1 Kings 21:1-18

Ahab Covets Naboth's Vineyard

1 Now it came about after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in ¹Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

2 Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "²Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden because it is close beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard than it in its place; if you like *, I will give you the price of it in money."

3 But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid me ³that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers."

4 ⁴So Ahab came into his house sullen and vexed because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no food.

5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, "How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating food?"

6 So he said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you a vineyard in its place.' But he said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.' "

7 Jezebel his wife said to him, "⁵Do you now reign * over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

8 ⁶So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and sent letters to ⁷the elders and to the nobles who were living with Naboth in his city.

9 Now she wrote in the letters, saying, "Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people;

10 and seat two ⁸worthless men before him, and let them testify against him, saying, '⁹You cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and ¹⁰stone him to death."

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 ¹¹proclaimed 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." ¹²So 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, ¹³who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where * he has gone down to take possession of it.

1 Kings 21:1-18 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.

Cross References

• 1. Judges 6:33; 1 Kings 18:45, 46
• 2. 1 Samuel 8:14
• 3. Leviticus 25:23; Numbers 36:7; Ezekiel 46:18
• 4. 1 Kings 20:43
• 5. 1 Samuel 8:14
• 6. Esther 3:12; Esther 8:8, 10
• 7. 1 Kings 20:7
• 8. 1 Samuel 2:12; 2 Samuel 20:1
• 9. Exodus 22:28; Leviticus 24:15, 16; Acts 6:11
• 10. Leviticus 24:14
• 11. Isaiah 58:4
• 12. 2 Kings 9:26; 2 Chronicles 24:21; Acts 7:58, 59; Hebrews 11:37
• 13. 1 Kings 16:29

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "it is good in your eyes"
• [b]. Lit "this"
• [c]. Lit "bread"
• [d]. Lit "bread"
• [e]. Lit "exercise kingship"
• [f]. Lit "so that he dies"
• [g]. Lit "with stones so that he died"