1 Kings 21:10

Contextual Overview

⁵Then his wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, “Why are you so upset that you refuse to eat?” ⁵ But Izevel his wife came to him, and said to him, Why is your spirit so sad, that you eat no bread? ⁵ But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? ⁵ But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, "Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?" ⁵ His wife, Jezebel, came in and asked him, "Why are you so upset that you refuse to eat?" ⁵ Then his wife Jezebel came in and said to him, "Why do you have a bitter attitude and refuse to eat?" ⁵Then Jezebel his wife came to him and asked him, "Why is your spirit so troubled that you have not eaten?" ⁵ But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, "How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating food?" ⁵ Then Iezebel his wife came to him & said vnto him, Why is thy spirit so sad that thou eatest no bread? ⁵But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, "How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating food?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

two men: Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 26:59, Matthew 26:60, Acts 6:11

sons of Belial: Deuteronomy 13:13, Judges 19:22

Thou didst blaspheme: Some, with Parkhurst, would render the original, bairachta elohim wamailech, "Thou hast blessed the gods and Molech;" a sense, however, which seems extremely forced, and is not acknowledged by any of the ancient versions, though the LXX and Vulgate render bairachta by וץכןדחףו, benedixit, "blessed." It is no unusual thing for a word to have opposite senses. Exodus 22:28, Leviticus 24:15, Matthew 26:59-66, John 10:33, Acts 6:13

Reciprocal: Exodus 20:16 - General Exodus 23:1 - an unrighteous witness Leviticus 19:16 - stand Leviticus 24:11 - blasphemed Leviticus 24:16 - blasphemeth Deuteronomy 19:16 - a false witness 1 Samuel 2:12 - sons of Belial 1 Samuel 25:17 - a son of Belial 1 Samuel 30:22 - wicked 2 Samuel 16:7 - man of Belial 2 Samuel 19:21 - Shall not 2 Kings 6:32 - son of a murderer 2 Chronicles 13:7 - the children of Belial Job 1:5 - cursed Proverbs 6:19 - A false Proverbs 7:14 - this Proverbs 19:28 - An ungodly witness Isaiah 32:7 - lying Ezekiel 22:9 - men that carry tales Matthew 26:65 - He Matthew 27:31 - and led Matthew 27:32 - as Mark 14:55 - sought Luke 5:21 - blasphemies Luke 23:2 - forbidding John 8:17 - that 2 Corinthians 13:1 - In Hebrews 11:37 - stoned

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Yitzchak. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

Genesis 17:19
And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Genesis 17:19
And God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear a son for you, and you shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant to his offspring after him.

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him to be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual covenant for his descendants after him.

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed, and you shall name him Isaac (laughter); and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him.

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "No, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

Genesis 17:19
Then God saide, Sarah thy wife shall beare thee a sonne in deede, and thou shalt call his name Izhak: and I will establish my couenant with him for an euerlasting couenant, and with his seede after him.

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

Genesis 17:19
But God answered: No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him,.... Worthless wretches, that have cast off the yoke of the law, as Belial signifies, lawless abandoned creatures, that have no conscience of anything; "knights of the post", as we call them, that will swear anything; these were to be set before Naboth, right against him to confront him, and accuse him to his face, and charge him with crimes next mentioned:

saying, thou didst blaspheme God and the king: and so was guilty of death for the former, if not for both, and of confiscation of estate for the latter, which was the thing aimed at; and Jezebel was willing to make sure work of it, and therefore would have him accused of both:

and then carry him out, and stone him, that he die; immediately, without requiring the witnesses to give proof of their charge, and without giving Naboth leave to answer for himself.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Sons of Belial - i. e., “worthless persons” (Deuteronomy 13:13 note). Witnesses must be two in number according to the Law Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15.

The word rendered “blaspheme” is that which commonly means “bless.” The opposite sense of “cursing,” seems, however, to be required here and in Job 1:5, Job 1:11; Job 2:5. Perhaps the best explanation of the bad sense of the original word is to be found in the practice of blessing by way of salutation, not only on meeting, but also on taking leave Genesis 47:7, Genesis 47:10. From the latter custom the word came to mean “bidding farewell to,” and so “renouncing,” “casting off,” “cursing.”

Carry him out and stone him - Naboth’s offence would be twofold, and in both cases capital; blasphemy against God being punishable with death by the Law (marginal reference), and blasphemy against the king being a capital offence by custom 1Ki 2:8; 2 Samuel 16:9; 2 Samuel 19:21. The punishment would be stoning, since the greater crime would absorb the lesser, and the Law made stoning the punishment for blasphemy against God. As stoning always took place outside the city (see Acts 7:58), Jezebel told the elders to “carry Naboth out.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 21:10. Set two men — For life could not be attainted but on the evidence of two witnesses at least.

Sons of Belial — Men who will not scruple to tell lies and take a false oath.

Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. — Thou art an atheist and a rebel. Thou hast spoken words injurious to the perfections and nature of God; and thou hast spoken words against the crown and dignity of the king. The words literally are, Naboth hath BLESSED God and the king; or, as Parkhurst contends, "Thou hast blessed the false gods and Molech," ברכת אלהים ומלך And though Jezebel was herself an abominable idolatress; yet, as the law of Moses still continued in force, she seems to have been wicked enough to have destroyed Naboth, upon the false accusation of blessing the heathen Aleim and Molech, which subjected him to death by Deuteronomy 12:6; Deuteronomy 17:2-7. The first meaning appears the most simple.

Many think that the word ברך barach signifies both to bless and curse; and so it is interpreted in most Lexicons: it is passing strange that out of the same word proceedeth blessing and cursing; and to give such opposite and self-destructive meanings to any word is very dangerous. Parkhurst denies that it ever has the meaning of cursing, and examines all the texts where it is said to occur with this meaning; and shows that blessing, not cursing, is to be understood in all those places: see him under ברך, sec. vi.