Bible Strands
1 Kings 21:4
So Ahab went to his palace, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had told him, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and refused to eat.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ahab leaves Naboth after the Jezreelite refuses to transfer his ancestral inheritance, returning to his palace in isolation.
The words — סַר (sar) means sullen and זָעֵף (za'ef) means furious, describing Ahab’s internal emotional state rather than his physical posture.
The thread — This pattern of royal sulking over denied requests echoes 1 Kings 20:43, while the underlying dynamic of unchecked desire aligns with Genesis 4:5 and James 1:14.
Why it lands — The text records Ahab lying down, turning his face away, and refusing food, demonstrating that unresolved rejection breeds self-pity and sets the stage for further sin, demanding readers confront how they process being told “no.”
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
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.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 20:43 Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went home to Samaria.
- James 1:14 But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.
- Genesis 4:5 but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.
- Numbers 22:13 So Balaam got up the next morning and said to Balak’s princes, “Go back to your homeland, because the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”
- 2 Samuel 13:2 Amnon was sick with frustration over his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed implausible for him to do anything to her.
- 2 Samuel 13:4 and he asked Amnon, “Why are you, the son of the king, so depressed morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon replied, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
- 1 Kings 21:3 But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
- Job 5:2 For resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.
- Ecclesiastes 6:9 Better what the eye can see than the wandering of desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
- Ecclesiastes 7:8 The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.