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1 Kings 21:27 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

27 And it came to pass, when Ahab H256 heard H8085 those words, H1697 that he rent H7167 his clothes, H899 and put H7760 sackcloth H8242 upon his flesh, H1320 and fasted, H6684 and lay H7901 in sackcloth, H8242 and went H1980 softly. H328

Cross Reference

2 Kings 6:30 STRONG

And it came to pass, when the king H4428 heard H8085 the words H1697 of the woman, H802 that he rent H7167 his clothes; H899 and he passed by H5674 upon the wall, H2346 and the people H5971 looked, H7200 and, behold, he had sackcloth H8242 within H1004 upon his flesh. H1320

Genesis 37:34 STRONG

And Jacob H3290 rent H7167 his clothes, H8071 and put H7760 sackcloth H8242 upon his loins, H4975 and mourned H56 for his son H1121 many H7227 days. H3117

2 Samuel 3:31 STRONG

And David H1732 said H559 to Joab, H3097 and to all the people H5971 that were with him, Rend H7167 your clothes, H899 and gird H2296 you with sackcloth, H8242 and mourn H5594 before H6440 Abner. H74 And king H4428 David H1732 himself followed H1980 H310 the bier. H4296

2 Samuel 12:16-17 STRONG

David H1732 therefore besought H1245 God H430 for the child; H5288 and David H1732 fasted, H6684 H6685 and went in, H935 and lay H7901 all night H3885 upon the earth. H776 And the elders H2205 of his house H1004 arose, H6965 and went to him, to raise him up H6965 from the earth: H776 but he would H14 not, neither did he eat H1262 bread H3899 with them.

2 Kings 18:37 STRONG

Then came H935 Eliakim H471 the son H1121 of Hilkiah, H2518 which was over the household, H1004 and Shebna H7644 the scribe, H5608 and Joah H3098 the son H1121 of Asaph H623 the recorder, H2142 to Hezekiah H2396 with their clothes H899 rent, H7167 and told H5046 him the words H1697 of Rabshakeh. H7262

Job 16:15 STRONG

I have sewed H8609 sackcloth H8242 upon my skin, H1539 and defiled H5953 my horn H7161 in the dust. H6083

Isaiah 22:12 STRONG

And in that day H3117 did the Lord H136 GOD H3069 of hosts H6635 call H7121 to weeping, H1065 and to mourning, H4553 and to baldness, H7144 and to girding H2296 with sackcloth: H8242

Isaiah 38:15 STRONG

What shall I say? H1696 he hath both spoken H559 unto me, and himself hath done H6213 it: I shall go softly H1718 all my years H8141 in the bitterness H4751 of my soul. H5315

Isaiah 58:5-8 STRONG

Is it such a fast H6685 that I have chosen? H977 a day H3117 for a man H120 to afflict H6031 his soul? H5315 is it to bow down H3721 his head H7218 as a bulrush, H100 and to spread H3331 sackcloth H8242 and ashes H665 under him? wilt thou call H7121 this H2088 a fast, H6685 and an acceptable H7522 day H3117 to the LORD? H3068 Is not this the fast H6685 that I have chosen? H977 to loose H6605 the bands H2784 of wickedness, H7562 to undo H5425 the heavy H4133 burdens, H92 and to let the oppressed H7533 go H7971 free, H2670 and that ye break H5423 every yoke? H4133 Is it not to deal H6536 thy bread H3899 to the hungry, H7457 and that thou bring H935 the poor H6041 that are cast out H4788 to thy house? H1004 when thou seest H7200 the naked, H6174 that thou cover H3680 him; and that thou hide H5956 not thyself from thine own flesh? H1320 Then shall thy light H216 break forth H1234 as the morning, H7837 and thine health H724 shall spring forth H6779 speedily: H4120 and thy righteousness H6664 shall go H1980 before H6440 thee; the glory H3519 of the LORD H3068 shall be thy rereward. H622

Joel 1:13 STRONG

Gird H2296 yourselves, and lament, H5594 ye priests: H3548 howl, H3213 ye ministers H8334 of the altar: H4196 come, H935 lie all night H3885 in sackcloth, H8242 ye ministers H8334 of my God: H430 for the meat offering H4503 and the drink offering H5262 is withholden H4513 from the house H1004 of your God. H430

Jonah 3:6 STRONG

For word H1697 came H5060 unto the king H4428 of Nineveh, H5210 and he arose H6965 from his throne, H3678 and he laid H5674 his robe H155 from him, and covered H3680 him with sackcloth, H8242 and sat H3427 in ashes. H665

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on 1 Kings 21

Commentary on 1 Kings 21 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary


Verses 1-15

After these events Ahab was seized with such a desire for a vineyard which was situated near his palace at Jezreel, that when Naboth, the owner of the vineyard, refused to part with his paternal inheritance, he became thoroughly dejected, until his wife Jezebel paved the way for the forcible seizure of the desired possession by the shameful execution of Naboth (1 Kings 21:1-15). But when Ahab was preparing to take possession of the vineyard, Elijah came to meet him with the announcement, that both he and his wife would be visited by the Lord with a bloody death for this murder and robbery, and that his idolatry would be punished with the extermination of all his house (1 Kings 21:16-26). Ahab was so affected by this, that he humbled himself before God; whereupon the Lord told Elijah, that the threatened judgment should not burst upon his house till after Ahab's death (1 Kings 21:27-29).

1 Kings 21:1-2

Ahab wanted to obtain possession of the vineyard of Naboth, which was in Jezreel ( אשׁר refers to כּרם ), near the palace of the king, either in exchange for another vineyard or for money, that he might make a vegetable garden of it. From the fact that Ahab is called the king of Samaria we may infer that Jezreel, the present Zerin (see at Joshua 19:18), was only a summer residence of the king.

1 Kings 21:3

Naboth refused to part with the vineyard, because it was the inheritance of his fathers, that is to say, on religious grounds ( חלילה כּי מיהוה ), because the sale of a paternal inheritance was forbidden in the law (Leviticus 25:23-28; Numbers 36:7.). He was therefore not merely at liberty as a personal right to refuse the king's proposal, but bound by the commandment of God.

1 Kings 21:4

Instead of respecting this tender feeling of shrinking from the transgression of the law and desisting from his coveting, Ahab went home, i.e., to Samaria (cf. 1 Kings 21:8), sullen and morose ( סר וזעף as in 1 Kings 20:43), lay down upon his bed, turned his face (viz., to the wall; cf. 2 Kings 20:2) - “after the manner of sorrowful persons, who shrink from and refuse all conversation, and even the sight of others” (Seb. Schmidt) - and did not eat. This childish mode of giving expression to his displeasure at Naboth's refusal to comply with his wish, shows very clearly that Ahab was a man sold under sin (1 Kings 21:20), who only wanted the requisite energy to display the wickedness of his heart in vigorous action.

1 Kings 21:5-7

When Jezebel learned the cause of Ahab's ill-humour, she said to him, “Thou, dost thou now exercise royal authority over Israel.” אתּה is placed first for the sake of emphasis, and the sentence is to be taken as an ironical question, as it has been by the lxx. “I (if thou hast not courage enough to act) will procure thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

1 Kings 21:8-10

The shameless woman then wrote a letter in the name of Ahab, sealed it below with the royal seal, which probably bore the king's signature and was stamped upon the writing instead of signing the name, as is done at the present day among Arabs, Turks, and Persians (vid., Paulsen, Reg. der Morgenl . p. 295ff.), to give it the character of a royal command (cf. Esther 8:13; Daniel 6:17), and sent this letter (the Chethîb הסּפרים is correct, and the Keri has arisen from a misunderstanding) to the elders and nobles of his town (i.e., the members of the magistracy, Deuteronomy 16:18), who lived near Naboth, and therefore had an opportunity to watch his mode of life, and appeared to be the most suitable persons to institute the charge that was to be brought against him. The letter ran thus: “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people, and set two worthless men opposite to him, that they may give evidence against him: Thou hast blasphemed God and king; and lead him out and stone him, that he may die.” Jezebel ordered the fasting for a sign, as though some public crime or heavy load of guilt rested upon the city, for which it was necessary that it should humble itself before God (1 Samuel 7:6). The intention was, that at the very outset the appearance of justice should be given to the legal process about to be instituted in the eyes of all the citizens, and the stamp of veracity impressed upon the crime of which Naboth was to be accused. העם בראשׁ ... הושׁיבוּ , “ seat him at the head of the people,” i.e., bring him to the court of justice as a defendant before all the people. The expression may be explained from the fact, that a sitting of the elders was appointed for judicial business, in which Naboth and the witnesses who were to accuse him of blasphemy took part seated . To preserve the appearance of justice, two witnesses were appointed, according to the law in Deuteronomy 17:6-7; Deuteronomy 19:15; Numbers 35:30; but worthless men, as at the trial of Jesus (Matthew 26:60). אלהים בּרך , to bless God, i.e., to bid Him farewell, to dismiss Him, as in Job 2:9, equivalent to blaspheming God. God and king are mentioned together, like God and prince in Exodus 22:27, to make it possible to accuse Naboth of transgressing this law, and to put him to death as a blasphemer of God, according to Deuteronomy 13:11 and Deuteronomy 17:5, where the punishment of stoning is awarded to idolatry as a practical denial of God. Blaspheming the king is not to be taken as a second crime to be added to the blasphemy of God; but blaspheming the king, as the visible representative of God, was eo ipso also blaspheming God.

1 Kings 21:11-13

The elders of Jezreel executed this command without delay; a striking proof both of deep moral corruption and of slavish fear of the tyranny of the ruthless queen.

1 Kings 21:14-15

When the report of Naboth's execution was brought to her, she called upon Ahab to take possession of his vineyard ( רשׁ = רשׁ , Deuteronomy 2:24). As Naboth's sons were put to death at the same time, according to 2 Kings 9:26, the king was able to confiscate his property; not, indeed, on any rule laid down in the Mosaic law, but according to a principle involved in the very idea of high treason. Since, for example, in the case of blasphemy the property of the criminal was forfeited to the Lord as cherem (Deuteronomy 13:16), the property of traitors was regarded as forfeited to the king.


Verses 16-19

But when Ahab went down to Jezreel to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, Elijah came to meet him by the command of God, with the word of the Lord, “Hast thou murdered and also taken possession?” The question served to sharpen his conscience, since Ahab was obliged to admit the fact. בּשׁמרון אשׁר means “who lives at Samaria,” for when Elijah came to meet him, Ahab was in Jezreel, Elijah then said to him still further: “Thus saith the Lord: In the place where the dogs have licked the blood of Naboth, will they also lick thine, yea, thy blood.” אתּה גּם serves as an emphatic repetition of the suffix (cf. Ges. § 121, 3). This threat was only so far fulfilled upon Ahab, from the compassion of God, and in consequence of his humbling himself under the divine judgment (1 Kings 21:27-29), that dogs licked his blood at Samaria when the carriage was washed in which he had died (1 Kings 22:38); but it was literally fulfilled in the case of his son Joram, whose corpse was cast into Naboth's piece of ground (2 Kings 9:25-26).


Verses 20-24

Ahab answered, “Hast thou found me (met with me), O mine enemy?” (not, hast thou ever found me thine enemy? - Vulg., Luth.) i.e., dost thou come to meet me again, mine enemy? He calls Elijah his enemy, to take the sting from the prophet's threat as an utterance caused by personal enmity. But Elijah fearlessly replied, “I have found (thee), because thou sellest thyself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord.” He then announced to him, in 1 Kings 21:21, 1 Kings 21:22, the extermination of his house, and to Jezebel, as the principal sinner, the most ignominious end (1 Kings 21:23). הרע לעשׂות חתמכּר to sell one's self to do evil, i.e., to give one's self to evil so as to have no will of one's own, to make one's self the slave of evil (cf. 1 Kings 21:25, 2 Kings 17:17). The consequence of this is πεπρᾶσθαι ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν (Romans 7:14), sin exercising unlimited power over the man who gives himself up to it as a slave. For 1 Kings 21:21, 1 Kings 21:22, see 1 Kings 14:10-11; 1 Kings 15:29-30; 1 Kings 16:3, 1 Kings 16:12-13. The threat concerning Jezebel (1 Kings 21:23) was literally fulfilled, according to 2 Kings 9:30. חל , written defectively for חיל , as in 2 Samuel 20:15, is properly the open space by the town-wall, pomoerium . Instead of בּחל we have בּחלק in the repetition of this threat in 2 Kings 9:10, 2 Kings 9:36-37, and consequently Thenius and others propose to alter the חל here. But there is no necessity for this, as בּחלק , on the portion, i.e., the town-land, of Jezreel (not, in the field at Jezreel), is only a more general epithet denoting the locality, and חל is proved to be the original word by the lxx.


Verse 25-26

1 Kings 21:25, 1 Kings 21:26 contain a reflection on the part of the historian concerning Ahab's ungodly conduct, whereby he brought such an ignominious end upon himself and his house. וגו היה לא רק , “only there has not been (one) like Ahab,” i.e., there was no one else like Ahab, “who sold himself,” etc. הסתּה for הסיתה , from סוּת , to entice, to seduce or lead astray (cf. Ewald, § 114, a ., and Ges. § 72, Anm. 6). ויּתעב , and he acted abominably. Amorites : for Canaanites, as in Genesis 15:16, etc.


Verses 27-29

This terrible threat made such an impression upon Ahab, that he felt deep remorse, and for a time at least was sincerely penitent. Rending the clothes, putting on the mourning garment of hair ( שׂק ), and fasting, are frequently mentioned as external signs of humiliation before God or of deep mourning on account of sin. יהלּך אט , he walked about lightly (slowly), like one in deep trouble. This repentance was neither hypocritical, nor purely external; but it was sincere even if it was not lasting and produced no real conversion. For the Lord Himself acknowledge it to be humiliation before Him (1 Kings 21:29), and said to Elijah, that because of it He would not bring the threatened calamity upon Ahab's house in his own lifetime, but only in the days of his son. אבי for אביא , as in 1 Kings 21:21.