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.
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.
- BSB 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.
- 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.
- 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 20:43The king of Israel went to his house sullen and angry, and came to Samaria.
- Jas 1:14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
- Num 22:13–14Balaam rose up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land; for Yahweh refuses to permit me to go with you.”
- 2 Sam 13:4He said to him, “Why, son of the king, are you so sad from day to day? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
- Isa 57:20–21But the wicked are like the troubled sea; for it can’t rest, and its waters cast up mire and mud.
- Job 5:2For resentment kills the foolish man, and jealousy kills the simple.
- 2 Sam 13:2Amnon was so troubled that he became sick because of his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her.
- Jonah 4:1But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
- 1 Kgs 21:3Naboth said to Ahab, “May Yahweh forbid me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!”
- Eccl 6:9Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
- Jonah 4:9God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the vine?” He said, “I am right to be angry, even to death.”
- Hab 2:9–12Woe to him who gets an evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil!
- Gen 4:5–8but he didn’t respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell.
- Eph 4:27and don’t give place to the devil.
- Eccl 7:8–9Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
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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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