1 Kings 21:12
in 1 Kings 21They proclaimed a fast and gave Naboth a seat of honor among the people.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
KJV
They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
⋯
This verse in 1 Kings 21
Commentary
2 notes on this verseThey proclaimed a fast,.... Or called a court; see Gill on 1Ki 21:9. and set Naboth on high among the people; placed him at the bar as a criminal; see Gill on 1Ki 21:9, though Josephus (c) thinks he was set on an high place in the court, because he was of an illustrious birth. (c) Antiqu. l. 3. c. 13. sect. 8.
This site's exposition
did as Jezebel had sent unto them
on 1 Kings 21:11-14
The elders and nobles of Jezreel, men who owed Naboth nothing but common citizenship, carry out a queen's forged order against a neighbor without any recorded objection. They proclaim the fast, seat him where the crowd can see him, hear the false charge, and stone him outside the city, then send word back to Jezebel in four words, Naboth is stoned, and is dead. Barnes notes the parallel record that Naboth's sons died with him, so that no heir was left to reclaim the vineyard Jezebel intended for the king.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Navos cursed. A euphemism for curse. And Targum [Yonoson rendered], Navos blasphemed against God and cursed the king. 2 Thus making him liable to death for either offense. The reason for mentioning both offenses is to arouse the people’s anger against Navos and thereby he would be executed quickly.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| קָרְא֖וּ | kareu | they proclaimed | H7121 → | 733 times |
| צ֑וֹם | tzom | a fast | H6685 → | |
| וְהֹשִׁ֥יבוּ | vehoshivu | and they made sit | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| נָב֖וֹת | navot | Naboth | H5022 → | 22 times |
| בְּרֹ֥אשׁ | berosh | at [the] head of | H7218 → | 599 times |
| הָעָֽם׃ | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
קָרְא֖וּthey proclaimed
kareuH7121 →733 times
צ֑וֹםa fast
tzomH6685 →
וְהֹשִׁ֥יבוּand they made sit
vehoshivuH3427 →1079 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
נָב֖וֹתNaboth
navotH5022 →22 times
בְּרֹ֥אשׁat [the] head of
beroshH7218 →599 times
הָעָֽם׃the people
haamH5971 →1873 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 58:4You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 21:9–13
In the letters she wrote: “Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people.
- Matthew 6:16–18
When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.
- Proverbs 21:27
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—how much more so when brought with ill intent!
- Isaiah 59:2
But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.
- Joel 2:13–14
So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.
- 1 Kings 21:9–13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Kings

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.
