A common misinterpretation views the 'high place at Gibeon' as an illegitimate or pagan site due to the term 'high place' often associated with idolatry elsewhere in Scripture, leading some to wrongly conclude David's sacrifice on Araunah's threshing floor was unauthorized or presumptuous rather than divinely ordained; in reality, Gibeon housed the legitimate tabernacle of Moses at that time, and David's action marked God's chosen shift to Jerusalem as the central sanctuary, highlighting a transitional period in Israel's worship practices rather than any deviance from God's law.
I Chronicles 21:29
King James Version (1769)
29 For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon.
This verse clarifies the historical context during King David's time, noting that the Mosaic tabernacle and altar of burnt offering were then situated at the high place in Gibeon, the designated place for worship since Solomon later built the temple there before its move to Jerusalem. It underscores why David, halted by the angel of destruction from traveling to Gibeon amid the plague, instead offered sacrifices on Araunah's threshing floor in Jerusalem, which God accepted, foreshadowing the permanent temple site on Mount Moriah and emphasizing divine sovereignty in directing worship locations.