John Gill's Exposition on 1 Kings 21:2

A historical reference excerpt for this verse.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 Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, etc.] For a kitchen garden to produce eatables of the vegetable kind for his household, or for a flower garden; and perhaps for both, as Kimchi observes, it being customary to have such in court yards, or behind the house; perhaps he might take his notion of an herb garden from his neighbours the Syrians, who were very diligent and laborious in cultivating their gardens, as Pliny f444; hence “multa Syrorum olera”, the many herbs of the Syrians, became a proverb with the Greeks: because it is near unto mine house; lay very convenient for him: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seemeth good unto thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money; which seems very well spoken, that he would either give him a better in exchange, or purchase it at its full value; he did not pretend to take it by usurpation, by force, against his will, as it was represented by Samuel kings would do, (<090814>1 Samuel 8:14) as yet such oppression and tyranny was not exercised.

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