So Ahab went to his palace, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had told him, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and refused to eat.
Parallel translations
- WEB Ahab came into his house sullen and angry because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He laid himself down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
- KJV And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
- NKJV So Ahab went into his house sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food.
- NASB So Ahab entered his house sullen and furious because of the answer that Naboth the Jezreelite had given to him, since he said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned his face away, and ate no food.
- NLT So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Ahab goes home sullen and angry, refusing to eat, because Naboth would not give up his inheritance. The king sulks rather than accepting a righteous refusal.
Overview
Denied the vineyard, Ahab retreats to his bed in resentful gloom, refusing food, just as he sulked after the prophet's rebuke. His petulance over a lawful refusal reveals a heart enslaved to covetous desire and unwilling to submit to God's order. This childish bitterness opens the door for Jezebel's wicked scheme to seize what the king covets.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 1 Kgs 20:43Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went home to Samaria.
- Jas 1:14But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.
- Num 22:13–14So Balaam got up the next morning and said to Balak’s princes, “Go back to your homeland, because the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”
- 2 Sam 13:4so he asked Amnon, “Why are you, the son of the king, so depressed morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon replied, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
- Isa 57:20–21But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waves churn up mire and muck.
- Job 5:2For resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.
- 2 Sam 13:2Amnon was sick with frustration over his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed implausible for him to do anything to her.
- Jonah 4:1Jonah, however, was greatly displeased, and he became angry.
- 1 Kgs 21:3But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
- Eccl 6:9Better what the eye can see than the wandering of desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
- Jonah 4:9Then God asked Jonah, “Have you any right to be angry about the plant?” “I do,” he replied. “I am angry enough to die!”
- Hab 2:9–12Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, to place his nest on high and escape the hand of disaster!
- Gen 4:5–8but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.
- Eph 4:27and do not give the devil a foothold.
- Eccl 7:8–9The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
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Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 21:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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