Naboth
A man of Jezreel whose vineyard lay beside Ahab's palace. When the king offered to buy it or trade for a better one, Naboth refused — he would not give away the inheritance of his fathers — and Ahab went home sullen and would not eat. Jezebel arranged the rest: a proclaimed fast, two worthless witnesses, a charge of cursing God and the king, and a stoning outside the city. Ahab went down to take possession and met Elijah there, with the judgement that would fall on his house.
What we know — and how we know it
Where in scripture
1 Kings2 KingsAfter these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
1 Kings 21:1
Naboth said to Ahab, “May Yahweh forbid me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!”
1 Kings 21:3 — Refuses to sell his inheritance
Joram said, “Get ready!” They got his chariot ready. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and found him on Naboth the Jezreelite’s land.
2 Kings 9:21
Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, “Pick him up, and throw him in the plot of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember how, when you and I rode together after Ahab his father, Yahweh laid this burden on him:
2 Kings 9:25
‘Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons,’ says Yahweh; ‘and I will repay you in this plot of ground,’ says Yahweh. Now therefore take and cast him onto the plot of ground, according to Yahweh’s word.”
2 Kings 9:26
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
In their own words — 1 recorded saying
“But Naboth said to Ahab, By the Lord, far be it from me to give you the heritage of my fathers. So Ahab came into his house bitter and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, I will not give you the heritage of my fathers. And stretching himself on the bed with his face turned away, he would take no food.” — 1 Kings 21:3-4
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
Places in their life
Photo: Ori~ — Attribution (via Wikimedia Commons)
In art
