1 Kings 21:8-16

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 in his city, dwelling with Naboth, (9) and she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people, (10) and two men, sons of Belial, before him that they may testify against him, saying, You cursed God and king; then they shall take him out, and stone him, that he may die. (11) And the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in his city, did according to that which Jezebel had sent unto them, according to that which was written in the letters which she had sent onto them. (12) They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. (13) And two of the men, sons of Belial, came and sat before him, and the men of Belial testified against him, against Naboth, before the people, saying, Naboth cursed God and king! And they brought him without the city, and stoned him with stones, and he died. (14) And they sent unto Jezebel, saying, Naboth has been stoned, and is dead. (15) And it came to pass when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said unto Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite which he refused to give you for silver; for Naboth is not alive, but dead. (16) And it came to pass when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that he arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to possess it.

COMMENTS

In short order Jezebel set in motion a plot which would eliminate Naboth. Letters were written in the name of the king, sealed with the royal seal, and sent to the elders[480] and nobles in Jezreel (1 Kings 21:8). These elders and judges are said to sit with Naboth, probably on the city council. One cannot be absolutely sure, but the fact that the queen used the royal seal suggests that Ahab may have been aware of what his wicked wife was up to.[481]

[480] The institution of the monarchy had not divested the elders of their former authority in the various cities. However, it is obvious that these leaders were completely subservient to the crown. They could be depended upon to execute his orders even when called upon to perform a travesty of justice.
[481] On the other hand, Jezebel may have obtained control of the seal without Ahab's knowledge.

Jezebel's plan was brazen and simple. A fast was to be proclaimed in Jezreel as though the city had come under a curse because of some undisclosed sin. Naboth was to be seated on high, i.e., accorded his usual position as one of the elders and judges of the city (1 Kings 21:9). There must be no semblance of premeditation. During the assembly two witnesses were to raise an accusation against Naboth and testify against him. These sons of Belial[482] i.e., worthless men, were to accuse Naboth of having cursed[483] both God and His representative, the king. Such cursing, according to the Law of Moses, was a capital crime.[484] Naboth would then be stoned to death (1 Kings 21:10).

[482] The connotation of this phrase is well known, but the etymology is uncertain. It is not clear whether the false witnesses became sons of Belial by virtue of this testimony, or whether they were worthless men to start with. Probably their past record and reputation were well known.
[483] The Hebrew uses a verb which more commonly means bless. Some scholars regard the word as a euphemism. Others feel the word had dual meaning and could refer to either blessing or cursing.

[484] Exodus 22:28; Deuteronomy 13:11; 2 Samuel 16:9; 2 Samuel 19:21.

The elders at Jezreel must have been as corrupt and as wicked as their queen to agree to such a treacherous act as Jezebel had proposed. Their ready compliance (1 Kings 21:11) shows not only the moral degradation of the day, but also the terror which the name of Jezebel inspired. The fast was proclaimed; Naboth was set at the head of the people in a prominent position (1 Kings 21:12). The two witnesses presented their tainted testimony in a most convincing manner, and no amount of protest on the part of the pious Naboth could sway the crowd. They were interested in this charge of blasphemy because, if left unpunished, the guilt of such a sin would rest on the entire community. The fast created a mood on the part of the community in which they were prepared to accept the fact that someone through sin had brought the community under Divine wrath. Convinced that Naboth had brought down the curse of God on their city, the crowd pushed and shoved this man of God outside the city walls where they laid their hands on his head (Deuteronomy 24:14) and then stoned him[485] to death (1 Kings 21:13). Then the elders returned word to Jezebel, who seems to have been in Samaria, that the dastardly deed had been done (1 Kings 21:14). It would seem that in ancient Israel the properties of those accused of treason were automatically forfeited to the crown.[486] So when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been executed for this crime, she announced to Ahab that the way was clear for him to claim his coveted vineyard. There is irony in the words of the queen, which he refused to give you for silver. The simple Naboth had refused to sell; now he had lost his life along with his property (1 Kings 21:15). The moody Ahab was jubilant when he heard that Naboth was dead, and he arose immediately to go down to Jezreel to take possession of the vineyard (1 Kings 21:16).

[485] According to 2 Kings 9:26, it would appear that not only Naboth, but that his entire family was killed.

[486] It is also possible that the property reverted to the crown because there was no legal heir, since Naboth's entire family was executed.