Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

1 Kings 21

Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross
Introduction

1  Ahab being denied Naboth's vineyard, is grieved.
5  Jezebel writing letters against Naboth, he is condemned of blasphemy.
15  Ahab take possession of the vineyard.
17  Elijah denounces judgments against Ahab and Jezebel.
25  Wicked Ahab repenting, God defers the judgment.
Verse 1

And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
A. M. 3105. B.C. 899. after
20:35-43, 2 Chronicles 28:22, Ezra 9:13,14, Isaiah 9:13, Jeremiah 5:3
Jezreel
18:45, Joshua 19:18, Judges 6:33, 1 Samuel 29:1, Hosea 1:4,5
Verse 2

And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.
Give me
The request of Ahab, at first view, appears fair and honourable. But, as he most evidentially wished Naboth to alienate it finally, which was expressly forbidden and provided against in the law of God, (Le 25:14-28,) it was high iniquity in Ahab to tempt him to do it, and to covet it showed the depravity of his soul.
Genesis 3:6, Exodus 20:17, Deuteronomy 5:21, 1 Samuel 8:14, Jeremiah 22:17, Habakkuk 2:9-11, Luke 12:15, 1 Timothy 6:9, James 1:14,15
a garden of herbs
2 Kings 9:27, Deuteronomy 11:10, Ecclesiastes 2:5, Song of Solomon 4:15
seem good to thee
Heb. be good in thine eyes.
Genesis 16:6, 1 Samuel 8:6, 29:6
Verse 3

And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
The Lord
Genesis 44:7,17, Joshua 22:29, 24:16, 1 Samuel 12:23, 24:6, 26:9-11, 1 Chronicles 11:19, Job 27:5, Romans 3:4,6,31, 6:2,15, 7:7,13, 1 Corinthians 6:15, Galatians 6:14
I should give
Leviticus 25:23, Numbers 36:7, Ezekiel 46:18
Verse 4

And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
heavy
20:43, Job 5:2, Isaiah 57:20,21, Jonah 4:1,9, Habakkuk 2:9-12
I will not
3, Numbers 22:13,14
And he laid him
Genesis 4:5-8, 2 Samuel 13:2,4, Ecclesiastes 6:9, 7:8,9, Ephesians 4:27, James 1:14
Verse 5

But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
Jezebel
25, 16:31, 18:4, 19:2, Genesis 3:6
Why is thy spirit
2 Samuel 13:4, Nehemiah 2:2, Esther 4:5
Verse 6

And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.
Because
2, Esther 5:9-14, 6:12, Proverbs 14:30, 1 Timothy 6:9,10, James 4:2-7
I will not give
3,4
Verse 7

And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
Dost thou now
1 Samuel 8:4, 2 Samuel 13:4, Proverbs 30:31, Ecclesiastes 4:1, 8:4, Daniel 5:19-21
I will give thee
15,16, Micah 2:1,2, 7:3
Verse 8

So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
she wrote
2 Samuel 11:14,15, 2 Chronicles 32:17, Ezra 4:7,8,11, Nehemiah 6:5, Esther 3:12-15, 8:8-13
the elders
Numbers 11:16, Deuteronomy 16:18,19, 21:1-9
the nobles
1, 2 Kings 10:1-7,11
Verse 9

And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:
Proclaim a fast
Genesis 34:13-17, Isaiah 58:4, Matthew 2:8, 23:14, Luke 20:47, John 18:28
on high among
Heb. in the top of.
Verse 10

And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
two men
Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 26:59,60, Acts 6:11
sons of Belial
Deuteronomy 13:13, Judges 19:22
Thou didst blaspheme
Some, with Parkhurst, would render the original, bairachta elohim wamailech, "Thou hast blessed the gods and Molech;" a sense, however, which seems extremely forced, and is not acknowledged by any of the ancient versions, though the LXX. and Vulgate render bairachta by [eulogese] benedixit, "blessed." It is no unusual thing for a word to have opposite senses.
Exodus 22:28, Leviticus 24:15, Matthew 26:59-66, John 10:33, Acts 6:13
Verse 11

And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.
did as Jezebel
Exodus 1:17,21, 23:1,2, Leviticus 19:15, 1 Samuel 22:17, 23:20, 2 Kings 10:6,7, 2 Chronicles 24:21, Proverbs 29:12,26, Daniel 3:18-25, Hosea 5:11, Micah 6:16, Matthew 2:12,16, Acts 4:19, 5:29
Verse 12

They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
8-10, Isaiah 58:4
Verse 13

And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
the men of Belial
Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20, 19:16-21, Psalms 27:12, 35:11, Proverbs 6:19, 19:5,9, 25:18, Malachi 3:5, Mark 14:56-59
blaspheme God
Job 1:5,11, 2:9, Matthew 9:3, Acts 6:11
the king
Ecclesiastes 10:20, Isaiah 8:21, Amos 7:10, Luke 23:2, John 19:12, Acts 24:5
they carried him
Leviticus 24:11-16, Numbers 15:35,36, Deuteronomy 13:10, 21:21, 22:21,24, Joshua 7:24,25, 2 Kings 9:26, Ecclesiastes 4:1, Acts 7:57-59
Verse 14

Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
Naboth is stoned
2 Samuel 11:14-24, Ecclesiastes 5:8, 8:14
Verse 15

And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
Arise
7, Proverbs 1:10-16, 4:17
Verse 16

And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
Ahab rose up
2 Samuel 1:13-16, 4:9-12, 11:25-27, 23:15-17, Psalms 50:18, Isaiah 33:15, Obadiah 1:12-14, Romans 1:32, 2 Peter 2:15
Verse 17

And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
2 Kings 1:15,16, 5:26, Psalms 9:12, Isaiah 26:21
Verse 18

Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
which is in Samaria
13:32, 2 Chronicles 22:9
Verse 19

And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
Hast thou killed
Genesis 3:11, 4:9,10, 2 Samuel 12:9, Micah 3:1-4, Habakkuk 2:9,12
In the place
This punishment, on Ahab's humiliation and repentance, was transferred from him to his son Jehoram, (ver. 29,) in whom it was literally accomplished: see the parallel texts.
22:38, Judges 1:7, 2 Samuel 12:11, 2 Kings 9:25,26, Esther 7:10, Psalms 7:15,16, Psalms 9:16, 58:10,11, Matthew 7:2
Verse 20

And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
Hast thou found me
18:17, 22:8, 2 Chronicles 18:7,17, Amos 5:10, Mark 12:12, Galatians 4:16, Revelation 11:10, Amos 5:10, Mark 12:12, Galatians 4:16, Revelation 11:10
thou hast sold
25, 2 Kings 17:17, Isaiah 50:1, 52:3, Romans 7:14
to work
16:30, 2 Kings 21:2, 2 Chronicles 33:6, Ephesians 4:19
Verse 21

Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
Behold
14:10, Exodus 20:5,6, 2 Kings 9:7-9, 10:1-7,11-14,17,30
him that pisseth
1 Samuel 25:22,34
him that is shut up
14:10, Deuteronomy 32:36, 2 Kings 9:8,9, 14:26
Verse 22

And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
make thine
15:29, 16:3,11
made Israel to sin
14:16, 15:30,34, 16:26
Verse 23

And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
Jezebel
25, 2 Kings 9:10,30-37
the dogs
Shocking as this must appear to minds that have been humanized by the kindly influence of Christianity, we still find similar instances in the accounts of modern travellers. Mr. Bruce says, that when at Gondar, "the bodies of those killed by the sword were hewn to pieces and scattered about the streets, being denied burial. I was miserable, and almost driven to despair, at seeing my hunting dogs, twice let loose by the carelessness of my servants, bringing into the court-yard the heads and arms of slaughtered men, and which I could no way prevent, but by the destruction of the dogs themselves."
wall
or, ditch.
Verse 24

Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
that dieth
14:11, 16:4, Isaiah 14:19, Jeremiah 15:3, Ezekiel 32:4,5, 39:18-20, Revelation 19:18
Verse 25

But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
But there
20, 16:30-33, 2 Kings 23:25
sell himself
20, 2 Kings 17:17, Isaiah 50:1, 52:3, Romans 6:19, 7:14
whom Jezebel
7, 11:1-4, 16:31, 18:4, 19:2, Proverbs 22:14, Ecclesiastes 7:26, Mark 6:17-27, Acts 6:12, 14:2
stirred up
or, incited.
Verse 26

And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
very abominably
2 Chronicles 15:8, Isaiah 65:4, Jeremiah 16:18, 44:4, Ezekiel 18:12, 1 Peter 4:3, Revelation 21:8
according to
Genesis 15:16, Leviticus 18:25-30, 20:22,23, Deuteronomy 12:31, 2 Kings 16:3, 21:2,11, 2 Chronicles 33:2,9, 36:14, Ezra 9:11-14, Psalms 106:35-39, Ezekiel 16:47
Verse 27

And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
he rent
Genesis 37:34, 2 Kings 6:30, 18:37, Jonah 3:6
lay in sackcloth
2 Samuel 12:17, Job 16:15, Isaiah 22:12, 58:5-8, Joel 1:13
went softly
Isaiah 38:15
Verse 29

Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.
Seest thou
Jeremiah 7:17, Luke 7:44
Ahab
Exodus 10:3, Psalms 18:44, 66:3, 78:34-37
I will not
Psalms 86:15, Ezekiel 33:10,11, Micah 7:18, Romans 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9
the evil in
in his son's days
2 Kings 9:25,26,33-37, 10:1-7,11

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