1 Kings 21:2

1 Kings 21:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.
• New International Version (NIV)Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And after this Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money."
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near, next to my house; and for it I will give you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.”

Context of 1 Kings 21:2

1This is what happened next. Naboth from Jezreel had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. Ahab told Naboth, “Give me your vineyard. It will become my vegetable garden because it is near my house. I will give you a better vineyard for it. Or if you prefer, I will pay you a fair price for it.” 3Naboth told Ahab, “The Lord has forbidden me to give you what I inherited from my ancestors.” 4Resentful and upset, Ahab went home because of what Naboth from Jezreel had told him. (⌞Naboth had said,⌟ “I will not give you what I inherited from my ancestors.”) So Ahab lay on the couch, turned his face ⌞from everyone⌟, and refused to eat.

1 Kings 21:2 word by word

וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אַחְאָ֣ב אֶל־נָב֣וֹת׀ לֵאמֹר֩׀ תְּנָה־לִּ֨י אֶֽת־כַּרְמְךָ֜ וִֽיהִי־לִ֣י לְגַן־יָרָ֗ק כִּ֣י ה֤וּא קָרוֹב֙ אֵ֣צֶל בֵּיתִ֔י וְאֶתְּנָ֤ה לְךָ֙ תַּחְתָּ֔יו כֶּ֖רֶם ט֣וֹב מִמֶּ֑נּוּ אִ֚ם ט֣וֹב בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ אֶתְּנָה־לְךָ֥ כֶ֖סֶף מְחִ֥יר זֶֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Ahabאַחְאָב'ach'âb 'echâb · AhabH256
• spakeדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• unto Nabothנָבוֹתnâbôth · NabothH5022
• sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• me thy vineyardכֶּרֶםkerem · vineyardH3754
• that I may have it for a gardenגַּןgan · gardenH1588
• of herbsיָרָקyârâq · herbH3419
• nearקָרֹבqârôb qârôb · nearH7138
• untoאֵ֫צֶל'êtsel · besideH681
• my houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: palaceH1004
• thee for it a betterטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• to theeעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: appearanceH5869
• thee the worthמְחִירmechîyr · priceH4242
• of it in moneyכֶּ֫סֶףkeseph · silver: moneyH3701

Cross-references for 1 Kings 21:2

• Leviticus 25:14If you sell anything to your neighbor or buy anything from him, don’t take advantage of him.
• Genesis 3:6The woman saw that the tree had fruit that was good to eat, nice to look at, and desirable for making someone wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
• Exodus 20:17“Never desire to take your neighbor’s household away from him. “Never desire to take your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him.”
• Deuteronomy 5:21“Never desire to take your neighbor’s wife away from him. “Never long for your neighbor’s household, his field, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him.”
• 1 Samuel 8:14He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his officials.
• Jeremiah 22:17“But your eyes and your mind are set on nothing but dishonest profits. You kill innocent people and violently oppress your people.”
• Habakkuk 2:9“ ‘How horrible it will be for the one who uses violence to get things for his own household in order to set his nest up high and save himself from disaster.’
• Luke 12:15He told the people, “Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed. Life is not about having a lot of material possessions.”
• 1 Timothy 6:9But people who want to get rich keep falling into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires which drown them in destruction and ruin.
• James 1:14Everyone is tempted by his own desires as they lure him away and trap him.
• 2 Kings 9:27When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled on the road leading to Beth Haggan. Jehu pursued him and ordered, “Shoot him down in his chariot.” They shot him at Gur Pass, which is near Ibleam. Ahaziah continued to flee until he got to Megiddo, where he died.
• Deuteronomy 11:10The land you’re about to enter and take possession of isn’t like the land you left in Egypt. There you used to plant your seed, and you had to water it like a vegetable garden.
• Ecclesiastes 2:5I made gardens and parks for myself. I planted every kind of fruit tree in them.
• Genesis 16:6Abram answered Sarai, “Here, she’s your slave. Do what you like with her.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar so much that she ran away.
• 1 Samuel 8:6But Samuel considered it wrong for them to request a king to judge them. So Samuel prayed to the Lord.
• 1 Samuel 29:6Then Achish called David and told him, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, you are a dependable man. I consider your campaigning with me a good thing, because I’ve never found anything wrong with you from the day you came to me until now. But the rulers don’t approve of you.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 21:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Give me thy vineyard - The request of Ahab seems at first view fair and honorable. Naboth's vineyard was nigh to the palace of Ahab, and he wished to add it to his own for a kitchen garden, or perhaps a grass-plat, ירק גן gan yarak ; and he offers to give him either a better vineyard for it, or to give him its worth in money. Naboth rejects the proposal with horror: The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to thee. No man…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2I will give thee the worth of it in money - literally, “I will give thee silver, the worth of it.” Money, in our sense of the word, that is to say, coins of definite values, did not yet exist. The first coin known to the Jews was the Persian daric, with which they became acquainted during the captivity. (1 Chronicles 29:7 note).Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3Naboth turned down Ahab's generous offer to buy or trade land for his vineyard. Naboth wanted to sell, but the law required inherited property to remain with the original family or tribe (Leviticus 25:23–28; Numbers 36:7–9). Unlike kings of nearby nations who could take any property they wanted (1 Samuel 8:11–17), Ahab had to follow Israel's law.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-41Ki 21:1-4. Naboth Refuses Ahab His Vineyard. 1-3. Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel--Ahab was desirous, from its contiguity to the palace, to possess it for a vegetable garden. He proposed to Naboth to give him a better in exchange, or to obtain it by purchase; but the owner declined to part with it. In persisting in his refusal, Naboth was not actuated by any feelings of disloyalty or disrespect to the king, but solely from a…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 21:2

• Covetousness
• Dishonesty
• Indictments
• King
• Money
• Naboth
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Ahab
• Abominably
• Blaspheme
• Gardens
• Lay
• Lick
• Naboth
• Provocation
• Stoning
• Witness

Commentaries on 1 Kings 21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings