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From: 1 Kings 21:1-16

Naboth’s Vineyard, a further intervention by Elijah

[1] Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of
Ahab king of Samaria. [2] And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vine-
yard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; and
I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its
value in money.” [3] But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give
you the inheritance of my fathers.” [4] And Ahab went into his house vexed and
sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, “I
will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed, and
turned away his face, and would eat no food.

[5] But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so
vexed that you eat no food?” [6] And he said to her “Because I spoke to Naboth
the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it
pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it’; and he answered, ‘I will not
give you my vineyard.’” [7] And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now go-
vern Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you
the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

[8] So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she
sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who dwelt with Naboth in his city.
[9] And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among
the people; [10] and set two base fellows opposite him, and let them bring a
charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him
out, and stone him to death.” [11] And the men of his city, the elders and the no-
bles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was writ-
ten in the letters which she had sent to them, [12] they proclaimed a fast, and
set Naboth on high among the people. [14] And the two base fellows came in
and sat opposite him; and the base fellows brought a charge against Naboth, in
the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they
took him outside the city, and stoned him to death with stones. [14] Then they
sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”

[15] As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Je-
zebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jez-
reelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”
[16] And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down
to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

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Commentary:

21:1-28. This chapter really could have been put before the previous one, since
it still deals with Elijah’s activity (and that is where the Septuagint does put it).
However, the order used by the Hebrew text fits the succession of events in
Ahab’s life. Jezreel would have been the second residence of Ahab, as already
mentioned in 18:45.

One feature of the prophets was their condemnation of the abuse of the weak (cf.
Is 5:8-24; Amos 2:6-16; etc.), just as it is part of the Church’s prophetic mission
to stand up for human rights: “Respect for the human entails respect for the rights
that flow from his dignity as a creature. These rights are prior to society and must
be recognized by it. They are the basis of the moral legitimacy of every authority:
by flouting them, or refusing to recognize them in its positive legislation, a society
undermines its own moral legitimacy. If it does not respect them, authority can re-
ly only on force or violence to obtain obedience from its subjects. It is the Church’s
role to remind men of good will of these rights, and to distinguish them from un-
warranted or false claims” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1930).

21:1-4. Naboth’’s refusal to accept the king’s reasonable request is explained by
an Israelite’s attachment to property inherited from his forebears: according to the
Law (cf. Lev 25;23; Num 36;7), that type of inheritance was not to be disposed of.
Also, ancestors were normally buried on family property (cf. 1 Sam 25:1).

21:5-16. A public fast was proclaimed when some misfortune occurred or threa-
tened, because it was presumed that some sin committed by the people was re-
sponsible for the calamity (cf. 1 Sam 7:6). In such cases the transgressor had
to be found (cf. 1 Sam 14:24-45). Jezebel is at pains to ensure that she disposes
of Naboth by due process of law: the crime he is accused of must carry the death
penalty (cf. Ex 22:27-28), there must be two witnesses (cf. Deut 17:6), and exe-
cution must be by stoning (cf. Lev 24:14-16). Ahab does not seem to mind how
Naboth is disposed of. Once again he is guided by self-interest and ignores the
demands of justice.

“Base fellows”: literally, “sons of Belial”, the sense here being evildoers or “sons
of iniquity” (cf. 1 Sam 10:27). Later, the name “Belial” will be used for the prince
of demons, Satan (cf. 2 Cor 6:15).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.