And he built there an altar to the Lord: and he offered holocausts, and peace offerings, and he called upon the Lord, and he heard him by sending fire from heaven upon the altar of the holocaust.
וַיִּבֶן֩ שָׁ֨ם דָּוִ֤יד מִזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ לַיהוָ֔ה וַיַּ֥עַל עֹל֖וֹת וּשְׁלָמִ֑ים וַיִּקְרָא֙ אֶל־יְהוָ֔ה וַיַּֽעֲנֵ֤הוּ בָאֵשׁ֙ מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם עַ֖ל מִזְבַּ֥ח הָעֹלָֽה׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
The narrative illustrates that he was not judged for making this offering outside of the tabernacle. This is evident because the sacrifice was not consumed by human-made flames but by divine fire descending from above. David called out to the Lord, and the Lord responded by sending fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offerings.
David through the melodies of psalms, along with the other prophets through their divine messages, prepared for the Lord, the true embodiment of Solomon, a foundation for His dwelling. They instilled genuine faith in the hearts of their listeners, passionately encouraging them to welcome with love and reverence the Son of God who would come in the flesh. It is appropriate that this foundation would be located on the threshing floor of Ornah the Jebusite, as the Church is often referred to as a threshing floor. John speaks of the Lord, saying, ‘His shovel is in His hand, and He shall clear His threshing-floor, and gather His wheat into the barn’ (Matthew 3:12).
Ornah, whose name signifies enlightenment, was of Gentile origin, symbolizing that these same Gentiles would receive illumination from the Lord and be transformed into children of the Church, as the apostle affirms, ‘Ye were once darkness, but now are light in the Lord’ (Eph. 5:8). Jebus corresponds with Jerusalem; Jebus translates to ‘trampled upon,’ while Jerusalem means ‘vision of peace.’ During the reign of Ornah, the city bore the name Jebus; however, when David acquired the site for an altar and Solomon constructed a temple to the Lord there, it was renamed Jerusalem. While the Gentiles remained unaware of God's glory, they were indeed trampled upon and derided by unclean spirits, following lifeless idols that led them astray. Yet upon witnessing the grace of their Creator, they were able to find both a location and an identity fulfilled in the promise of the Lord: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God (Matt. 5:9). Thus, when Ornah ruled this city, it was referred to as Jebus; but when he sold his threshing floor along with the oxen and tools to King David, the city became known as Jerusalem. The Gentiles, remaining obstinate, were stripped of worth and looked down upon by the spirits of iniquity. However, once they learned to surrender all they had to the true King, they could no longer be subjected to the trampling of demons and vices, for they had uncovered their place in the divine realm, which they shared with their Creator.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS