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1 Kings 21:7

in 1 Kings 21

But his wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you not reign over Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful, for I will get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thy heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

KJV

And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

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This verse in 1 Kings 21

Commentary

6 notes on this verse
The meaning is, “Art thou king, and yet sufferest thyself to be thwarted in this way by a mere subject? I, the queen, the weak woman, will give thee the vineyard, if thou, the king, the strong man, wilt do nothing.”

This site's exposition

Dost thou now govern the kingdom

on 1 Kings 21:7-8

Jezebel answers Ahab's sulk with a question that exposes the whole marriage, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel, and takes on herself the deed a king's own law forbids him. She writes in Ahab's name and seals the letters with his own seal, so the crime that follows carries his authority whether or not he ever reads a word of it. Henry notes this was likely not the first time the royal seal had done Jezebel's bidding, recalling the slaughter of the prophets she had already ordered.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

She does well to persuade him to shake off his melancholy, and not to sink under his burden, to be easy and cheerful; whatever was his grief, grieving would not redress it, but pleasantness would alleviate it. Her plea is, Dost thou now govern Israel? This is capable of a good sense: "Does it become so great a prince as thou art to cast thyself down for so small a matter?

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes

And Jezebel his wife said unto him, dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel?....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Canst not thou use thy power and take what thy heart is set upon?" arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard--After upbraiding Ahab for his pusillanimity and bidding him act as a king, Jezebel tells him to trouble himself no more about such a trifle; she would guarantee the possession of the vineyard.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? - Naboth, not Ahab, is king. If he have authority to refuse, and thou have no power to take, he is the greater man of the two. This is the vital language of despotism and tyranny.

The words behind it

22 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַתֹּ֤אמֶרand she said

    vatomerH559 →5305 times

  • אֵלָיו֙to him

    ʾelavH413 →5510 times

  • אִיזֶ֣בֶלJezebel

    ʾizevelH348 →22 times

  • אִשְׁתּ֔וֹwife his

    ʾishtoH802 →781 times

  • אַתָּ֕הyou

    ʾatahH859 →1094 times

  • עַתָּ֛הnow

    ʾatahH6258 →433 times

  • תַּעֲשֶׂ֥הare you doing?

    taasehH6213 →2628 times

  • מְלוּכָ֖הkingship

    melukhahH4410 →24 times

  • עַל־over

    ʾal-H5921 →5755 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לIsrael

    yisraelH3478 →2507 times

  • ק֤וּםarise

    kumH6965 →628 times

  • אֱכָל־eat

    ʾekhol-H398 →810 times

  • לֶ֙חֶם֙food

    lechemH3899 →298 times

  • וְיִטַ֣בso it may be good

    veyitavH3190 →117 times

  • לִבֶּ֔ךָheart your

    libekhaH3820 →595 times

  • אֲנִי֙I

    ʾaniH589 →874 times

  • אֶתֵּ֣ןI will give

    ʾetenH5414 →2011 times

  • לְךָ֔to you

    lekha

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • כֶּ֖רֶם[the] vineyard of

    keremH3754 →92 times

  • נָב֥וֹתNaboth

    navotH5022 →22 times

  • הַיִּזְרְעֵאלִֽי׃the Jezreelite

    haiyizreeliH3158 →13 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

14 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

1 Samuel 8:14He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants.5 worksEsther 5:14His wife Zeresh and all his friends told him, “Have them build a gallows fifty cubits high, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and enjoy yourself.” The advice pleased Haman, and he had the gallows constructed.5 works1 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.3 worksEcclesiastes 8:4For the king’s word is supreme, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”2 works1 Samuel 8:4So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.2 worksEcclesiastes 4:1Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter.2 works
The other 8 cross-references, with their words ▾
Proverbs 30:31a strutting rooster; a he-goat; and a king with his army around him.2 worksMicah 7:3Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.2 works2 Samuel 13:4so he asked Amnon, “Why are you, the son of the king, so depressed morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon replied, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”2 worksDaniel 5:19–21Because of the greatness that He bestowed on him, the people of every nation and language trembled in fear before him. He killed whom he wished and kept alive whom he wished; he exalted whom he wished and humbled whom he wished.2 works1 Kings 21:15–16When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, who refused to give it to you for silver. For Naboth is no longer alive, but dead.”2 worksMicah 2:1–2Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.2 works1 Samuel 24:14Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea?2 worksRuth 3:7After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth went in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Ecclesiastes 4:1

    Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their…

    it leads to

    • Ecclesiastes 3:16

      Furthermore, I saw under the sun that in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.

    • Ecclesiastes 5:8

      If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and…

    • Isaiah 5:7

      For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but…

    • 2 Timothy 4:16–17

      At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.

    • Lamentations 1:2

      She weeps aloud in the night, with tears upon her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no one to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies.

  • Through

    Micah 7:3

    Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.

    it leads to

    • Micah 3:11

      Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster…

    • Proverbs 4:16–17

      For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.

  • Through

    Ecclesiastes 8:4

    For the king’s word is supreme, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

    it leads to

    • Job 9:12

      If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’

Where this verse is studied

About 1 Kings

The Judgment of Solomon, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Judgment of Solomon, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
1 Kings: the study guide →Read 1 Kings 21 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 1 Kings 21 →