Naboth
maleDivided MonarchyMeaning: “Fruits; prominence”
A man of Jezreel judicially murdered by Jezebel so that Ahab could seize his ancestral vineyard — a crime that sealed the doom of Ahab’s house.
Biography
Naboth was a man of Jezreel who owned a vineyard next to King Ahab's palace. When Ahab offered to buy it, Naboth refused on principle: "The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee" (1 Kings 21:3) — for the land was a sacred family inheritance that Israelite law was meant to protect.
Judicial murder
Ahab sulked, but Jezebel arranged a sham trial: she hired false witnesses to accuse Naboth of blasphemy, and he was stoned to death so the king could seize his vineyard (1 Kings 21:8–16).
The reckoning
For this crime, Elijah confronted Ahab with a devastating word of judgment on his whole house — a judgment fulfilled in the violent deaths of Ahab, Jezebel, and their descendants (1 Kings 21:17–24; 2 Kings 9:25–26). Naboth's faithfulness to his inheritance, and the injustice done to him, stand as a lasting indictment of corrupt power.
Life Timeline
Refuses to sell his ancestral vineyard to Ahab
Falsely accused and stoned at Jezebel’s order
On the Bible timeline
Naboth belongs to the The Divided Monarchy era (c. 930 – 586 BC).
- c. 930 BCThe Kingdom Divides
- 722 BCThe Fall of Samaria
- 586 BCThe Fall of Jerusalem
Themes & lessons from Naboth
Biblical themes that run through the passages where Naboth appears.
People they appear with
Places in their story
Scripture Appearances
18 verses in 2 books1 Kings15 verses
1 Kings 21:1
And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
1 Kings 21:2
And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. seem: Heb. be good in thine eyes
1 Kings 21:3
And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
1 Kings 21:4
And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
1 Kings 21:6
And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.
1 Kings 21:7
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.
1 Kings 21:8
So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
1 Kings 21:9
And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: on high: Heb. in the top of the people
1 Kings 21:12
They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
1 Kings 21:13
And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
1 Kings 21:14
Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
1 Kings 21:15
And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
1 Kings 21:16
And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
1 Kings 21:18
Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
1 Kings 21:19
And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
2 Kings3 verses
2 Kings 9:21
And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. Make ready: Heb. Bind met: Heb. found
2 Kings 9:25
Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him;
2 Kings 9:26
Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD. blood: Heb. bloods plat: or, portion
Frequently asked about Naboth
Who was Naboth in the Bible?
A man of Jezreel judicially murdered by Jezebel so that Ahab could seize his ancestral vineyard — a crime that sealed the doom of Ahab’s house.
What does the name Naboth mean?
The name Naboth means “Fruits; prominence”.
Where does Naboth appear in the Bible?
Naboth is mentioned 18 times across 2 books: 1 Kings, 2 Kings.
What can we learn from Naboth?
The story of Naboth touches on themes of naboth, jezebel, government, murder — explore each to study the lessons drawn from Naboth's life.
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