1 Kings 21:5
in 1 Kings 21Soon his wife Jezebel came in and asked, “Why are you so sullen that you refuse to eat?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
KJV
But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
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This verse in 1 Kings 21
Commentary
2 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
heavy and displeased
on 1 Kings 21:4-6
A king who has just heard one poor man's no takes to his bed, turns away his face, and refuses bread, and the narrator gives the grief no dignity. The throne that could withstand Ben-hadad's army is undone by a vegetable garden. Jezebel finds him sullen rather than angry, and his own account to her in verse six repeats the offer nearly word for word, as though saying it again could make the answer different.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
But Jezebel his wife came unto him, and said, why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? She perceived he was low spirited, and supposed he had met with something that had ruffled him, and made him so uneasy that he could not eat his food; and she desired to know what it was, that she might relieve him if possible.
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתָּבֹ֥א | vatavo' | and she came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֵלָ֖יו | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אִיזֶ֣בֶל | ʾizevel | Jezebel | H348 → | 22 times |
| אִשְׁתּ֑וֹ | ʾishto | wife his | H802 → | 781 times |
| וַתְּדַבֵּ֣ר | vatedaber | and she spoke | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אֵלָ֗יו | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מַה־ | mah- | why? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| זֶּה֙ | zeh | this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| רוּחֲךָ֣ | ruchakha | [is] spirit your | H7307 → | 378 times |
| סָרָ֔ה | sarah | sullen | H5620 → | 3 times |
| וְאֵינְךָ֖ | veeinekha | and not you | H369 → | 789 times |
| אֹכֵ֥ל | ʾokhel | [are] eating | H398 → | 810 times |
| לָֽחֶם׃ | lachem | food | H3899 → | 298 times |
וַתָּבֹ֥אand she came
vatavo'H935 →2568 times
אֵלָ֖יוto him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
אִיזֶ֣בֶלJezebel
ʾizevelH348 →22 times
אִשְׁתּ֑וֹwife his
ʾishtoH802 →781 times
וַתְּדַבֵּ֣רand she spoke
vatedaberH1696 →1141 times
אֵלָ֗יוto him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
מַה־why?
mah-H4100 →752 times
זֶּה֙this
zehH2088 →1180 times
רוּחֲךָ֣[is] spirit your
ruchakhaH7307 →378 times
סָרָ֔הsullen
sarahH5620 →3 times
וְאֵינְךָ֖and not you
veeinekhaH369 →789 times
אֹכֵ֥ל[are] eating
ʾokhelH398 →810 times
לָֽחֶם׃food
lachemH3899 →298 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 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
1 Kings 21:25(Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel.
it leads to
- Proverbs 22:14
The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the wrath of the LORD will fall into it.
- 1 Kings 21:20
When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, “So you have found me out, my enemy.” He replied, “I have found you out because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of…
- Proverbs 22:14
Through
1 Kings 19:2So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the lives of those…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 20:10
Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”
- 2 Kings 6:31
He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!”
- Ruth 1:17
Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
- Daniel 3:15
Now, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the statue I…
- 1 Kings 20:10
Through
1 Kings 16:31And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then…
it leads to
- 2 Kings 17:16
They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served…
- 2 Kings 10:18
Then Jehu brought all the people together and said, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot.
- 2 Kings 17:16
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 Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.