1 Kings 21:11-29

Jezebel's Plot

11 So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had sent them.

12 They ¹proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people.

13 Then the two worthless men came in and sat before him; and the worthless men testified against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." ²So they took him outside * the city and stoned him to death with stones.

14 Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned and is dead."

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."

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

17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

18 "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, ³who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where * he has gone down to take possession of it.

19 "You shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "⁴Have you murdered and also taken possession?"' And you shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "⁵In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.""'

20 Ahab said to Elijah, "⁶Have you found me, O my enemy?" And he answered, "I have found you, ⁷because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD.

21 "Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and ⁸will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male *, both bond and free in Israel;

22 and ⁹I will make your house ¹⁰like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you ¹¹have made Israel sin.

23 "Of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, '¹²The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.'

24 "¹³The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat."

25 ¹⁴Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him.

26 ¹⁵He acted very abominably in following * idols, ¹⁶according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before * the sons of Israel.

27 It came about when Ahab heard these words, that ¹⁷he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently.

28 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

29 "Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before * Me? Because * he has humbled himself before * Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house ¹⁸in his son's days."

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1 Kings 21:11-29 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 21

In this chapter we have an account of Ahab's design to have Naboth's vineyard, for which he offered him another, or the value of that, but Naboth refusing to part with it, Ahab fell sick, 1Ki 21:1-4, the reason of which being found out by Jezebel, she devised means to get Naboth put to death under the colour of justice for blasphemy, 1Ki 21:5-14, and then bid Ahab go and take possession of the vineyard, where he was met by Elijah, who denounced the judgments of God upon him, and Jezebel, and all his family, for his injustice, 1Ki 21:15-26, but he humbling himself, the evil threatened was deferred to the days of his son, 1Ki 21:27-29.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 18

1. Isaiah 58:4
2. 2 Kings 9:26; 2 Chronicles 24:21; Acts 7:58, 59; Hebrews 11:37
3. 1 Kings 16:29
4. 2 Samuel 12:9
5. 1 Kings 22:38; 2 Kings 9:26
6. 1 Kings 18:17
7. 1 Kings 21:25; 2 Kings 17:17; Romans 7:14
8. 1 Kings 14:10; 2 Kings 9:8
9. 1 Kings 15:29
10. 1 Kings 16:3, 11
11. 1 Kings 12:30; 1 Kings 13:34; 1 Kings 14:16
12. 2 Kin 9:10, 30-37
13. 1 Kings 14:11; 1 Kings 16:4
14. 1 Kings 16:30-33; 1 Kings 21:20
15. 1 Kings 15:12; 2 Kings 17:12
16. Genesis 15:16; Leviticus 18:25-30; 2 Kings 21:11
17. Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 3:31; 2 Kings 6:30
18. 2 Kings 9:25-37

Footnotes 6

[a]. Lit "with stones so that he died"
[b]. Lit "said"
[c]. Lit "portion;" some mss read "rampart"
[d]. Or "whom Jezebel his wife incited"
[e]. Lit "sackcloth on his flesh"
[f]. Or "softly"