1 Kings 21:13-23

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." ¹So 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, ²who 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, "³Have you murdered and also taken possession?"' And you shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "⁴In 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, "⁵Have you found me, O my enemy?" And he answered, "I have found you, ⁶because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD.

21 "Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and ⁷will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male *, both bond and free in Israel;

22 and ⁸I will make your house ⁹like 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 ¹⁰have made Israel sin.

23 "Of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, '¹¹The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.'

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1 Kings 21:13-23 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 11

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

Footnotes 3

[a]. Lit "with stones so that he died"
[b]. Lit "said"
[c]. Lit "portion;" some mss read "rampart"