1 Kings 21:1-7

III. THE GREAT SOCIAL CRISIS 21:1-16

The third crisis[476] discussed in Chapter s 19-21 is of a different nature than those previously treated. Here the threat is not of external military domination, but of internal breakdown of law and order. Chapter 21 shows clearly the social breakdown of Ahab's kingdom. Years of flirtation with pagan practices were taking their toll. The rights of individuals guaranteed in the Sinai covenant were being ignored. The king was no longer under the Law, but was superior to it. The story unfolds in four stages: (1) the covetousness of the king (1 Kings 21:1-7); (2) the conspiracy against Naboth (1 Kings 21:8-16); (3) the condemnation by Elijah (1 Kings 21:17-24); and (4) the contrition of Ahab (1 Kings 21:25-29).

[476] Chapter 21, as far as content is concerned, is a continuation of the Elijah narrative of Chapter s 17-19. The Septuagint version places this chapter immediately after chapter 19. The author of Kings must have been attempting to give a chronological assessment of Ahab's reign in the way he arranged these Chapter s.

A. THE COVETOUSNESS OF THE KING 21:1-7

TRANSLATION

(1) And it came to pass after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. (2) And Ahab spoke unto Naboth, saying, Give me your vineyard, that it may become my garden of herbs, for it is near beside my house, and I will give you in place of it a better vineyard; or if it is good in your eyes, I will give you in silver the price of it. (3) And Naboth said unto Ahab, Far be it to me from the LORD that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you. (4) And Ahab came unto his house sullen and angry over the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken unto him when he said, I will not give to you the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would not eat food. (5) And Jezebel his wife came unto him, and spoke unto him, Why is your spirit so sad, that you do not eat food? (6) And he spoke unto her, Because I spoke unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you desire I will give to you a vineyard instead of it; and he said, I will not give you my vineyard. (7) And Jezebel his wife said unto him, You now are the one who governs the land of Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be merry! I will give to you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

COMMENTS

From the royal palace in Samaria Ahab and his court would often commute to Jezreel[477] twenty-five miles to the north where the king also had a palace. Near his Jezreel palace was a plot of ground, a vineyard, possessed by a man named Naboth which Ahab dearly coveted (1 Kings 21:1). The king negotiated with Naboth for this property, offering to exchange vineyards with him, or pay him in silver whichever he desired. This vineyard was not required for the public welfare, but to satisfy a purely selfish personal whim (1 Kings 21:2). Naboth, however, was a devout worshiper of the Lord, and he would not violate the Law of Moses[478] by selling his family inheritance to one outside the family[479] (1 Kings 21:3). To pious Israelites, it was a religious duty as well as an obligation to family and tribe to preserve the inheritance. Rebuffed by this devout man, Ahab returned to the palace to give vent to childish grief. Sullen and angry he pouted in his private chamber, refusing to partake of food (1 Kings 21:4).

[477] Jezreel may have been the ancestral home of the Omrides. The place would have served ideally as a base of operations against Ramoth-gilead. Jezreel seems to have served as a winter resort for the king (1 Kings 18:45).

[478] Cf. Leviticus 25:23 ff.; Numbers 36:7 ff.

[479] Moreover the status of Naboth as a freeman was bound up with his possession of his ancestral land. To have accepted the offer of Ahab would have made him and his family royal dependents. See Gray, OTL, p. 439.

Jezebel, noting the absence of the king from the banqueting chamber, went to Ahab's room to inquire as to the reason for his loss of appetite (1 Kings 21:5). He told his wife how Naboth had refused to sell his vineyard, but he did not mention the reason which Naboth assigned to his refusal (1 Kings 21:6). Probably he realized that Jezebel would have no understanding of the Israelite laws of family inheritance. The queen did not inquire as to the reasons for Naboth's refusal to dispose of his property. She could not understand why her husband was so upset over the incident. After all, he was the king, was he not? So Jezebel urged her husband to leave the matter in her hands (1 Kings 21:7).