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Texts -- 1 Kings 21:1-23 (NET)

Context
Ahab Murders Naboth
21:1 After this the following episode took place . Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel adjacent to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria . 21:2 Ahab said to Naboth , “Give me your vineyard so I can make a vegetable garden out of it, for it is adjacent to my palace . I will give you an even better vineyard in its place , or if you prefer , I will pay you silver for it .” 21:3 But Naboth replied to Ahab , “The Lord forbid that I should sell you my ancestral inheritance .” 21:4 So Ahab went into his palace , bitter and angry that Naboth the Jezreelite had said , “I will not sell to you my ancestral inheritance .” He lay down on his bed , pouted , and would not eat . 21:5 Then his wife Jezebel came in and said to him, “Why do you have a bitter attitude and refuse to eat ?” 21:6 He answered her , “While I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite , I said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard for silver , or if you prefer , I will give you another vineyard in its place .’ But he said , ‘I will not sell you my vineyard .’” 21:7 His wife Jezebel said to him, “You are the king of Israel ! Get up , eat some food , and have a good time . I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.” 21:8 She wrote out orders, signed Ahab’s name to them, and sealed them with his seal . She then sent the orders to the leaders and to the nobles who lived in Naboth’s city . 21:9 This is what she wrote : “Observe a time of fasting and seat Naboth in front of the people . 21:10 Also seat two villains opposite him and have them testify , ‘You cursed God and the king .’ Then take him out and stone him to death .” 21:11 The men of the city , the leaders and the nobles who lived there, followed the written orders Jezebel had sent them. 21:12 They observed a time of fasting and put Naboth in front of the people . 21:13 The two villains arrived and sat opposite him. Then the villains testified against Naboth right before the people , saying , “Naboth cursed God and the king .” So they dragged him outside the city and stoned him to death . 21:14 Then they reported to Jezebel , “Naboth has been stoned to death .” 21:15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death , she said to Ahab , “Get up , take possession of the vineyard Naboth the Jezreelite refused to sell you for silver , for Naboth is no longer alive ; he’s dead .” 21:16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead , he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite . 21:17 The Lord told Elijah the Tishbite : 21:18 “Get up , go down and meet King Ahab of Israel who lives in Samaria . He is at the vineyard of Naboth ; he has gone down there to take possession of it. 21:19 Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says : “Haven’t you committed murder and taken possession of the property of the deceased?”’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says : “In the spot where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood they will also lick up your blood – yes, yours!”’” 21:20 When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, “So, you have found me, my enemy !” Elijah replied , “I have found you, because you are committed to doing evil in the sight of the Lord . 21:21 The Lord says, ‘Look , I am ready to bring disaster on you. I will destroy you and cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel , including even the weak and incapacitated . 21:22 I will make your dynasty like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah because you angered me and made Israel sin .’ 21:23 The Lord says this about Jezebel , ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the outer wall of Jezreel .’

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Writing

    [ebd] The art of writing must have been known in the time of the early Pharaohs. Moses is commanded "to write for a memorial in a book" (Ex. 17:14) a record of the attack of Amalek. Frequent mention is afterwards made of writing (...

  • Women

    [nave] WOMEN Creation of, Gen. 1:27; 2:21, 22. Named, Gen. 2:23. Fall of, and curse upon, Gen. 3:1-16; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14. Promise to, Gen. 3:15. Had separate apartments in dwellings, Gen. 24:67; 31:33; Esth. 2:9, 11. Ve...

  • Witness

    [ebd] More than one witness was required in criminal cases (Deut. 17:6; 19:15). They were the first to execute the sentence on the condemned (Deut. 13:9; 17:7; 1 Kings 21:13; Matt. 27:1; Acts 7:57, 58). False witnesses were liable...

  • Wife

    [nave] WIFE Called Desire of the Eyes, Ezek. 24:16. Help, Gen. 2:18, 20. Fruitful Vine, Psa. 128:3. The judgment denounced against Eve, Gen. 3:16. Relation of, to husband, Gen. 2:18, 23, 24; 1 Cor. 11:3-12. Domestic duties of,...

  • Rulers

    [nave] RULERS Appointed and removed by God. See: Government, God in. Chastised, Dan. 4. See: Nation. Monarchical, See: Kings. Patriarchal, Gen. 27:29, 37. Instances of Nimrod, Gen. 10:8-10. Abraham, Gen. 14:13-24; 17:6; 21:2...

  • PUNISHMENTS

    [isbe] PUNISHMENTS - pun'-ish-ments ('awon, "fault," "iniquity," "punishment for iniquity," "sin" (Gen 4:13; Lev 26:41; Job 19:29; Ps 149:7; Lam 4:22; Ezek 14:10 margin; Am 1:3,6,9,11,13; 2:1,4,6), `onesh, "tribute," "fine," "punis...

  • Naboth

    [ebd] fruits, "the Jezreelite," was the owner of a portion of ground on the eastern slope of the hill of Jezreel (2 Kings 9:25, 26). This small "plat of ground" seems to have been all he possessed. It was a vineyard, and lay "hard...
    [isbe] NABOTH - na'-both, na'-both (nabhoth, from nubh, "a sprout"; Nabouthai): The owner of a vineyard contiguous to the palace of King Ahab. The king desired, by purchase or exchange, to add the vineyard to his own grounds. Nabot...
    [smith] (fruits), the victim of Ahab and Jezebel, was the owner of a small vineyard at Jezreel, close to the royal palace of Shab. (1 Kings 21:1,2) (B.C. 897.) It thus became an object of desire to the king, who offered an equival...
    [nave] NABOTH, a Jezreelite. His vineyard forcibly taken by Ahab; stoned at the instigation of Jezebel, 1 Kin. 21:1-19. His murder avenged, 2 Kin. 9:21-36.

  • LAW OF MOSES

    [smith] It will be the object of this article to give a brief analysis of the substance of this law, to point out its main principles, and to explain the position which it occupies in the progress of divine revelation. In order to do...

  • King

    [nave] KING Called King of kings, Ezra 7:12; Ezek. 26:7; Dan. 2:37. Divinely authorized, Deut. 17:15; 1 Sam. 9:16, 17; 16:12; 1 Chr. 22:10; 2 Chr. 2:11, 12; Prov. 8:15; Dan. 2:21, 37; 4:17; 5:20; Hos. 8:4; 13:11. How chosen: By d...

  • Jezreel, Portion of

    [ebd] the field adjoining the city (2 Kings 9:10, 21, 36, 37). Here Naboth was stoned to death (1 Kings 21:13).

  • Jezreel, Ditch of

    [ebd] (1 Kings 21:23; comp. 13), the fortification surrounding the city, outside of which Naboth was executed.

  • Indictments

    [nave] INDICTMENTS. Instances of Naboth on charge of blasphemy, 1 Kin. 21:13, with vs. 1-16. Jeremiah of treasonable prophecy, but of which he was acquitted, Jer. 26:1-24; a second indictment, Jer. 37:13-15. Three Hebrew captive...

  • Homicide

    [nave] HOMICIDE. Accidental Ex. 21:13, 28-32; Num. 35:11-15, 22-28, 32 Deut. 4:41-43; 19:1-10. Josh. 20:1-9 Felonious or Murder: Gen. 4:9-11 v. 12.; Gen. 9:5, 6; Gen. 49:7; Ex. 20:13 Deut. 5:17; Rom. 13:9. Ex. 21:29-32; Num. 35...

  • Greed

    [nave] GREED. Ex. 18:21; Ex. 20:17 Deut. 5:21. Neh. 5:7; Job 20:15; Job 31:24, 25, 28; Psa. 10:3; Psa. 119:36; Prov. 1:19; Prov. 11:24, 26; Prov. 15:27; Prov. 21:25, 26; Prov. 22:16; Prov. 23:4, 5; Prov. 30:8, 9; Eccl. 1:8 vs. 2-8...

  • Gate

    [ebd] (1.) Of cities, as of Jerusalem (Jer. 37:13; Neh. 1:3; 2:3; 3:3), of Sodom (Gen. 19:1), of Gaza (Judg. 16:3). (2.) Of royal palaces (Neh. 2:8). (3.) Of the temple of Solomon (1 Kings 6:34, 35; 2 Kings 18:16); of the holy pla...

  • Gardens

    [ebd] mentioned in Scripture, of Eden (Gen. 2:8, 9); Ahab's garden of herbs (1 Kings 21:2); the royal garden (2 Kings 21:18); the royal garden at Susa (Esther 1:5); the garden of Joseph of Arimathea (John 19:41); of Gethsemane (Jo...

  • Fast

    [ebd] The sole fast required by the law of Moses was that of the great Day of Atonement (q.v.), Lev. 23:26-32. It is called "the fast" (Acts 27:9). The only other mention of a periodical fast in the Old Testament is in Zech. 7:1-7...

  • EPISTLE

    [isbe] EPISTLE - e-pis'-'-l (epistole, "a letter," "epistle"; from epistello, "to send to"): 1. New Testament Epistles 2. Distinctive Characteristics 3. Letter-Writing in Antiquity 4. Letters in the Old Testament 5. Letters in the ...

  • Dishonesty

    [nave] DISHONESTY. Lev. 6:2-7; Lev. 19:13, 35, 36; Deut. 25:13, 15, 16; Job 24:2-11; Psa. 37:21; Psa. 50:18; Psa. 62:10; Prov. 3:27, 28; Prov. 11:1; Prov. 20:10, 14, 17, 23; Isa. 32:7; Jer. 7:8-10; Jer. 9:4-6, 8; Jer. 22:13; Ezek....

  • Ahab

    [ebd] father's brother. (1.) The son of Omri, whom he succeeded as the seventh king of Israel. His history is recorded in 1 Kings 16-22. His wife was Jezebel (q.v.), who exercised a very evil influence over him. To the calf-worshi...
    [isbe] AHAB - a'-hab ('ach'abh, Assyrian a-cha-ab-bu; Septuagint Achaab, but Jer 29:21 f, Achiab, which, in analogy with '-h-y-m-l-k, (')-h-y-'-l, etc., indicates an original 'achi'abh, meaning "the father is my brother"): The comp...
    [smith] (uncle). Son of Omri, seventh king of Israel, reigned B.C. 919-896. He married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal king of Tyre; and in obedience to her wishes, caused temple to be built to Baal in Samaria itself; and an oracular g...
    [nave] AHAB 1. King of Israel, 1 Kin. 16:29. Marries Jezebel, 1 Kin. 16:31. Idolatry of, 1 Kin. 16:30-33; 18:18, 19; 21:25, 26; other wickedness of, 2 Kin. 3:2; 2 Chr. 21:6; 22:3, 4; Mic. 6:16. Reproved by Elijah; assembles the ...

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • This section appeals for justice toward all people. The subject of the legislation now shifts from love for all to justice for all. The Israelites should treat all people justly, not only the rich but also the poor (v. 3), th...
  • The previous pericope alluded to the need for witnesses, and this one explains their role. A common cause of hostility between individuals that sometimes led to homicide was a failure to agree on common boundaries and to resp...
  • The fact that this book opens and closes with death should be a clue as to its message.It opens with David's death, and it closes with Ahab's death. The intervening period of about a century and a half is a story of national ...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • Even though Jezebel was behind the murder of Naboth, God held her husband Ahab responsible (v. 19). Jezebel's evil influence over her husband stands out in this story.221Ahab was willing to murder a godly Israelite to obtain ...
  • Again God told Elijah to "go"(v. 18; cf. 17:3, 9; 18:1; 19:15). As a faithful servant, he went to confront the king again.226Ahab was not in Samaria then (v. 18) but in Jezreel (v. 19). The mention of Samaria was evidently an...
  • Another significant battle occurred between the battle of Ramoth-gilead that the writer recorded in chapter 22 (853 B.C.) and the battles he recorded in chapter 20. Ahab and his Aramean ally Ben-Hadad II (860-841 B.C.) defeat...
  • Aram's cessation of hostilities resumed after some time (v. 24; cf. v. 23), perhaps between 845 and 841 B.C.43The famine in Samaria resulted from the siege that was a punishment from the Lord for Israel's apostasy (cf. Lev. 2...
  • Several details in this incident hinge on timing that God supernaturally controlled to bring blessing on the woman as God had promised. God directed her away from the famine before it came on Israel for the nation's apostasy ...
  • God had told Elijah that he would anoint Jehu (1 Kings 19:16).55He did this through his successor Elisha who accomplished it by using one of his protégés (v. 1). Jehu would wipe out Omri's dynasty in Israel (v. 7-10...
  • Israel had evidently retaken Ramoth-gilead after Ben-Hadad I had defeated Ahab there 12 years earlier. Israel was now defending it against the attacking Arameans (v. 14). The horsemen and Joram who asked Jehu, "Is it peace?"w...
  • Jezebel evidently painted her eyes and adorned her head (v. 30) to receive Jehu. Unwittingly, or perhaps deliberately,59she prepared herself for her own death. At least one interpreter believed she was trying to seduce Jehu.6...
  • 38:1 The phrase "In those days"identifies the reign of Hezekiah, the Judean king mentioned in the preceding chapters. Since the Lord added 15 years to Hezekiah's life (v. 5), and since Hezekiah died about 686 B.C.,373the time...
  • Israel deserved judgment, and this pericope shows why. Jeremiah presented a series of pictures of the nation's irresponsibility and corruption.2:29 The Lord wanted to know why His people were angry with Him. The difficulties ...
  • "Jehoiakim was condemned by Jeremiah more severely than any other king. He seems to have been a typical Oriental despot who rejected Josiah's reforms."30722:13-14 Jeremiah called down woe on the person who advanced his own in...
  • 43:6 The prophet heard someone speaking to him from the temple, and there was a man, probably Ezekiel's guide, standing beside him (cf. 1:16).43:7-8 The one speaking from the temple, undoubtedly the Lord, told Ezekiel that th...
  • 46:16-17 The prince could give a gift to any of his sons out of his own inheritance from the Lord. This gift was theirs forever. However, if he gave such a gift to one of his servants, it would revert back to him on the year ...
  • Amos' announcement of Israel's coming judgment came in three waves (vv. 11, 12, and 13-15).3:11 Sovereign Yahweh announced that an enemy that would surround the land of Israel would destroy and loot its impressive fortresses....
  • "It is in 2:1-5 that the prophet establishes the basis for the national crisis and the future collapse of the nation. It was not the imperialism of Assyria or the fortunes of blind destiny that brought the house of Israel to ...
  • 6:13 Because of these sins the Lord promised to make His people sick, downtrodden, and desolate.6:14 They would continue to eat, but their food would not bring them satisfaction (cf. Lev. 26:26). Their excessive accumulation ...
  • 2:20 The Lord gave Haggai a second message on the same day as the previous message (v. 10), the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month (Kislev 24, December 18).2:21 Haggai was to tell Zerubbabel that Yahweh was going to shake t...
  • Matthew's emphasis in his account of Jesus' crucifixion was on the mocking of the onlookers.27:32 Jesus was able to carry the crosspiece of His cross until He passed through the city gate (cf. Mark 15:21 John 19:17). Normally...
  • The theme of discipleship training continues in this section of verses. The 70 disciples that Jesus sent out contrast with the three men Luke just finished presenting (9:57-62). This was a second mission on which Jesus sent a...
  • 4:2 The ultimate end of lust, desire that a person may or may not satisfy, is murder. We can see this through human history all the way from Cain down to the present (cf. the case of Naboth; 1 Kings 21). James was probably no...
  • 11:7 It is only when they have finished their ministry that God will permit the beast to kill the two witnesses. They will not die prematurely. This is the first of 36 references to "the beast"in Revelation (cf. Dan. 7:21). H...
  • 17:15 The angel next helped John understand the identity of the waters (v. 1). Water is a common symbol for people in the Old Testament (e.g., Ps. 18:4, 16; 124:4; Isa. 8:7; Jer. 47:2). The harlot exercises a controlling infl...
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