Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on 1 Kings 21:13
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him, etc.] Which position showed that they were his accusers, and had a charge against him; it being usual for the accusers and accused to be set face to face, as it was the manner of the Romans in later times, (<442516>Acts 25:16). Josephus says f448 there were “three” men to accuse him; but the Targum, and all the ancient versions, have only “two”: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, [even] against Naboth, in the presence of the people; both before the judges of the court, and before all the people that filled it, who came to hear the trial; so bold and impudent were they: saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king; or “bless”, an euphemism; the phrase of cursing God being shocking to the ear, and therefore such a word is used to express it, (see <180105>Job 1:5 2:9), then they carried him forth out of the city; without any further process of examining witnesses, and of hearing what the accused had to say in his defence; but immediately they carried him out of court, and out of the city, to put him to death, malefactors being executed always without the city: and stoned him with stones, that he died; which was the death blasphemers were put to, (<032414>Leviticus 24:14,23), of the manner of which, (see Gill on “<440758>Acts 7:58”), it seems from (<120926>2 Kings 9:26), that his sons were stoned with him.
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