Naboth

Naboth
Jezebel and Ahab confronted by the prophet Elijah in Naboth's vineyard, print by Sir Francis Dicksee (1853-1928)

Naboth (Hebrew: נבות‎, "fruits") "the Jezreelite," is the central figure of a story from the Old Testament. According to the story, Naboth was the owner of a plot on the eastern slope of the hill of Jezreel.[1] Described as a small "plat of ground", the vineyard seems to have been all he possessed and lay close to the palace of Ahab,[2] who wished to acquire to "have it for a garden of herbs" (probably as a ceremonial garden for Baal worship). Naboth, however, had inherited his land from his father, and, according to Jewish law, could not alienate it. Accordingly, he refused to sell it to the king.[3]

Ahab became deeply dejected, at not being able to procure the vineyard. Returning to his palace, he collapsed with depression, lying on his bed, his face to the wall, and refused to eat. His wife, Jezebel, after learning the reason for his depression, (in addition to being irritated at the king's emotional state urging him to return to his entertainment saying mockingly, "Are you the king or aren't you?") promised that she would obtain the vineyard for him. To do so, she plotted to kill Naboth by mock trial, and then told Ahab to take possession of the vineyard as the legal heir.[4]

As punishment for this action, the prophet Elijah visited Ahab while he was in the vineyard, pronouncing doom on him. Ahab humbled himself at Elijah's words,[5] and was spared accordingly, with the prophesied destruction being visited instead on his son Joram.[6]

Interpretations

Roger Williams, the founder of the American colony of Rhode Island and the co-founder of the First Baptist Church in America wrote about Naboth's story in The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience as an example of how God disfavored Christians from using government force in religious matters, such as the religious decrees by Jezebel and Ahab. Williams believed using force in the name of religion would lead to political persecution contrary to the Bible.[7]

In popular culture

Naboth was played by Ludwig Donath in the 1953 film Sins of Jezebel.

References

  1. ^ 2 Kings 9:25, 26
  2. ^ 1 Kings 21:1, 2
  3. ^ Lev. 25:23
  4. ^ 2 Kings 9:26; 1 Kings 21:19
  5. ^ 1 Kings 21:28, 29
  6. ^ 2 Kings 9:25
  7. ^ James P. Byrd, The challenges of Roger Williams: religious liberty, violent persecution, and the Bible (Mercer University Press, 2002)[1] (accessed on Google Book on July 20, 2009)

This article incorporates text from Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), a publication now in the public domain.


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  • NABOTH — (Heb. נָבוֹת), owner of a vineyard close to the palace of ahab king of Israel (I Kings 21:2). Naboth came from the town of Jezreel. Ahab coveted Naboth s vineyard, but Naboth refused to sell or exchange it, basing his refusal on the tradition… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Naboth — (hebräisch נבות) war eine Person im Alten Testament, der gemäß der biblischen Erzählung einen von König Ahab begehrten Weinberg in Jesreel besaß und deswegen umgebracht wurde. Namensbedeutung Die Bedeutung des Namens Naboth ist unsicher. In den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Naboth — était un habitant de Jezreel, qui refusa de vendre au roi Achab une vigne située près du palais de ce prince et qui était l héritage de ses pères : Jézabel, femme d Achab, l accusa, pour se venger, d avoir blasphémé contre Dieu et maudit le… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Naboth [1] — Naboth, Bürger in Israel, welchen König Ahab auf Anstiften seiner Gemahlin Isebel steinigen ließ, um sich in den Besitz seines Weinberges zu setzen …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Naboth [2] — Naboth, Mart., geb. 1675 zu Kalau in der Niederlausitz; wurde 1707 Professor der Chemie in Leipzig, beschäftigte sich auch mit Anatomie u. st. daselbst 1721. Benannt sind nach ihm die Nabothschen Eierchen (Ovula nabothiana, s. dessen Dissertation …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • NABOTH — vir Iudaeus, per iniuriam ac dolum ab Achabo rege, cui poenam Elias praedixit, circumventus, et interfectus, quia ei vineam suam vendere noluerat, 1 Reg. c. 21. v. 3. Torniel. A. M. 3135. n. 2 …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Naboth — [nā′bäth] n. [Heb nābhōth] Bible a vineyard owner, killed at Jezebel s behest so that Ahab could seize the vineyard: 1 Kings 21 …   English World dictionary

  • Naboth —    Fruits, the Jezreelite, was the owner of a portion of ground on the eastern slope of the hill of Jezreel (2 Kings 9:25, 26). This small plat of ground seems to have been all he possessed. It was a vineyard, and lay hard by the palace of Ahab… …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

  • Naboth — (fl. 9th cent BCE)    Israelite landowner. He possessed a vineyard, which Ahab coveted. When Naboth refused to give it up, Ahab s queen Jezebel plotted to bring about his downfall. She persuaded the local elders to honour Naboth and then to bring …   Dictionary of Jewish Biography

  • Naboth — Owner of a vineyard which King Ahab wished to buy because it adjoined the royal property; but when Naboth refused to sell, Queen Jezebel conspired to bring a false charge of blasphemy against him, for which he was stoned. Ahab moved in to take… …   Dictionary of the Bible

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