toward the south [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The exact campsite is situated down in the valley [מצודת ציון]. The primary approach among commentators is that this valley falls within the territory of the tribe of Gad, and from there, the officials continue to Jazer, another city along the border. However, an alternative perspective suggests that the regional description does not refer to the tribe of Gad at all, but instead describes the physical state of the river in the valley, which is full and overflowing its banks [רד״ק].

The decision to begin the census in this specific location is highly calculated and reveals Joab's hidden agenda. The men of the tribe of Gad are known as fierce, unyielding warriors. Because Joab strongly opposes the king's command, he intentionally starts the count in their territory. He hopes that these tough fighters will rebel and attack him, which would delay or completely cancel the unwanted mission [רש״י].

Joab's deep disgust for the census remains with him throughout the journey and directly impacts the final outcome. His ongoing resistance later leads him to deliberately skip counting the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in an effort to minimize the final count. Furthermore, he prepares multiple, differing lists of the census results to present only partial data to David. This intentional manipulation explains the significant differences in the population numbers recorded in the Book of Samuel compared to the parallel account in the Book of Chronicles [אברבנאל].