Verse 8
She wrote letters in Ahab's name - She counterfeited his authority by his own consent; and he lent his signet to stamp that authority.
Verse 9
Proclaim a fast - Intimate that there is some great calamity coming upon the nation, because of some evil tolerated in it.
Set Naboth on high - Bring him to a public trial.
Verse 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 Clod 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 [Deu 12:6]; [Deu 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.
Verse 13
And stoned him with stones - As they pretended to find him guilty of treason against God and the king, it is likely they destroyed the whole of his family; and then the king seized on his grounds as confiscated, or as escheated to the king, without any heir at law. That his family was destroyed appears strongly intimated, [2Kgs 9:26]; Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, And the Blood of His Sons, saith the Lord.
Verse 15
Arise, take possession - By what rites or in what forms this was done, we do not know.
Verse 18
Go down to meet Ahab - This was the next day after the murder, as we learn from the above quotation, [2Kgs 9:26].
Verse 19
In the place where dogs licked, etc. - It is in vain to look for a literal fulfillment of this prediction. Thus it would have been fulfilled, but the humiliation of Ahab induced the merciful God to say, I will not bring the evil in his days, but in the days of his son, [1Kgs 21:29]. Now dogs did lick the blood of Ahab; but it was at the pool of Samaria, where his chariot and his armor were washed, after he had received his death wound at Ramoth-gilead; but some think this was the place where Naboth was stoned: see [1Kgs 22:38]. And how literally the prediction concerning his son was fulfilled, see [2Kgs 9:25], where we find that the body of Jehoram his son, just then slain by an arrow that had passed through his heart, was thrown into the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; and there, doubtless, the dogs licked his blood, if they did not even devour his body. There is a similar idea of the propriety of punishment overtaking the culprit in the place where he had committed the crime, expressed by Orestes to Aegisthus, Soph. Elect. 1495. - Χωρει δ' ενθαπερ κατεκτανες Πατερα τον αμον, ὡς εν ταυτῳ θανῃς. - Go where thou slew'st my father,
That in the self-same place thou too may'st die.
Verse 20
Thou hast sold thyself to work evil - See a similar form of speech, [Rom 7:14] (note). Thou hast totally abandoned thyself to the service of sin. Satan is become thy absolute master, and thou his undivided slave.
Verse 23
The dogs shall eat Jezebel - This was most literally fulfilled; see [2Kgs 9:36]. The carcasses of poor Hindoos, and of persons who have received public punishment, are thrown into the rivers, and floating to the side, are devoured by dogs, vultures, and crows.
Verse 25
Did sell himself to work wickedness - He hired himself to the devil for this very purpose, that he might work wickedness. This was to be his employment, and at this he labored.
In the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up - A good wife is from the Lord; a bad wife is from the devil: Jezebel was of this kind; and she has had many successors.
Verse 27
He rent his clothes - He was penetrated with sorrow, and that evidently unfeigned.
Put sackcloth upon his flesh - He humbled himself before God and man.
And fasted - He afflicted his body for his soul's benefit.
Lay in sackcloth - Gave the fullest proof that his repentance was real.
And went softly - Walked barefooted; so the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic. The Vulgate has demisso capite, "with his head hanging down." Houbigant translates went groaning. Jarchi says that the word אט at, used here, signifies to be unshod. This is its most likely sense. All these things prove that Ahab's repentance was genuine; and God's approbation of it puts it out of doubt. The slow and measured pace which always accompanies deep and reflective sorrow is also alluded to by Aeschylus, where the Chorus are thus shortly addressed on the defeat of Xerxes. - Aesch. Pers. 1073. Γοασθ' ἁβροβαται "With light and noiseless step lament."
Verse 29
Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself - He did abase himself; he did truly repent him of his sins, and it was such a repentance as was genuine in the sight of God: He humbleth himself Before Me.
The penitent heart ever meets the merciful eye of God; repentance is highly esteemed by the Father of compassion, even where it is comparatively shallow and short-lived. Any measure of godly sorrow has a proportionate measure of God's regard; where it is deep and lasting, the heart of God is set upon it. He that mourns shall be comforted; thus hath God spoken, and though repentance for our past sins can purchase no favor, yet without it God will not grant us his salvation.
Introduction
Jehoshaphat King of Judah, and Ahab King of Israel, unite against the Syrians, in order to recover Ramoth-gilead, [1Kgs 22:1-4]. They inquire of false prophets, who promise them success. Micaiah, a true prophet, foretells the disasters of the war, [1Kgs 22:5-17]. A lying spirit in the mouths of Ahab's prophets persuades Ahab to go up against Ramoth, [1Kgs 22:18-29]. The confederate armies are routed, and the king of Israel slain, [1Kgs 22:30-36]. Death and burial of Ahab, [1Kgs 22:37-40]. Character of Jehoshaphat, [1Kgs 22:41-47]. He makes a fleet in order to go to Ophir for gold, which is wrecked at Ezion-geber, [1Kgs 22:48]. His death, [1Kgs 22:49]. He is succeeded by his son Jehoram, [1Kgs 22:50]. Ahaziah succeeds his father Ahab, and reigns wickedly, [1Kgs 22:51], [1Kgs 22:52].
Verse 1
Three years without war - That is, from the time that Ahab made the covenant with Ben-hadad, mentioned [1Kgs 20:34]. And probably in that treaty it was stipulated that Ramoth-gilead should be restored to Israel; which not being done, Ahab formed a confederacy with Judah, and determined to take it by force.
Verse 4
Wilt thou go with me - We find that there was a good understanding between Jehoshaphat and Ahab, which no doubt was the consequence of a matrimonial alliance between the son of the former, Jehoram, and the daughter of the latter, Athaliah; see [2Chr 18:1]; [2Kgs 8:18]. This coalition did not please God, and Jehoshaphat is severely reproved for it by Jehu the seer, [2Chr 19:1-3].
Verse 6
About four hundred men - These were probably the prophets of Asherah or Venus, maintained by Jezebel, who were not present at the contention on Mount Carmel. See [1Kgs 18:19], etc.
Verse 8
Micaiah the son of Imlah - The Jews suppose that it was this prophet who reproved Ahab for dismissing Ben-hadad, [1Kgs 20:35], etc. And that it was because of the judgments with which he had threatened him, that Ahab hated him: I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.