1 Kings 21 6

1 Kings 21:6 kjv

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.

1 Kings 21:6 nkjv

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.' "

1 Kings 21:6 niv

He answered her, "Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, 'Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.' But he said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'?"

1 Kings 21:6 esv

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 please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.' And he answered, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'"

1 Kings 21:6 nlt

"I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!" Ahab told her.

1 Kings 21 verses

1 Kings 21 6 Meaning

King Ahab recounts to Queen Jezebel his failed attempt to acquire Naboth the Jezreelite's vineyard. He explains that despite offering to purchase it or exchange it for another, Naboth resolutely refused, stating he would not surrender his ancestral land. This encounter forms the core of Ahab's subsequent dejection and paves the way for Jezebel's manipulative and murderous intervention.

1 Kings 21 6 Context

1 Kings chapter 21 introduces the dramatic conflict between King Ahab, the ruling monarch of Israel, and Naboth, a private citizen. Ahab desires Naboth's vineyard, strategically located near his palace in Jezreel, to convert it into a garden. This verse serves as Ahab's explanation to his wife, Jezebel, outlining Naboth's firm refusal based on the inviolability of his ancestral inheritance, a central tenet of Israelite land law (Lev 25:23-28). The chapter unfolds with Ahab's discontent, Jezebel's manipulative scheme to acquire the vineyard through false accusations and murder, and finally, Elijah's prophecy of divine judgment upon Ahab and Jezebel for their actions, particularly the sin of covetousness, theft, and murder. Historically, this event starkly contrasts the divinely ordained covenant structure of Israelite society, which protected individual land ownership, with the absolute monarchical power prevalent in surrounding pagan nations where kings held ultimate rights over all property. It reveals Ahab's assimilation of pagan thought, heavily influenced by his Phoenician wife.

1 Kings 21 6 Word analysis

• "And he said": Refers to Ahab. This opening indicates he is recounting his grievance to someone, revealing his emotional state and setting the stage for the narrative's escalation.
• "unto her": Jezebel. This immediately highlights her prominent role in Ahab's life and her influence. It signifies a crucial moment where Ahab's private frustration becomes Jezebel's public machination.
• "Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite": Ahab explains the source of his vexation. "Naboth the Jezreelite" identifies the person and his specific connection to the locality and the vineyard, underscoring the legal claim Naboth holds through his ancestry in that region.
• "and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard": This outlines Ahab's proposed offer. On the surface, it seems like a fair negotiation: direct purchase ("for money") or a like-for-like exchange ("another vineyard"). This proposition reflects a common commercial practice but overlooks the deeper covenantal significance of land ownership for an Israelite. Ahab fails to comprehend, or perhaps willfully ignores, the divine law protecting inherited tribal land.
  • kerem (כרם): Hebrew for "vineyard." This land was specifically cultivated and highly valuable, but its value for Naboth transcended mere economic worth.
• "and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.": Naboth's decisive and uncompromising reply. This direct refusal highlights his steadfast adherence to the Mosaic law regarding ancestral inheritance. The repetition of "my vineyard" emphasizes personal ownership deeply tied to his family's God-given heritage.
  • nahalah (נחלה): While not explicitly in this verse, the underlying concept of "inheritance" or "hereditary possession" is central to Naboth's refusal (1 Kgs 21:3). It refers to the tribal allotments of land promised by God, which were inalienable except in extreme circumstances and always with a view to their return during the Jubilee. This legal protection of land ensured tribal integrity and prevented economic exploitation. Naboth's statement signifies his faithfulness to this covenantal aspect of Israelite identity.

1 Kings 21 6 Bonus section

The conflict over Naboth's vineyard exemplifies a profound ideological clash between the Israelite covenantal understanding of kingship and land, and the despotic power models prevalent in surrounding pagan nations (like Tyre, Jezebel's homeland). In Israel, the king was ultimately subservient to God's law; his power was not absolute. Private property, particularly ancestral inheritance, was a divinely protected right. In contrast, Canaanite kings had total domain over all land and subjects. Ahab, under Jezebel's influence, increasingly acted as if he possessed this absolute authority, demonstrating a severe distortion of his God-given role. This incident is thus a direct polemic against Canaanite/pagan royal ideology and a foundational narrative on the abuse of power, covetousness, and the sanctity of life and property in God's eyes.

1 Kings 21 6 Commentary

1 Kings 21:6 serves as a concise summary of the critical confrontation between royal desire and God-given law. Ahab, despite being king, faces an unexpected barrier: Naboth's unyielding commitment to his ancestral vineyard, protected by divine mandate. Ahab's proposition, seemingly equitable in a marketplace context, falls short of understanding the sacred nature of land ownership within the covenant community of Israel. Naboth's blunt refusal, "I will not give thee my vineyard," is not defiance but rather an affirmation of the principle that inherited land was a permanent possession from God to the family and tribe, not a commodity to be alienated at will, even by a king. This reveals Ahab's fundamental disregard for the divine law governing his people and his increasing orientation towards pagan modes of thought, foreshadowing the violent actions Jezebel will take to overcome this "insult" to royal power.