After counting the people without requiring the necessary ransom, King David faces a profound consequence [מצודת דוד]. Through the prophet Gad, God presents the king with a choice between three severe national trials, each varying in length and nature. The options range from a prolonged famine to military defeat, or a brief but devastating plague.
The first option is three years of famine. A parallel account in the Book of Samuel mentions seven years of famine, prompting various explanations to bridge the gap. The primary approach among commentators [רד"ק] is that the prophet indeed offered only three years. The seven years mentioned elsewhere account for three years of famine that had already occurred earlier in David's reign, the three years currently being proposed, and a final seventh year during which the land would still struggle to yield produce until the new harvest. Another perspective [מלבי"ם] suggests that the punishment was necessarily capped at three years because David was approaching the end of his life, and his son Solomon had been promised an era of complete peace. Alternatively, some [רלב"ג] view the discrepancy as a reflection of two distinct historical recording traditions from that era.
The second option is a crushing military defeat characterized by widespread destruction and loss of life [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. While other accounts describe merely fleeing from an enemy, this choice emphasizes that the enemy's sword would actively overtake the people. The pursuing forces would not just chase them but would successfully achieve their lethal aim, claiming many victims even if the nation did not suffer an absolute collapse [מלבי"ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
The final option is three days of severe, contagious disease [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This would not be a natural outbreak but a supernatural, highly concentrated strike. It would be managed through God's direct providence and carried out by a destroying angel [מצודת דוד, מלבי"ם]. After laying out these heavy burdens, the prophet urges David to reflect deeply, understand the gravity of the situation in his heart, and make his choice [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The king must decide what answer the prophet should carry back to God, who sent him [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].