1 Kings 21

Notes on the verses

And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother. 33 Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said, Thy brother Ben-hadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Ben-hadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot. 34 And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities, Israel’s mercy, to whom before they had shown the utmost haughtiness. Ahab, dazzled perhaps by their flattery, and utterly regardless of consequences, makes peace with him, and sends him home in safety. For this very impolitic con sons of the prophets in dis actions peculiar to them, of which we have many instances in their writings. It has been objected to, that this reproof of Ahab for showing mercy, and the judgment inflicted on the man who refused to smite the prophet when desired, indicate a sanguinary disposition in the prophet, and can hardly be reconciled to the merciful character of the Deity.

We; how- Ver. 26. Aphek.—{Supposed to be the Aphek near the river Adonis, between Heliopolis and Biblos, and probably the same place that Pau? Lucas mentions in his voyage to the Levant. It was swallowed up by an earthquake, and formed a lake about nine miles in circumference, in which he says there were several houses still to be seen entire under the water.}—Bagster. Ver. 31. Put sackcloth, &c.—{Six of the citizens of Calais are said to have acted nearly in the same manner, when they surrendered their city to treat Edward the Third, king of England, in 1346. See the whole story circumstan- Greek tally related by Sir John Froissart, who lived in that time, with that simpli- Turks city and detail that give it every appearance of truth.

}—Bagster. Ver. 34. Streets in Damascus.—{One of the conditions of this covenant we learn was, that Ahab should have “streets, chutzoth, in Damascus;” a proposal better relished by Ahab than understood by the generality of commentators. This, however, is well illustrated by Harmer, from William of Tyre, u was not. Naboth, he is condemned of blasphemy. 15 Ahab taketh pais of the vineyard. 17 Elijah denounceth judgments against Ahab and Jezebel 21 Wicked Ahab rev 282.125 penting, God deferreth the Sfdeneni D it came to pass after these things, that w Job 15.6. Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, Lu. 19,22. which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Xx 6.2231. Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give y c.21.4, A.

M. 3105. “nile thy vineyard, that I may have it for a B. C. 899. garden of herbs, because it is near unto my a 18a.8.14. house: and I will give thee for it a better b be good in thine vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. see only the outward circumstances, but God reads the He also sees “the end from the beginning;” (Isa. xlv1. 10.) and, knowing al the future consequences, is the only judge of his own conduct; we cannot therefore reason better duct, he is reproved by one of the the patriarch Abraham, in all such cases—“Shall not guise, In one of those symbolical the judge of all the earth d ought??” ((Genesis 18:25).) Chap. X XI. Ver. 1—29.

Ahab offers to buy Naboth’s vine but is refused. Jezebel plots his death, and gains possession.—We now come to one of the most iniquitous transns recorded in the Scriptures. Ahab had a particular fancy for a vineyard which belonged to Naboth, in the vicinity of Jezreel, where the king had a palace, as well as in Samaria. the great historian of the Crusades; from whom it appears that it was customary to give those nations which were engaged in them, churches, streets, and great jurisdiction therein, in those places which they assisted to conquer. The Genoese and Venetians had each a street in Acon, or Acre, in which they had their own jurisdiction, with liberty e reported to measures, &c to have an oven, mill, por so weights and So Knolles, in his history of the Turks, relates, that in the f peace granted by Bajazet, the Turkish emperor, to Emanuel, the emperor, it was stipulated, that the latter should grant free liberty to the to dwell together, in one street of Constantinople, with the free exercise of their own religion, laws, &c.

}—Bagster. he was covered with blood 38. Disguised himself with ashes.—That is, and dirt, as though he had been a wounded soldier. Chap. XXL. Ver. 2. Give me thy vineyard.—[The request of Ahab, at first appears fair and honourable. But, as he most evidently wished Naboth to alienate it finally, which was expressly forbidden and provided against in the law of God, (Leviticus xxv. 14, 28.) it was high iniquity in Ahab to tempt him to do it, and to covet it showed the depravity of his soul.]—Bagster. 3 Ver. 3. The Lord forbid.—Some read, (perhaps more correctly,) “It is forbidden me from Jehovah, that I should give,” &c. referring to the law which prohibited the alienation of estates in Israel, (Leviticus 25:23). Numbers xxxvi. 1—9. The original implies, it would be profane, and contrary to the law. Ver. 8. So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal.—The very ancient custom of sealing despatches with a seal or signet set in a ring, is still retained in the East. Dr. Pococke says, “In Egypt, they make the impression of their name with their seal, (generally of cornelian,) which they wear on their finger, and which is blacked when they have occasion to seal with it.” f i Sah Ver. 9. On high among the people.—That is, set him up to be tried in the public court. Ver. 10. Thou didst blaspheme.—The word most frequently means, to bless, and Parkhurst thinks always, and understands it of blessing the heathen gods and Moloch, which seems a strange accusation to come from Jezebel against a Jew.

But extraordinary as it may seem, there are in most (perhaps in all) languages, words which admit of contrary meanings; as in English, to let. In such cases, however, they may spring from one common source. So the Heb Barak means to kneel, (2 Chronicles 6:13). and implies, to speak with great earnestness, as persons who either implore a blessing, or imprecate a curse. It is evident that Jezebel meant to charge Naboth with treason, as well as blasphemy, that she might get possession of the vineyard for Ahab. See ver. 15. Ver. 13. And stoned him.—Not him only, but his children; for the Lord says, (2 Kings 9:26). “I have seen…. the blood of Naboth and of his sons.” Ver. 23. Dogs shall eat Jezebel.—{Shocking as this must appear to minds that have been humanized by the kindly influence of Christianity, we still find similar instances in the accounts of modern travellers.

Bruce says, that when at Gondar, “the bodies of those killed by the sword were hewn to pieces, and scattered about the streets, being denied burial. I was miserable, and almost driven to despair, at seeing my hunting dogs, twice let loose by the carelessness of my servants, bringing into the court-yard the heads and arms of slaughtered men, and which I could no way prevent, but by the destruction of the dogs themselves.”}—Bagster. ie