Ahab’s Treachery in Naboth’s Vineyard (21:1–29)

The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria (21:1). The site of Jezreel has a commanding view of the Jezreel Valley’s eastern bay. From there one can see the Carmel range to the west, the central mountains of Ephraim to the south, as well as Mount Gilboa and the heights of Gilead to the east—most of the territory in Ahab’s kingdom. The city’s low elevation made it an ideal spot for the winter palace of the Omride dynasty. Excavations at the site have exposed the corner of a large citadel with ashlar masonry (cf. 9:15). Based on comparisons with the platform of Ahab’s palace at Samaria this may be the corner of Ahab’s winter palace. Other signs of the site’s importance were large walls, a six-chambered gate, and a large moat.385

Aerial of Tel Jezreel and its setting in the Jezreel Valley

© PBT & Dr. James C. Martin

Society and Balance of Power

The core unit of Israelite society was the family as can be seen in many biblical stories (e.g., Ruth; 1 Kings 8:1) and in the villages and family compounds preserved in the archaeological record. Beyond this core unit, a person’s status and role in society were determined by tribal and clan organization, a natural division of labor, and proximity to the powerful elites in the society.A-56

The influence of family and tribe persevered despite dramatic political and economic change.A-57 For generations the tribes gathered at Shiloh, the religious center of the tribal league. But David and Solomon’s centralization of political and economic power threatened to move the locus of political power from the tribe to the palace. Scholars debate the degree to which the Israelites abandoned the tribal organization and traditional structures of their society.A-58 But there is clear evidence of centralized control in the urbanization of major centers such as Megiddo, Hazor, and Samaria, where large fortifications, storage structures, and military facilities were built in the tenth through seventh centuries B.C.

Inevitably the erosion of tribal power led to specialization in the urban centers and an increasingly commercialized society. These processes led to the social and economic disparity that the prophets condemned. Even the united monarchy’s balance of power between prophet, priest, and king came under threat as the royal bureaucracy grew.A-59 Non-Israelite societies such as the kingdoms of Ugarit and Phoenicia had no such ethical system as biblical law or prophetic admonition to aid the sojourner and orphan. Jezebel’s behavior in the Naboth affair (ch. 21) indicates that the despotism of ancient Near Eastern city-states by and large displaced Israel’s traditional institutions and societal ethos.

With the eighth-century proliferation of writing and the return of imperial power to the Levant, the bureaucratizing and centralizing momentum increased, and with it the shrillness of prophetic rebuke. It was only the annihilation of Israel and the exile and return of Judah that restored the family and tribe to a more prominent role, and with it the ethical principles of biblical law.

Vineyard to use for a vegetable garden (21:2). Assyrian palace reliefs depict royal gardens adjacent to the king’s residence much like the sacred gardens that surrounded temples and holy sites.386 The city plan of most ancient cities included a royal complex with palace, gardens, and administrative buildings. The temple and its courtyard lay adjacent to the royal complex and its palace as at Zinjirli, Tell Tayanat, and Jerusalem.387 Such distinct districts can be identified not only by a contrast in architecture but also in the concentration of expensive or imported finds that they produce in archaeological excavations.388

Inheritance of my fathers (21:3). In the ancient world property, inheritance, livelihood, and afterlife were all interrelated just as they are in parts of the Near East today. Naboth relied on the land for food and shelter in life and the afterlife. Maintenance and veneration of the family tomb ensured a secure afterlife. There were numerous family compounds within every Israelite village and town and adjacent areas.389 The architectural layout of both houses and tombs reflected the kinship ties that kept the family and the clan together.390 The same patrimonial patterns occur in texts and architecture at the Late Bronze Age city of Ugarit.391 According to the ancient records found at Ugarit royal land grants were permanent, so Ahab’s offer essentially proposed that the court replace one permanent family plot with another.

Wrote letters in Ahab’s name, placed his seal on them (21:8). Most documents and decrees were written in ink on leather or papyrus.392 Official communication was secured by string, held together by a clay seal impressed with the official’s seal. A seal with Jezebel’s name was unearthed at Samaria (see comment on 16:31). The seal of Hezekiah, king of Judah a century later, includes many of the same Phoenician motifs as those in Jezebel’s seal.393

Take possession (21:16). Technically, Ahab had the right to the property if Naboth had been deemed a law breaker. A similar royal takeover of property is recorded in a text from Alalakh in the late second millennium B.C., and from fourteenth-century Ugarit.394

Dogs … birds (21:24). Israelite and neighboring societies considered dogs to be unclean scavengers worthy of scorn. Hence it was an insult to be called a dog or to be treated like one, as a letter between Israelite commanders suggests: “Am I but a dog?”395 Being consumed by scavengers and dogs was the worst possible fate and boded ill for the afterlife. The ghastly portrayal of dogs eating the bodies of Ashurbanipal’s enemies is a good illustration of the dishonor conveyed in the Bible by Ahab’s fate396 (see comment on 11:15). There are rare examples in the ancient world of dogs conveying healing powers through licking, usually in the context of healing cults. One case is found in the city of Isin in ancient Mesopotamia and the other at Ashkelon during the Persian period.397

When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly (21:27). Sackcloth was likely made of goat hair. Mourning and repentance were also symbolized by throwing ashes on one’s head and walking barefoot (see comment on 20:32).