‘Naboth is Stoned’: A Bible Story

Abstract

This article considers treatments of the Bible story of Naboth and Ahab in the work of two thinkers separated by more than a millennium: St Ambrose and John Ponet. Both men treat this as a story about (among other things) property and political authority. Their emphases are different but there are similarities that make them plausibly part of a common tradition of reading the Bible for political effect. 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. 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. 3: And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. 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. 5: But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? 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. 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. 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. 9: And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: 10: And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.