1 Kings 21:17-29
Chapter 21
“Go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, in Samaria. He is taking possession of Naboth’s vineyard.
Say to him: ‘Have you killed and have taken possession at the same time?’ Then give him this word of mine: ‘Dogs shall lick your blood in the very place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth.’”
Ahab then said to Elijah: “Who, better than my enemy, could find me here and now!” Elijah answered: “I have come to you because you have done what the Lord abhors.
This is the Lord’s word: ‘I will bring disgrace on you. I will sweep you away and cut off every male of your family, from the lowest to the greatest.
Your family will disappear like the families of Jeroboam and Baasha because you have offended me and have dragged Israel into sin.’
There is another word of the Lord to Jezebel: ‘The dogs shall devour Jezebel within the territory of Jezreel.’
If anyone of Ahab’s line dies in the city, he shall be devoured by dogs; if in the green country, the birds of the air shall feed on him.”
There was no one like Ahab, urged by his wife Jezebel, to do what the Lord abhorred.
He did horrible things and ran after unclean idols just as the Amorites had done, from whom the Lord had taken the land to give it to Israel.
On hearing these words, Ahab tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He fasted as he lay in sackcloth and moved around despondently.
Then the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself?
Because of this, I will not bring about the disaster during his reign; during his son’s reign, disgrace will fall on his family.”
Commentaries
Naboth’s Vineyard.
Jezreel (1-7) is located in the eastern corner of the Esdraelon Plain, near the Jordan River, in a highly fertile area. Naboth was likely one of the notable figures in the town, where King Ahab also owned properties. The king wants to buy Naboth’s vineyard, but Naboth refuses. In response, Jezebel schemes to eliminate Naboth and take his vineyard. The plan succeeds with the support of the city’s elders and notables. In this context, Elijah appears. Elijah’s confrontation with Ahab closely resembles that of Nathan with David (cf. 2 Sm 12). In both cases, the prophets’ courage and boldness are highlighted, as they do not back down even in the presence of kings. Like David, Ahab also shows signs of repentance. Following the strict principle of retribution that guides much of the Old Testament, Ahab’s repentance is rewarded by delaying the end of his dynasty—that it will not happen during Ahab’s lifetime but during the reign of his son.