1 Kings 21:10-20

10 and send ye (in) privily two men, the sons of Belial, against him, and say they (this) false witnessing, Naboth hath blessed God, and the king , that is, hath cursed; and lead ye out him, and stone ye him, and die he so. (and privately, or stealthily, send ye in two men, the sons of Belial, opposite him, and then say they this false witness against him, Naboth hath cursed God, and the king; and then lead ye him out, and stone ye him, and so he shall die.)
11 Therefore his citizens, the greater men in birth, and the best men that dwelled with him in the city (And so his fellow citizens, the men of great age, that is, the elders, and the best men who lived with him in the city), did as Jezebel had commanded [to them], and as it was written in the letters, which she had sent to them.
12 They preached fasting, and made Naboth to sit among the first men of the people;
13 and when two men, (the) sons of the devil, were brought (in), they made them to sit against him (they had them sit opposite him), and they, that is, as men of the devil, said (false) witnessing against him before all the multitude, (saying,) Naboth blessed God, and the king, that is, Naboth hath cursed God, and the king; for which thing they led him without the city, and killed him with stones.
14 And they sent to Jezebel, and said, Naboth is stoned (Naboth was stoned), and is dead.
15 Forsooth it was done, when Jezebel had heard Naboth stoned and dead, she spake to Ahab, Rise thou, take in possession the vinery of Naboth of Jezreel, which would not assent to thee, and give it for [the] money taken; for Naboth liveth not, but is dead. (And it was done, when Jezebel had heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, she spoke to Ahab, and said, Rise thou up, and take in possession the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel, who would not assent to thee, and give it to thee for the money received; for Naboth no longer liveth, but now is dead.)
16 And when Ahab had heard this, that is, Naboth to be dead, he rose, and went down into the vinery of Naboth of Jezreel, to have it into possession. (And when Ahab had heard this, that is, that Naboth was dead, he rose up, and went down to the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel, to take possession of it.)
17 Therefore the word of the Lord was made to Elijah of Tishbe, and said,
18 Rise thou, go down into the coming of Ahab, king of Israel, which is in Samaria; lo! he goeth down to the vinery of Naboth, that he have it in possession. (Rise thou up, and go down to meet with Ahab, the king of Israel, who is in Samaria; lo! he goeth down to the vineyard of Naboth, to take possession of it.)
19 And thou shalt speak to him, and say, The Lord saith these things, Thou hast slain Naboth, furthermore and thou hast taken his vineyard in possession; and after these things thou shalt add, [These things saith the Lord,] In this place, wherein dogs licked the blood of Naboth, they shall lick also thy blood. (And thou shalt speak to him, and say, The Lord saith these things, Hast thou killed Naboth, and furthermore, hast thou taken possession of his vineyard? and after these things thou shalt add, The Lord saith these things, In this place, where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, they shall also lick up thy blood.)
20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Whether thou hast found me thine enemy? And Elijah said, I have found thee so, for thou art sold to the devil that thou shouldest do evil in the sight of the Lord. (And when Ahab saw Elijah, he said, Hast thou found me, O my enemy? And Elijah said, Yes, I have found thee, for thou hath sold thyself to the devil, and thou doest evil before the Lord.)

1 Kings 21:10-20 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.