Why does it say both "Mispar" and "Mifkad"?
Rashi (from Pesikta Rabsi 11 #1): Yo'av made two census documents - one large and one small. I will show to him the small, and if he is angry, I will show to him the big 1 .
Pesikta Rabsi 11 #2: When Yo'av went to count, he sent to someone with five children 'go hide, and count as many as you want to count.' Yo'av wrote what the man said 2 . Torah ha'Temimah - this implies that even an imprecise count can bring Divine anger, and that even writing (without saying) the count is forbidden, like Teshuvas Kesav Sofer YD 106 citing his father (the Chasam Sofer).
Radak: The matter is doubled, to strengthen it. Both "Mispar" and "Mifkad" are Samuch [to "ha'Am"], like "Mivchar v'Tuv 3 ha'Levanon" (Yechezkel 31:16) and "Naharei Nachalei Devash v'Chem'ah" (Iyov 20:17).
If the Isur is due to Ayin ha'Ra, a bigger count is worse. If it is due to inhibiting increase via hidden miracles, a smaller count is worse (refer to 24:1:3:3)! (PF)
Mifkad implies lacking - "v'Lo Nifkad Mimenu Ish" (Bamidbar 31:49). (PF)
How can we bring a support that two words are Samuch from there, where the latter Samuch has the prefix Vov? (PF)
Why does it say "va'Tehi" (feminine)?
Rashi: The strength of Yisrael weakened, like a female.
Radak: This refers to Adas Yisrael. Similarly, (8:2) "va'Tehi Mo'av l'David Avadim" (refers to Adas Mo'av).
Why does it say here that there were 800,000 in Yisrael, and in Divrei ha'Yamim I, 21:5 it says 1,100,000?
Rashi citing Pesikta Rabsi 11: It says in Divrei ha'Yamim I, 21:6 that Levi and Binyamin were not counted with the rest 1 . Yo'av could say that Levi are different (they are counted from one month), and Binyamin were already diminished 2 via Pilegesh b'Giv'ah 3 .
Rashi citing 32 Midos of R. Eliezer Bno Shel R. Yosi ha'Gelili, Midah 15: Here there was no need to count the men who normally served David, 24,000 for each of 12 months (Divrei ha'Yamim I, 27:2-15), 288,000 in all. There were also 12,000 4 Nesi'im of Yisrael 5 [excluded here].
Radak: This is difficult. That verse is written where the census is bigger (includes Levi and Binyan)! Also, it does not explain the difference in the counts of Yehudah (refer to 24:9:5:1-3)! Malbim - in Divrei ha'Yamim, Ezra explained that the count in Sefer Shmuel excluded Levi and Binyamin; Ezra gave the total number.
Presumably, this means that there are few, and David need not be adamant if they are not included. However, this answer holds that there were 300,000 in Levi and Binyamin together, and Levi was the smallest Shevet. Also, at most 77 years later (15 years into Asa's reign), he had 280,000 soldiers from Binyamin (Divrei ha'Yamim 2 14:7, 2:15:10,11. Perhaps the 280,000 included men from other tribes who had come to live in Binyamin.) If Yo'av meant that they should not be decreased further via the census, would David agree? He would not command a census if he thought that it will diminish any Shevet! Perhaps Yo'av meant that Binyamin is exceptionally prone to be decreased. (PF)
Only 600 men remained from Binyamin. Some say that Pilegesh b'Giv'ah was at the end of the Shoftim, shortly before Sha'ul's reign (refer to Shoftim 17:1:1:1-4 and the notes there).
Surely there were 1,000 from each Shevet. I do not know the source for this. (PF)
Radak: Also this does not explain the difference in the counts of Yehudah (refer to 24:9:5:1-3)! (Do not say that here it excludes those Bnei Yehudah who normally served David. All 288,000 were deducted from the count of Yisrael! It is a Chidush that all of those who served were from Yisrael, and not from Yehudah, especially since at least three of the 12 leaders [of 24,000 men] listed there were from Peretz and Zerach, i.e. from Yehudah)! - PF)
Why does it say here that there were 500,000 in Yehudah, and in Divrei ha'Yamim I, 21:5 it says 470,000?
Radak: Perhaps 30,000 of Yehudah died in the plague; in all, 70,000 died in the plague (verse 15). A large amount died from Yehudah, because the plague was due to David (of Yehudah), or because most if the sinners were from Yehudah.
Malbim: Many people from Levi and Binyamin lived in Yehudah, like is known. Yehudah 1 gave nine cities to Bnei Aharon. There were 30,000 such people; Yo'av counted them among Yehudah, for he did not count Levi and Binyamin by themselves (refer to 24:9:4:1). In Divrei ha'Yamim, these 30,000 are among the 300,000 of Levi and Binyamin that were included in the number of Yisrael.
Divrei ha'Yamim counts 470,000 wielding swords from Yehudah. Perhaps there were 30,000 who fight without swords, e.g. archers. (PF)
Shoftim 21:9-16 says that the nine cities were from Yehudah and Shimon together! Malbim (21:13) says that most of them were from Yehudah.
Did David count only men proper to fight?
Ramban (Bamidbar 1:2), Malbim (2): No. It says (Divrei ha'Yamim I, 27:23-24) that he did not count from 20 and above. I.e. he counted even children. Even though Divrei ha'Yamim I, 21:5 says that there were 1,100,000 men wielding swords, it means that they were healthy to fight. Only the sick were excluded.
The simple meaning of the verses implies 'yes'. Here it counts 800,000 men wielding swords from Yisrael, and 500,000 from Yehudah; Divrei ha'Yamim I, 21:5 counts 470,000 wielding swords from Yehudah. Clearly, there were more than 30,000 children in Yehudah! Rather, there were 30,000 proper to fight without swords, e.g. archers. Other Meforshim 1 explain Divrei ha'Yamim I, 27:23-24 to say that David counted only from 20 and above, unlike the simple meaning (although they explain that it refers to counting men to serve David. Only Ramban says that it is the same census discussed here and in Divrei ha'Yamim I, Perek 21. - PF)
Other than Ramban and Malbim. Malbim (2) explains, like the others, that Divrei ha'Yamim I, 27:23-24 refers to counting men to serve David. I.e. David wanted to count also below 20. It says that Yo'av began, i.e. to count also children, but did not finish; he finished counting only the adults. (PF)
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes that Yo'av made two documents. He intended to show the small, and if David is angry, he will show to him the big. How will Yo'av explain why he initially misled David?
Malbim: "Mifkad" is the Kolel (gives only the total number), and "Mispar" is detailed. If David would be satisfied with the former, there is no sin in this. 1 David was not satisfied, and demanded also Mispar, which explains the Mifkad.
Perhaps initially he will show only the count of the adults. If David is angry, he will show the count including the children. Refer to 24:1:3:2. (PF)
Why does it matter whether or not David demands the latter? Yo'av already made and wrote the detailed calculation! (PF)
