Matthew Poole and continuators on 2 Samuel 24:13

13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee, in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

Obj. In 1 Chron. 21. 12. it is onely three years of famine. Ans. 1. Some conceive, that here was an Error in the Transcriber, and that the true Reading is, three years, as the LXX read it in this place, being supposed to have found it so in their Copi[illegible: 1+ letters]s, and that otherwise they durst never have presumed to make so great a change in the Text. 2. In Chron. he speaks exactly of those years of Famine onely which came for David's Sin: but here he speaks more confusedly and comprehensively, including those Three years of Famine sent for Saul's Sin, Chap. 21. And this Sin of David's was Committed in the Year next after them, which was in a manner a year of Famine; either, because it was the Sabbatical Year, wherein they might not Sow, nor Reap: or rather, because not being able to Sow in the Third Yea[illegible: 1+ letters] ▪ because of the Excessive Drought, they were not capable of Reaping this Fourth Year. And Three Years more being added to these Four, make up the Seven here mentioned. So the meaning of the Words is this, As thou hast already had Four Years of Famine, shall Three years more come? And that it is said of these Seven Years, that they shall come, it is a Synecdochical Expression frequent in Scripture, because part of the years were yet to come. Even as it is said of the Israelites, that they should wander in the wilderness forty years, Numb. 14. 33. when part of that time was already spent.