Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
1 Kings 21:8-15
Jezebel Arranges For The Death Of Naboth By A False Accusation (1 Kings 21:8).
The second step in the downward spiral was when Ahab abnegated his authority by allowing Jezebel to use his name and seal for a nefarious purpose. This would result in the king's name being dishonoured and the rulers of Jezreel sinning against their neighbour, by setting up false witnesses, falsely accusing him, and then murdering him in order to steal his land. This was not loving their neighbours as themselves (Leviticus 19:18). YHWH's commandments were going down like ninepins.
Analysis.
a So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, and who dwelt with Naboth (1 Kings 21:8).
b And she wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people, and set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them bear witness against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king.' And then carry him out, and stone him to death” (1 Kings 21:9).
c And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, in accordance with what was written in the letters which she had sent to them (1 Kings 21:11).
b They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people, and the two men, the base fellows, came in and sat before him, and the base fellows bore witness against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him to death with stones. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth is stoned, and is dead” (1 Kings 21:12).'
a And it came about, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” And it came about, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it (1 Kings 21:15).
Note that in ‘a' the letters written in the king's name and under his seal were sent to the nobles and elders of Jezreel who were Naboth's neighbours, and in the parallel the consequence was that Ahab was able to take possession of Naboth's vineyard. In ‘b' Jezebel calls on them to proclaim a fast and falsely accuse Naboth, and in the parallel that is what they do. Centrally in ‘c 'the blame is laid squarely at Jezebel's door.
‘ So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, and who dwelt with Naboth.'
Jezebel wrote in Ahab's name and sealed her letters with his seal. So he either knew what she had said, or he demonstrated gross negligence by allowing her to use his authority without checking on what she had written. Either way he was equally guilty. He was quite well aware of the calibre of his wife.
The letters were despatched to the nobles and eldership of Jezreel, men who by their positions were committed to fulfilling the will of YHWH. They also were therefore being involved in her dastardly plot, and in flagrantly disobeying YHWH. This was what Ahab had done to Israel.
Note the emphasis on the fact that they dwelt with Naboth. What they did, they did to ‘a neighbour', one of their own, to whom they therefore owed a special duty under the Law.
‘ And she wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people, and set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them bear witness against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king.' And then carry him out, and stone him to death.” '
In her letters Jezebel instructed the nobles and elders of Jezreel to proclaim a fast on the supposed grounds that Israel had sinned. Then they were to give Naboth a place of honour among the people, after which they were to put him on trial on the grounds that it was he who had sinned in such a way as to bring guilt on the whole people, by ‘cursing God and the king', and were to bribe two ‘base fellows' (‘sons of worthlessness') to testify against him. No one could be sentenced to death in Israel without the testimony of at least two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15). Afterwards they were then to carry him outside the city and stone him to death. Death by stoning was necessary because it would be seen as sacrilege for the two witnesses (who would be responsible for the stoning, at least theoretically), or anyone apart from the arresting party, to actually touch the body of a blasphemer against whom they had borne witness. It was to be done outside the city because the guilty party would be seen as ‘unholy', so that his death must not defile the city (Numbers 15:35).
We note from these letters that Jezebel was clearly familiar with the customs of Israel and was deliberately misusing them and manipulating them, and calling on the nobles and elders to assist her in the task. It was flagrant, open and cynical disobedience against YHWH and His demands for righteous judgment, by one who only acknowledged Baal and his standards. Thus by obeying her the Israelite leaders would be uniting with her in her loyalty to Baal, and rejecting the covenant.
‘ And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, in accordance with what was written in the letters which she had sent to them.'
It is then made clear that the nobles and elders of Jezreel kow-towed to Jezebel and did precisely what she asked. They rejected what they knew to be the requirements of YHWH, and even distorted them in order to let Jezebel have her way. It may well be that the Omride family had come from that area and thus had great influence in it, and besides, they knew very well what would happen to them if they did not.
‘ They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people, and the two men, the base fellows, came in and sat before him, and the base fellows bore witness against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him to death with stones.'
The carrying out of what Jezebel had demanded is repeated in detail so as to bring out the awfulness of what the men were doing. First the pretended repentance for a ‘community' sin. Then the pretence exalting of Naboth. Then the presentation of two men known to be false witnesses. Then the acceptance of false witness in order to obtain a verdict. Then the carrying out of an act of judicial murder on an innocent man. Ignoring YHWH and His laws they were abnegating all authority and were being totally subservient to Jezebel, and as a result accusing and executing a totally innocent man, a man who was in trouble because he had actually had the nerve to walk in YHWH's ways and be faithful to him.
“Cursed God and the king.” That is, disowned them and rebelled against them, and possibly seeing him as even having blasphemed against the Name of YHWH. In the Hebrew the word used is ‘blessed' but that is because it was used as a euphemism for cursed, so that no one would be tainted by speaking, even in the third person, of YHWH as having been cursed. For this as a crime see Exodus 22:28 where we read, ‘you shall not revile God nor a ruler of your people'.
‘ Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth is stoned, and is dead.” '
Having done that they contacted Jezebel and confirmed that Naboth was stoned and dead, shamed and executed. Note that they had not been at all deceived into thinking that the instructions came from Ahab. They had known all along that the orders had come from Jezebel.
‘ And it came about, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.'
And as soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth was dead she sailed into Ahab's presence and informed him that he could now have what he had wanted, and could indeed have it without cost, because Naboth was dead. 2 Kings 9:26 makes clear that his heirs were in some way disposed of as well, leaving no one to inherit. The confiscation of property after a man had been executed for treason is testified to elsewhere in an Aramaean tablet.
‘ And it came about, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.'
The news was music to Ahab's ears, and he immediately rose up to go to Naboth's vineyard to take possession of it. His conscience was clear. After all, he had had nothing to do with it.