1 Kings chapter 21

Ahab covets a vineyard. Jezebel has Naboth murdered. Elijah prophecies against Ahab. Ahab repents.

 


 

AHAB COVETS A VINEYARD

 

VERSE 1. After these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

next to the palace. Naboth’s property adjoined the king’s palace.

 

VERSE 2. Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near my house; and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.”

 

VERSE 3. Naboth said to Ahab, “May the LORD forbid me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!”

May the LORD forbid me. In obedience to the Law of Moses, Naboth refuses to sell his paternal inheritance.

 

VERSE 4. Ahab came into his house sullen and angry because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He laid himself down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

sullen and angry. Ahab behaves in a childish manner. He lay on his bed sulking. He even refused to eat.

In the Book of Kings, the leaders exhibit narcissistic behaviors. They demand subservience. They commit idolatry and murder. They disobey sexual laws. Read more »

 

VERSE 5. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sad that you eat no bread?”

 

VERSE 6. He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ He answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ”

 

JEZEBEL HAS NABOTH MURDERED

 

VERSE 7. Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

Do you now govern the kingdom. Jezebel thinks the king should be able to take anything from anyone.

 

VERSE 8. So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, who lived with Naboth.

she wrote letters in Ahab’s name. This is fraud.

sealed them with his seal. This is treason.

 

VERSE 9. She wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.

 

VERSE 10. Set two men, wicked fellows, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king!’ Then carry him out, and stone him to death.”

two men, wicked fellows. Jezebel arranges to have two scoundrels accuse Naboth of cursing the LORD GOd.

stone him to death. Jezebel wants Naboth to be stoned to death.

Cursing the LORD God was a crime punishable by stoning:

Leviticus 24:16. He who blasphemes the LORD’s name, he shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him. The foreigner as well as the native-born shall be put to death when he blasphemes the Name.

 

VERSE 11. The men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had instructed them in the letters which she had written and sent to them.

 

VERSE 12. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.

 

VERSE 13. The two men, the wicked fellows, came in and sat before him. The wicked fellows testified against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” Then they carried him out of the city and stoned him to death with stones.

 

VERSE 14. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”

 

VERSE 15. When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”

 

VERSE 16. When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

Ahab heard that Naboth was dead. Ahab does not lament the death of his neighbor. Instead, he gets out of bed and takes possession of the vineyard.

 

ELIJAH PROPECIES AGAINST AHAB

 

VERSE 17. The LORD’s word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

Elijah the Tishbite. The LORD God selects Elijah to deliver a message of judgment to Ahab.

 

VERSE 18. “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwells in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it.

he is in the vineyard of Naboth. The LORD God reveals the location of Ahab to Elijah.

 

VERSE 19. You shall speak to him, saying, ‘The LORD says, “Have you killed and also taken possession?” ’ You shall speak to him, saying, ‘The LORD says, “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick your blood, even yours.” ’ ”

the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth. That was in Jezreel.

 

VERSE 20. Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do that which is evil in the LORD’s sight.

Have you found me, my enemy? Ahab sees the Man of God as his enemy. But the enemy of Israel is Ahab himself.

In the Book of Kings, the leaders exhibit narcissistic behaviors. They demand subservience. They commit idolatry and murder. They disobey sexual laws. Read more »

you have sold yourself. The king sacrificed his principles to get whatever he wanted, including a comparatively worthless vineyard.

 

VERSE 21. Behold, I will bring evil on you, and will utterly sweep you away and will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates against a wall, and him who is shut up and him who is left at large in Israel.

I will bring evil on you. The LORD God will bring disaster on Ahab personally.

cut off from Ahab. The LORD God will exterminate Ahab’s descendants.

everyone who urinates against a wall. The King James Version says “one that pisseth against a wall.” It means “males.”

 

VERSE 22. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation with which you have provoked me to anger, and have made Israel to sin.”

 

VERSE 23. The LORD also spoke of Jezebel, saying, “The dogs will eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel.

The dogs will eat Jezebel. In those days, in cities such as Jezebel, wild dogs ate garbage.

In her death, Jezebel will be eaten as garbage.

 

VERSE 24. The dogs will eat he who dies of Ahab in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat he who dies in the field.”

 

VERSE 25. But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

there was no one like Ahab. Ahab was uniquely corrupt.

In the Book of Kings, the leaders exhibit narcissistic behaviors. They demand subservience. They commit idolatry and murder. They disobey sexual laws. Read more »

 

VERSE 26. He did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

He did very abominably. Ahab behaved in the vilest manner.

 

AHAB REPENTS

 

VERSE 27. When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went about despondently.

 

VERSE 28. The LORD’s word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

 

VERSE 29. “See how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but I will bring the evil on his house in his son’s day.”

 


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1 KINGS

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22

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Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.