New American Standard Bible 2020
1 Kings 21:27
27Yet it came about, when Ahab heard these words, that 1he tore his clothes and put 2on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently.
1 Kings 21:27 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
- New International Version (NIV)When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning.
Context of 1 Kings 21:27
25There certainly was no one like Ahab who gave himself over to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife incited him. 26He also acted very despicably in following idols, conforming to everything that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord drove out from the sons of Israel. Yet it came about, when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently. 28Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29“Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; I will bring the disaster upon his house in his son’s days.”
Read all of 1 Kings 211 Kings 21:27 word by word
וַיְהִי֩ כִשְׁמֹ֨עַ אַחְאָ֜ב אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֤ים הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙ וַיִּקְרַ֣ע בְּגָדָ֔יו וַיָּֽשֶׂם־שַׂ֥ק עַל־בְּשָׂר֖וֹ וַיָּצ֑וֹם וַיִּשְׁכַּ֣ב בַּשָּׂ֔ק וַיְהַלֵּ֖ךְ אַֽט׃ סRead the interlinear
- Yet it cameהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
- when Ahabאַחְאָב'ach'âb 'echâb · AhabH256
- heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- theseאֵ֫לֶּה'êlleh · theseH428
- wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- he toreקָרַעqâra‛ · to tearH7167
- his clothesבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
- and putשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
- on sackclothשַׂקώaq · sackclothH8242
- and fastedצוּםtsûm · to fastH6684
- and he layשָׁכַבshâkab · to lie down: lay downH7901
- and wentהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
- despondentlyאַט'aţ · softlyH328
Cross-references for 1 Kings 21:27
- Genesis 37:34So Jacob tore his clothes, and put on a sackcloth undergarment over his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
- 2 Kings 6:30When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes--and he was passing by on the wall--and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth underneath on his body.
- 2 Kings 18:37Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the secretary, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.
- Jonah 3:6When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, removed his robe from himself, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the dust.
- 2 Samuel 12:17The elders of his household stood beside him in order to help him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them.
- Job 16:15I have sewed sackcloth over my skin, And thrust my horn in the dust.
- Isaiah 22:12Therefore on that day the Lord God of armies called you to weeping, to wailing, To shaving the head, and to wearing sackcloth.
- Isaiah 58:5Is it a fast like this that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?
- Joel 1:13Put on sackcloth And mourn, you priests; Wail, you ministers of the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth, You ministers of my God, For the grain offering and the drink offering Have been withheld from the house of your God.
- Isaiah 38:15“What shall I say? For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it; I will walk quietly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 21:27
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 27He rent his clothes - He was penetrated with sorrow, and that evidently unfeigned. Put sackcloth upon his flesh - He humbled himself before God and man. And fasted - He afflicted his body for his soul's benefit. Lay in sackcloth - Gave the fullest proof that his repentance was real. And went softly - Walked barefooted; so the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic. The Vulgate has demisso capite, "with his head hanging down." Houbigant translates went groaning…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 27The repentance of Ahab resembles that of the Ninevites Jonah 3:5. It has the same outward signs - fasting and sackcloth - and it has much the same inward character. It springs, not from love, nor from hatred of sin, but from fear of the consequences of sin. It is thus, although sincere and real while it lasts, shallow and exceedingly short-lived. God, however, to mark His readiness to receive the sinner who turns to Him, accepted the imperfect offering…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-29Verses 17-29 Blessed Paul complains that he was sold under sin, Ro 7:14, as a poor captive against his will; but Ahab was willing, he sold himself to sin; of choice, and as his own act and deed, he loved the dominion of sin. Jezebel his wife stirred him up to do wickedly. Ahab is reproved, and his sin set before his eyes, by Elijah. That man's condition is very miserable, who has made the word of God his enemy; and very desperate, who reckons the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27-29Ahab was a complicated person. He was rightly criticized for his evil actions, but he did repent when a prophet delivered a message of rebuke (1 Kings 21:27). Because Ahab repented, the Lord sent Elijah to delay the terrible punishment meant for Ahab and instead place it on his equally wicked sons (2 Kings 1:17; 9:24–26; 10:1–11).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 27-2927-29. Ahab ... rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly--He was not obdurate, like Jezebel. This terrible announcement made a deep impression on the king's heart, and led, for a while, to sincere repentance. Going softly, that is, barefoot, and with a pensive manner, within doors. He manifested all the external signs, conventional and natural, of the deepest sorrow. He was wretched, and so…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 21:27
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. 1 Kings 21:27 Gen 37:34; 2 Sam 3:31; 2 Kin 6:30 ↩
- 2. 1 Kings 21:27 Lit sackcloth on his flesh ↩
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
New American Standard Bible 2020 — © 1960–2020 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Commentaries