MPV Commentary

7. Now you govern Israel? This is more of an insult than a question - "What kind of king are you?" Can't you use your power to take what you want?

Arise, eat bread, and be merry; I will give you the vineyard. After scolding Ahab for being weak, Jezebel tells him not to bother with this trivial matter anymore; she'll guarantee he gets the vineyard.

8. So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal. The seal-ring bore the king's name and gave legitimacy to any documents it was attached to (Esther 8:8; Daniel 6:17). By allowing her to use his signet-ring, Ahab passively agreed to Jezebel's plan. Since they were written in the king's name, they carried the weight of a royal decree.

She sent these letters to the elders and nobles in Jezreel - the civic leaders who would likely do her bidding. It appears that although Ahab had recently been in Jezreel when he offered Naboth the vineyard, both he and Jezebel were now in Samaria (1 Kings 20:43).

9. Proclaim a fast, saying, "Naboth has blasphemed God and the king." The corrupt officials followed orders. Pretending that someone had committed a serious offense against God and the king, they called for a public fast to uncover the culprit and punish them. Fasts were declared in times of national crisis (2 Chronicles 20:3; Ezra 8:21; Joel 1:14; 2:15; Jonah 3:5). The wicked leaders of Jezreel used this tactic to create an appearance of justice and make Naboth's crime seem like treason against the king.

They placed Naboth on a high platform, where he was visible to everyone in the court. However, since the guilty party was unknown, setting him on high likely meant that he was among the respected men of the city.

13. Two false witnesses appeared - men who had been bribed to lie. The law required at least two witnesses for capital offenses (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15; Numbers 35:30; Matthew 26:60). Cursing God and cursing the king were both considered serious offenses, with the king representing God on earth.

They took Naboth outside the city and stoned him to death. The law did not specify a penalty for this offense, but it was likely that stoning had become an accepted punishment through custom or the actions of the Jezreel authorities. Stoning was always carried out outside the city walls (Acts 7:58).

14-16. Jezebel told Ahab to rise and take possession of Naboth's vineyard - now forfeited to the king due to traditionary practice, not law (2 Samuel 16:4). With Naboth executed and his family implicated in the same sentence (2 Kings 9:26), his property was automatically transferred to the crown.

Ahab got up to go down to Jezreel from Samaria.