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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

1 Kings 21:9

Proclaim a fast Let a day of humiliation be appointed, for it must be represented that a great wrong has been committed both against God and the king. Cf. 1 Samuel 7:6 where the people gathered at Mizpeh fasted, saying, -We have sinned against the Lord". The command of God (Joel 2:12) by His prophet is, -Turn ye to me with all your heart, and with fasting and with weeping". Hence the action is to express the popular sorrow for some wrong done, by which the whole city is contaminated.

and set Naboth on high among the people Lit. -at the head of the people". The LXX. has ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ λαοῦ. He was to be put in a prominent place, as one who had hitherto held an honourable position. Josephus speaks of him as γένους ἐπιφανοῦς -of a family of note". By thus, at the beginning of the process, treating Naboth with honour they would seem to make it plain that, but for the evidence against him, they would have been glad to think him innocent.

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See also 1 Kings 21:9 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse 1 Kings 21:9. _PROCLAIM A FAST_] Intimate that there is some great calamity coming upon the nation, because of some evil tolerated in it. _SET NABOTH ON HIGH_] Bring him to a public trial....

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    The object of this fast was at once to raise a prejudice against Naboth, who was assumed by the elders to have disgraced the town; and at the same time to give an air of religion to the proceedings, w...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 21NABOTH'S VINEYARD _ 1. Naboth's refusal (1 Kings 21:1)_ 2. Jezebel's wicked deed (1 Kings 21:5) 3. Elijah pronounces divine judgment (1 Kings 21:17) 4. Ahab's wickedness and confessi

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    THE STORY OF NABOTH. This is evidently not a part of the Elijah story of 1 Kings 17-19. There are certain differences of style; _e.g._ Ahab is described as king of Samaria (1); and Elijah does not, as...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    ON HIGH: i.e. in. conspicuous place; or, perhaps, before the bar of justice....

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    PROCLAIM A FAST— It was always usual; upon the approach of any great calamity, or the apprehension of any national judgment, to _proclaim a fast._ Jez_e_bel orders such a fast to be observed, the bett...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    B. THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST NABOTH 21:8-16 TRANSLATION (8) So she wrote letters in the name of Ahab, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and unto the nobles which were i...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND SHE WROTE IN THE LETTERS, SAYING, PROCLAIM A FAST, AND SET NABOTH ON HIGH AMONG THE PEOPLE:_ Proclaim a fast ... These obsequious and unprincipled magistrates did according to orders. Pretending...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    21:9 set (c-12) Or 'make ... sit.'...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    NABOTH'S VINEYARD 1. After these things] The LXX places this chapter after 1 Kings 19, and so prevents the separation of 1 Kings 20:22, which are closely connected. JEZREEL] in the plain of Esdraelo...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    PROCLAIM A FAST] perhaps intended as a public act of humiliation for Naboth's alleged crime (cp. 1 Samuel 7:6), but in any case calculated to draw the people together. SET NABOTH ON HIGH] perhaps equi...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    GOD’S LESSONS FROM HISTORY 1 KINGS _PHILIP SMITH_ CHAPTER 21 QUEEN JEZEBEL STEALS NABOTH’S FIELD V1 King Ahab of Samaria had a palace in Jezreel. Near the palace, there was a field. Naboth who l...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    PROCLAIM A FAST. — This might be only to cover all that was to be so foully done with a cloak of religious observance, or, perhaps more probably, to imply that some secret sin had been committed, whic...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ תִּכְתֹּ֥ב בַּ † סְּפָרִ֖ים לֵ אמֹ֑ר...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    NABOTH'S VINEYARD 1 Kings 21:1 "The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless is but for a moment." - Job 20:5 "If weakness may excuse, What murderer, what traitor, parricide,...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    BREAKING THREE COMMANDMENTS 1 Kings 21:1; 1 Kings 1:1; 1 Kings 2:1; 1 Kings 3:1;...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    This is a story in the private life of Ahab. Next to his own broad and rich possessions was a vineyard, the inheritance of a man who by comparison with Ahab was poor. Naboth, loyal to the law of God,...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a (d) fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: (d) For then they used to enquire of men's faults: for no one could truly fast if he was a notoriou...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Fast, as in a case of the greatest importance, where the welfare of the king and of the state are concerned. We have frequent mention of such extraordinary fasts, 2 Paralipomenon xx. 3., 1 Esdras viii...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (8) So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. (9) And she wrote in the let...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    The days were very dark in Israel. Not only rebellion. And rebellion, always serious, was peculiarly so in Israel, for there it was insubordination in a direct manner against not only God's providence...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    At Jezebel's instigation, Ahab adds sin to sin, and a piece of flagrant injustice fills up the apostasy of the king of Israel. He enjoys the fruit of a crime which he had not courage to commit himself...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND SHE WROTE IN THE LETTERS, SAYING, PROCLAIM A FAST,.... Pretending fears of some dreadful calamity coming upon the nation, and therefore fasting and humiliation were necessary to avert it, and it w...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: Ver. 9. _Proclaim a fast._] On fast days they were wont to execute heinous offenders, and thereby to ge...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _She wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast_ As if there had been some grievous crime committed, or some great calamity had befallen them, which all the people were to bewail, and purge themsel...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 Ahab being denied Naboths vineyard, is grieued. 5 Iezebel writing letters against Naboth, he is condemned of blasphemie. 15 Ahab taketh possession of the vineyard. 17 Eliiah denounceth iudgements...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE MURDER OF NABOTH...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, such as were customary in cases of a national calamity, AND SET NABOTH ON HIGH AMONG THE PEOPLE, indicating before the entire city that he was un...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    THE COLD-BLOODED MURDER OF NABOTH (vs.1-16) When one adopts a sullen, sulking character, it is likely to develop more seriously. Ahab illustrated this in his dealings with Naboth the Jezreelite. He c...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    ON HIGH AMONG THE PEOPLE: _ Heb._ in the top of the people...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    5-16 When, instead of a help meet, a man has an agent for Satan, in the form of an artful, unprincipled, yet beloved wife, fatal effects may be expected. Never were more wicked orders given by any pr...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    PROCLAIM A FAST, to remove all suspicion of hatred or evil design in Ahab, and to beget a good opinion of him amongst his people, as if his afflictions had done him good, and as if he were grown zealo...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    1 Kings 21:9 wrote H3789 (H8799) letters H5612 saying H559 (H8800) Proclaim H7121 (H8798) fast H6685 seat...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    JEZEBEL ARRANGES NABOTH'S DEATH IN ORDER TO OBTAIN HIS VINEYARD FOR AHAB WHO IS THEN SEVERELY REBUKED BY ELIJAH (1 KINGS 21:1). The story of Naboth's Vineyard is introduced here in order to illustrate...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    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...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    AHAB IS CONDEMNED BY ELIJAH FOR BOTH HIS PAST BEHAVIOUR AND FOR WHAT JEZEBEL HAS DONE AND REPENTS BEFORE YHWH (1 KINGS 21:1). We now come to what the account has been building up to, the condemnation...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Ahab covets Naboth's vineyard. Elijah announces Ahab's doom. CHARACTERS: God, Elijah, Ahab, Naboth, Jezebel. CONCLUSIONS: One may covet and get what it is not God's will for them to have,...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    1 Kings 21:3. _The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers._ Moses forbids the sale of an inheritance. Leviticus 25:23. Naboth had sons, it is presumed, and the sale would...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs._ AHAB’S GARDEN OF HERBS Walking in the garden, what do we see? 1. Covetousness. God’s brand is upon covetousness. Contentment is a Ch...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 21:1 An apparently reinvigorated Elijah appears again in Jezreel to denounce another sin of Ahab and to foretell the destruction of Ahab’s family for all its sins....

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 21:8 PROCLAIM A FAST. Jezebel’s plan to have Naboth executed on false charges requires the cooperation of ELDERS and LEADERS who don’t care about justice fo

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    AHAB AND THE VINEYARD OF NABOTH CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.— 1 Kings 21:1. NABOTH THE JEZREELITE—_Naboth’_ נָבוֹת, _fruits_, according to Gesenius; but _pre-eminence_, according to Fürst. He was...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION THE STORY OF NABOTH. THE DOOM OF AHAB'S HOUSE. HIS PENITENCE.— 1 KINGS 21:1 AND IT CAME TO PASS AFTER THESE THINGS [These words are omitted in th

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now it came to pass after these things, that there was a fellow by the name of Naboth who had a vineyard, down in the area of mount Gilboa (1 Kings 21:1). And it was an excellent vineyard and it was...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Genesis 34:13; Isaiah 58:4; John 18:28; Luke 20:47; Matthew 2:8;...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    A fast — To remove all suspicion of evil design in Ahab, and to beget a good opinion of him amongst his people, as if he were grown zealous for God's honour, and careful of his people's welfare, and t...

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