Text -- 1 Kings 21:23-29 (NET)

21:23 The Lord says this about Jezebel, ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the outer wall of Jezreel.’ 21:24 As for Ahab’s family, dogs will eat the ones who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.” 21:25 (There had never been anyone like Ahab, who was firmly committed to doing evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel. 21:26 He was so wicked he worshiped the disgusting idols, just like the Amorites whom the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.) 21:27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He slept in sackcloth and walked around dejected. 21:28 The Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, 21:29 “Have you noticed how Ahab shows remorse before me? Because he shows remorse before me, I will not bring disaster on his dynasty during his lifetime, but during the reign of his son.”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 1Ki 21:23

¹ tc A few Hebrew mss and some ancient versions agree with 2 Kgs 9:10, 36, which reads, “the plot [of ground] at Jezreel.” The Hebrew words translated “outer wall” (חֵל, khel, defectively written here!) and “plot [of ground]” (חֵלֶק, kheleq) are spelled similarly.

NET Notes: 1Ki 21:24

¹ tn “Dogs will eat the ones who belonging to Ahab who die in the city.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 21:25

¹ tn Heb “who sold himself.”

² tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

³ tn Heb “like Ahab…whom his wife Jezebel incited.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 21:26

¹ tn The Hebrew word used here, גִלּוּלִים (gillulim) is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” (cf. KBL 183 s.v. גִלּוּלִים). It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless things”) and הֲבָלִים (havalim, “vanities” or “empty winds”).

² tn Heb “He acted very abominably by walking after the disgusting idols, according to all which the Amorites had done.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 21:28

¹ tn Heb “the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite.”

NET Notes: 1Ki 21:29

¹ tn Or “humbles himself.” The expression occurs a second time later in this verse.

² tn Heb “I will not bring the disaster during his days, [but] in the days of his son I will bring the disaster on his house.”