1 Kings 21:1

Ahab Murders Naboth

21:1 After this the following episode took place. ¹  Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel adjacent to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. ² 

1 Kings 21:16

21:16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, ³  he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

1 Kings 21:4

21:4 So Ahab went into his palace, bitter and angry that Naboth the Jezreelite had said, ⁴  “I will not sell to you my ancestral inheritance.” ⁵  He lay down on his bed, pouted, ⁶  and would not eat.

1 Kings 21:6-7

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.’” ⁷  21:7 His wife Jezebel said to him, “You are the king of Israel! ⁸  Get up, eat some food, and have a good time. ⁹  I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”

1 Kings 21:15

21:15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she ¹⁰  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.”

¹ tn Heb “after these things.” The words “the following episode took place” are added for stylistic reasons.

² sn King Ahab of Samaria. Samaria, as the capital of the northern kingdom, here stands for the nation of Israel.

³ tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words here: “he tore his garments and put on sackcloth. After these things.”

⁵ tn Heb “on account of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite spoke to him.”

⁶ tn Heb “I will not give to you the inheritance of my fathers.”

⁷ tn Heb “turned away his face.”

⁷ tn Heb “While I was talking…, I said…, he said….” Ahab’s explanation is one lengthy sentence in the Hebrew text, which is divided in the English translation for stylistic reasons.

⁹ tn Heb “You, now, you are exercising kingship over Israel.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “so your heart [i.e., disposition] might be well.”

¹¹ tn Heb “Jezebel”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.