211 And it cometh to pass, after these things, a vineyard hath been to Naboth the Jezreelite, that 'is' in Jezreel, near the palace of Ahab king of Samaria, 2 and Ahab speaketh unto Naboth, saying, 'Give to me thy vineyard, and it is to me for a garden of green herbs, for it 'is' near by my house, and I give to thee in its stead a better vineyard than it; if good in thine eyes, I give to thee silver—its price.' 3 And Naboth saith unto Ahab, 'Far be it from me, by Jehovah, my giving the inheritance of my fathers to thee;' 4 and Ahab cometh in unto his house, sulky and wroth, because of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite hath spoken unto him when he saith, 'I do not give to thee the inheritance of my fathers,' and he lieth down on his bed, and turneth round his face, and hath not eaten bread.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Kings 21:1-4
Commentary on 1 Kings 21:1-4
(Read 1 Kings 21:1-4)
Naboth, perhaps, had been pleased that he had a vineyard situated so near the palace, but the situation proved fatal to him; many a man's possessions have been his snare, and his neighbourhood to greatness, of bad consequence. Discontent is a sin that is its own punishment, and makes men torment themselves. It is a sin that is its own parent; it arises not from the condition, but from the mind: as we find Paul contented in a prison, so Ahab was discontented in a palace. He had all the delights of Canaan, that pleasant land, at command; the wealth of a kingdom, the pleasures of a court, and the honours and powers of a throne; yet all avails him nothing without Naboth's vineyard. Wrong desires expose men to continual vexations, and those that are disposed to fret, however well off, may always find something or other to fret at.