Bible Strands
1 Kings 21:14
Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Unnamed agents who just carried out a false testimony report the execution to Jezebel, bridging the stoning in 1 Kings 21:13 and her subsequent command to Ahab in 1 Kings 21:15.
The words — The verb וַֽיִּשְׁלְח֖וּ (va/yishlechu) means "they sent," and the passive participle סֻקַּ֥ל (suqqal) means "he has been stoned." These terms record a completed judicial killing without editorial commentary.
The thread — The use of written or verbal confirmation to remove a political obstacle mirrors the correspondence in 2 Samuel 11:14, while the unchecked corruption reflects the systemic injustice noted in Ecclesiastes 5:8 and 8:14.
Why it lands — The verse forces the reader to track how corrupt systems use brief, factual reports to normalize murder and transfer power. It asks for clear-eyed observation of how authority sanitizes violence through official communication.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 11:14 The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.
- Ecclesiastes 5:8 If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.
- Ecclesiastes 8:14 There is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.