1Ki 21:1-16 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 1Kgs 21:1-16: 21:1-16 The writer includes another incident in which king Ahab responded in an angry and sullen manner (20:43 ; 21:4 ). 21:1 In addition to his palace in the capital city, Ahab had a second palace in Jezreel . Excavations at Jezreel have unearthed a sizeable palace there. • Samaria , which sometimes refers to the capital city, here indicates the whole northern kingdom.

Summary for 1Kgs 21:1-16: 21:1-16 ^a The writer includes another incident in which king Ahab responded in an angry and sullen manner (20:43 ^b; 21:4 ^c). 21:1 ^d In addition to his palace in the capital city, Ahab had a second palace in Jezreel. Excavations at Jezreel have unearthed a sizeable palace there.

• Samaria, which sometimes refers to the capital city, here indicates the whole northern kingdom.
Summary for 1Kgs 21:2-3: 21:2-3 ^e Naboth refused Ahab’s generous offer to buy or exchange land for his vineyard. While he may have desired to sell, Naboth noted that the law said that inherited property should stay in the family or tribe that originally owned it (Lev 25:23-28 ^f; Num 36:7-9 ^g). Unlike the kings of the surrounding nations, who could seize whatever property they wished (1 Sam 8:11-17 ^h), Ahab was bound by Israel’s law.
21:4 ⁱ angry and sullen: Ahab’s reaction was the same when he was rebuked by God’s prophet (20:43 ^j). A sullen attitude can easily arise in a stubborn, self-centered person (21:16 ^k, 20 ^l, 25-26 ^m; see 16:31-32 ⁿ; 18:10 ^o, 17 ^p; 20:42-43 ^q; 22:3 ^r, 27-30 ^s).
21:7 ^t I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard! With her ruthless disposition and actions, Jezebel displayed her cultural upbringing; Canaanite kings did as they pleased (21:8-10 ^u, 15 ^v, 25 ^w; see 19:1-2 ^x; 2 Kgs 9:30-31 ^y).
Summary for 1Kgs 21:8-9: 21:8-9 ^z Call the citizens together: This kind of assembly would normally address sin that could bring divine judgment against the people (see Deut 21:1-9 ^aa; Josh 7:10-12 ^ab; 1 Sam 7:1-6 ^ac). Jezebel convened it to bring false charges against an innocent person.
21:10 ^ad scoundrels (literally sons of Belial): The Hebrew expression refers to totally evil reprobates (Deut 13:13 ^ae; Judg 19:22 ^af; 1 Sam 10:27 ^ag; Prov 6:12 ^ah). Later Jewish writings attributed the name Belial to Satan, a use reflected by Paul in the New Testament (2 Cor 6:15 ^ai).

• Legally, two witnesses were needed to establish a charge against a person (Deut 19:15 ^aj; Matt 18:16 ^ak). The twofold charge of Naboth’s blasphemy against God and against the king carried a penalty of death by stoning outside the city (Deut 17:5-6 ^al; 22:24 ^am). Naboth was apparently put to death on his own land (see 2 Kgs 9:21-26 ^an).
Summary for 1Kgs 21:13-14: 21:13-14 ^ao As with Achan (Josh 7:24-26 ^ap), Naboth’s sons were killed at the same time (see 2 Kgs 9:26 ^aq), in this case to prevent the property from passing on to them. Because the charge carried the penalty of state execution (Deut 13:10-11 ^ar; 17:5 ^as) and because Naboth no longer had male heirs, Ahab exercised the royal prerogative of confiscating the property (see 1 Sam 8:14 ^at).