God’s Word Translation
1 Kings 21:8
8So Jezebel wrote letters, signed them with Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal. She sent them to the respected leaders and nobles living in Naboth’s city.
1 Kings 21:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
- New International Version (NIV)So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him.
- English Standard Version (ESV)So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth.
Context of 1 Kings 21:8
6He told her, “I talked to Naboth from Jezreel. I said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard. Or, if you like, I’ll give you another vineyard for it.’ But he said, ‘I won’t give you my vineyard.’ ” 7His wife Jezebel said to him, “Aren’t you king of Israel? Get up, eat, and cheer up. I’ll give you the vineyard belonging to Naboth from Jezreel.” So Jezebel wrote letters, signed them with Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal. She sent them to the respected leaders and nobles living in Naboth’s city. 9In these letters she wrote: “Announce a fast. Seat Naboth as leader of the people. 10Have two good-for-nothing men sit opposite him and accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then stone him to death outside the city.”
Read all of 1 Kings 211 Kings 21:8 word by word
וַתִּכְתֹּ֤ב סְפָרִים֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם אַחְאָ֔ב וַתַּחְתֹּ֖ם בְּחֹתָמ֑וֹ וַתִּשְׁלַ֣ח סְפָרִ֗ים אֶל־הַזְקֵנִ֤ים וְאֶל־הַֽחֹרִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּעִיר֔וֹ הַיֹּשְׁבִ֖ים אֶת־נָבֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- So she wroteכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
- lettersסֵ֫פֶרsêpher siphrâh · scroll: documentH5612
- in Ahab’sאַחְאָב'ach'âb 'echâb · AhabH256
- nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- and sealedחָתַםchâtham · to sealH2856
- with his sealחֹתָםchôthâm chôthâm · signetH2368
- and sentשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
- unto the eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
- and to the noblesחֹרchôr chôr · nobleH2715
- in his cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- dwellingיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- with Nabothנָבוֹתnâbôth · NabothH5022
Cross-references for 1 Kings 21:8
- 2 Samuel 11:14In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.
- 2 Chronicles 32:17Sennacherib wrote letters cursing the Lord God of Israel. These letters said, “As the gods of the nations in other countries couldn’t rescue their people from me, Hezekiah’s God cannot rescue his people from me.”
- Ezra 4:7Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their group wrote to him when Artaxerxes was king of Persia. The letter was written with the Aramaic script and translated into the Aramaic language.
- Nehemiah 6:5When Sanballat sent me the same message a fifth time, his servant held in his hand an unsealed letter.
- Esther 3:12On the thirteenth day of the first month the king’s scribes were summoned. All Haman’s orders were written to the king’s satraps, the governors of every province, and the officials of every people. They wrote to each province in its own script and to the people in each province in their own language. The orders were signed in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s ring.
- Esther 8:8You write what you think is best for the Jews in the king’s name. Seal it also with the king’s signet ring, because whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot be canceled.”
- Numbers 11:16The Lord answered Moses, “Bring me 70 Israelite men who you know are leaders and officers of the people. Take them to the tent of meeting, and have them stand with you.
- Deuteronomy 16:18Appoint judges and officers for your tribes in every city that the Lord your God is giving you. They are to judge the people fairly.
- Deuteronomy 21:1This is what you must do if you find a murder victim lying in a field in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. If no one knows who committed the murder,
- 1 Kings 21:1This is what happened next. Naboth from Jezreel had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.
- 2 Kings 10:1Ahab had 70 male heirs in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters to the officials of Jezreel, the respected leaders, and the guardians of Ahab’s descendants in Samaria. The letters read,
Commentaries on 1 Kings 21:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8She wrote letters in Ahab's name - She counterfeited his authority by his own consent; and he lent his signet to stamp that authority.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Seal - The seal is a very ancient invention. Judah‘s signet and Pharaoh‘s signet-ring are mentioned in Genesis Genesis 38:18; Genesis 41:42. Signets of Egyptian kings have been found which are referred to about 2000 B.C. Sennacherib‘s signet, and an impression of Sargon‘s, are still extant. There can be no doubt that in the East, from a very remote antiquity, kings had seals and appended them to all documents which they set forth under their authority…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-16Verses 5-16 When, instead of a help meet, a man has an agent for Satan, in the form of an artful, unprincipled, yet beloved wife, fatal effects may be expected. Never were more wicked orders given by any prince, than those Jezebel sent to the rulers of Jezreel. Naboth must be murdered under colour of religion. There is no wickedness so vile, so horrid, but religion has sometimes been made a cover for it. Also, it must be done under colour of justice, and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-9among the people: This type of meeting usually dealt with sin that might lead to divine punishment (see Deuteronomy 21:1–9; Joshua 7:10–12; 1 Samuel 7:1–6). Jezebel called it to falsely accuse an innocent person.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal--The seal-ring contained the name of the king and gave validity to the documents to which it was affixed (Es 8:8; Da 6:17). By allowing her the use of his signet-ring, Ahab passively consented to Jezebel's proceeding. Being written in the king's name, it had the character of a royal mandate. sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city--They were the civic…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 21:8
In the dictionaries
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
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