Soon his wife Jezebel came in and asked, “Why are you so sullen that you refuse to eat?”
Parallel translations
- WEB But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sad, that you eat no bread?”
- KJV But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
- NKJV But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sullen that you eat no food?”
- NASB But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating food?”
- NLT “What’s the matter?” his wife Jezebel asked him. “What’s made you so upset that you’re not eating?”
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
Jezebel comes and asks Ahab why he is so sullen that he will not eat. Her question sets in motion her ruthless plan.
Overview
Ahab's queen, Jezebel, finds him dejected and inquires after the cause of his depressed refusal to eat. Her concern is not for righteousness but for restoring her husband's contentment by any means. The exchange introduces Jezebel as the driving force of evil who will manipulate law and power to gratify Ahab's covetousness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Esth 4:5Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs appointed to her, and she dispatched him to Mordecai to learn what was troubling him and why.
- 1 Kgs 16:31And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal.
- 1 Kgs 21:25(Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel.
- Neh 2:2so the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the heart.” I was overwhelmed with fear
- 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.”
- Gen 3:6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
- 1 Kgs 18:4for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)
- 1 Kgs 19:2So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the lives of those you killed!”
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Christ at the center
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 21:5 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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