And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
Naboth refused to give, sell, or exchange his ancestral vineyard to Ahab. He regarded the vineyard as his fathers' God-given inheritance that he was not free to surrender, but was forbidden by the Lord to transfer, so that keeping it was a duty before the Lord. He valued it highly as the inheritance received from his fathers and resolved not to part with it. Israel's law protected family and tribal land from permanent transfer and required each family to retain its ancestral land. It forbade permanent transfer by sale or exchange and required every Israelite to keep to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers, so Naboth's refusal upheld that inheritance in obedience.
The verse belongs to the later years of Ahab's life when Jezebel's evil influence over him continued and bore fruit in deeds of shame and violence seldom equaled. It shows one who sold himself to work wickedness as his wife stirred him up. Ahab was naturally covetous and selfish in desiring the property. Strengthened and sustained in wrongdoing by Jezebel, he had followed his evil heart until he was fully controlled by selfishness. He could brook no refusal and felt that what he desired should by right be his.
Naboth's refusal was the occasion for Ahab coveting the vineyard and seizing it by killing Naboth. That killing was a grave crime of murder committed for selfish gain. It was a grave evil for which Elijah later prophesied judgment on Ahab and his house. The seizure of Naboth's vineyard compares to the selfish pursuit of land from the Boers by the English-speaking powers. The account of Naboth's killing to obtain his vineyard shows the need for rulers to establish the facts, judge with strict integrity, and punish the guilty impartially. Negligence or corruption that lets murder go unpunished makes authorities answerable for shielding the crime.
Naboth refused to give, sell, or exchange his ancestral vineyard to Ahab. He regarded the vineyard as his fathers' God-given inheritance that he was not free to surrender, but was forbidden by the Lord to transfer, so that keeping it was a duty before the Lord. He valued it highly as the inheritance received from his fathers and resolved not to part with it. Israel's law protected family and tribal land from permanent transfer and required each family to retain its ancestral land. It forbade permanent transfer by sale or exchange and required every Israelite to keep to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers, so Naboth's refusal upheld that inheritance in obedience.
The verse belongs to the later years of Ahab's life when Jezebel's evil influence over him continued and bore fruit in deeds of shame and violence seldom equaled. It shows one who sold himself to work wickedness as his wife stirred him up. Ahab was naturally covetous and selfish in desiring the property. Strengthened and sustained in wrongdoing by Jezebel, he had followed his evil heart until he was fully controlled by selfishness. He could brook no refusal and felt that what he desired should by right be his.
Naboth's refusal was the occasion for Ahab coveting the vineyard and seizing it by killing Naboth. That killing was a grave crime of murder committed for selfish gain. It was a grave evil for which Elijah later prophesied judgment on Ahab and his house. The seizure of Naboth's vineyard compares to the selfish pursuit of land from the Boers by the English-speaking powers. The account of Naboth's killing to obtain his vineyard shows the need for rulers to establish the facts, judge with strict integrity, and punish the guilty impartially. Negligence or corruption that lets murder go unpunished makes authorities answerable for shielding the crime.