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

1After this the following episode took place. Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel adjacent to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard so I can make a vegetable garden out of it, for it is adjacent to my palace. I will give you an even better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, I will pay you silver for it.” 3But Naboth replied to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should sell you my ancestral inheritance.” 4So Ahab went into his palace, bitter and angry that Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not sell to you my ancestral inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, pouted, and would not 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 make a sale to your fellow citizen or buy from your fellow citizen, no one is to wrong his brother.
• Genesis 3:6When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
• Exodus 20:17“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
• Deuteronomy 5:21You must not desire another man’s wife, nor should you crave his house, his field, his male and female servants, his ox, his donkey, or anything else he owns.”
• 1 Samuel 8:14He will take your best fields and vineyards and give them to his own servants.
• Jeremiah 22:17But you are always thinking and looking for ways to increase your wealth by dishonest means. Your eyes and your heart are set on killing some innocent person and committing fraud and oppression.
• Habakkuk 2:9The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. He does this so he can build his nest way up high and escape the clutches of disaster.
• Luke 12:15Then he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
• 1 Timothy 6:9Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
• James 1:14But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires.
• 2 Kings 9:27When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what happened, he took off up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him and ordered, “Shoot him too.” They shot him while he was driving his chariot up the ascent of Gur near Ibleam. He fled to Megiddo and died there.
• Deuteronomy 11:10For the land where you are headed is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, a land where you planted seed and which you irrigated by hand like a vegetable garden.
• Ecclesiastes 2:5I designed royal gardens and parks for myself, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
• Genesis 16:6Abram said to Sarai, “Since your servant is under your authority, do to her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai treated Hagar harshly, so she ran away from Sarai.
• 1 Samuel 8:6But this request displeased Samuel, for they said, “Give us a king to lead us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord.
• 1 Samuel 29:6So Achish summoned David and said to him, “As surely as the Lord lives, you are an honest man, and I am glad to have you serving with me in the army. I have found no fault with you from the day that you first came to me until the present time. But in the opinion of the leaders, you are not reliable.

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