Plagues in Ancient Israel

What are the causes of plagues?  The ancient Hebrews, like the Greeks, had their accounts.  The answers might surprise you.  For example, the LORD afflicted the house of Pharaoh because Pharaoh desired to take Sara as his wife (Gen 12:17-20), or when the LORD sent ten plagues upon Egypt in part because Pharaoh would not let Israel go and worship (Ex 7:14-11:10).  There also is the account when David was incited to take a census of the people of Israel that resulted in the LORD sending a plague on Israel (2 Sam 24:15; 1 Chron 21:1-17).  After David had realized that he had sinned, he is presented with three options: 1) three years of famine; 2) three months of war; or 3) three days of pestilence.  David decides to trust the LORD, because of his great mercy, rather than going to war and falling into human hands.  So the LORD sent a plague on Israel and 70,000 died.  As the disaster approached Jerusalem, the LORD held back his hand near the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.  Soon after, David purchased the threshing floor from Ornan, built an altar to the LORD, and offered up whole burnt offerings (עֹל֖וֹת) and peace-offerings (שְׁלָמִ֑ים).  David then called upon the LORD, who answered from heaven with fire.  The plagues ceased. This location would become the future site of the Jerusalem temple on Mount Moriah built by Solomon (2 Chron 3:1), the Second Jewish Temple, and the present-day Temple Mount in Jerusalem.