1 Kings 21:8

KJV1611 – Modern English

So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַתִּכְתֹּ֤ב סְפָרִים֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם אַחְאָ֔ב וַתַּחְתֹּ֖ם בְּחֹתָמ֑וֹ וַתִּשְׁלַ֣ח *הספרים **סְפָרִ֗ים אֶל־הַזְקֵנִ֤ים וְאֶל־הַֽחֹרִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּעִיר֔וֹ הַיֹּשְׁבִ֖ים אֶת־נָבֽוֹת׃

Transliteration

wa-tiktōb səpārîm in-šēm ʾaḥʾāb wa-taḥtōm with-ḥōtāmô wa-tišlaḥ səpārîm to-the-zəqēnîm and-to-the-ḥōrîm who in-ʿîrô the-yōšəbîm with-nābôt.

Grammar Details

• *wa-tiktōb*: conjunction + imperfect, 3rd singular feminine, Qal - and she wrote
• *səpārîm*: noun, masculine plural - letters/documents
• *šēm*: noun, masculine singular construct - name of
• *ʾaḥʾāb*: proper name, masculine - Ahab
• *wa-taḥtōm*: conjunction + imperfect, 3rd singular feminine, Qal - and she sealed
• *ḥōtāmô*: noun, masculine singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix - his seal
• *wa-tišlaḥ*: conjunction + imperfect, 3rd singular feminine, Qal - and she sent
• *zəqēnîm*: adjective/noun, masculine plural - elders
• *ḥōrîm*: noun, masculine plural - nobles/free men
• *ʿîrô*: noun, feminine singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix - his city
• *yōšəbîm*: participle, masculine plural, Qal - dwelling/living
• *nābôt*: proper name, masculine - Naboth

Word Meanings

• *səpārîm*: letters/documents/scrolls
• *ḥōtāmô*: his seal/his signet
• *zəqēnîm*: elders/older men
• *ḥōrîm*: nobles/free men/officials
• *yōšəbîm*: dwelling/living/sitting

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city.

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  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.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  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, [and] that dwelt with Naboth.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And she wrote a letter vnder Achabs name, and sealed it with his signet, and sent it vnto ye Elders and rulers in his cite, which dwelt aboute Naboth,

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  So she wrote letters in Ahabs name, and sealed them with his seale, and sent the letters vnto the Elders, and to the nobles that were in his citie dwelling with Naboth.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And so she wrote a letter in Ahabs name, and sealed it with his seale, and sent the letter vnto the elders, and to the nobles that were in his citie dwelling with Naboth.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  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.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, [and] who lived with Naboth.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And she writeth letters in the name of Ahab, and sealeth with his seal, and sendeth the letters unto the elders, and unto the freemen, who are in his city, those dwelling with Naboth,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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, `and' that dwelt with Naboth.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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, [and] that dwelt with Naboth.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  So she sent a letter in Ahab's name, stamped with his stamp, to the responsible men and the chiefs who were in authority with Naboth.

• World English Bible (2000)

  So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, who lived with Naboth.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  She wrote out orders, signed Ahab’s name to them, and sealed them with his seal. She then sent the orders to the leaders and to the nobles who lived in Naboth’s city.

Referenced Verses

• Num 11:16 : 16 And the LORD said to Moses, Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them to the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with you.
• Deut 16:18-19 : 18 Judges and officers you shall make for yourself in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, throughout your tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 19 You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe: for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous.
• Deut 21:1-9 : 1 If someone is found slain in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess, lying in the field, and it is not known who has slain him, 2 Then your elders and your judges shall come forth, and they shall measure to the cities which are around him that is slain; 3 And it shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer, which has not been worked with, and which has not drawn in the yoke; 4 And the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a rough valley, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley; 5 And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for them the LORD your God has chosen to minister to Him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word every controversy and every stroke shall be tried: 6 And all the elders of that city, that are nearest to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley, 7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. 8 Be merciful, O LORD, to Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not place innocent blood upon Your people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9 So shall you put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when you do what is right in the sight of the LORD.
• 2 Sam 11:14-15 : 14 In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set Uriah in the forefront of the fiercest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.
• 1 Kgs 20:7 : 7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeks trouble: for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
• 1 Kgs 21:1 : 1 And it happened after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
• 2 Kgs 10:1-7 : 1 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those who raised Ahab's children, saying, 2 As soon as this letter comes to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and armor; 3 Select the best and most suitable of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house. 4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings did not stand before him: how then shall we stand? 5 And he who was over the house, and he who was over the city, the elders also, and those who raised the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are your servants, and will do all that you bid us; we will not make any king: do what is good in your eyes. 6 Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying, If you are mine, and if you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me at Jezreel by tomorrow at this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who raised them. 7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and killed seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel.
• 2 Kgs 10:11 : 11 So Jehu killed all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolk, and his priests, until he left none remaining.
• 2 Chr 32:17 : 17 He also wrote letters to insult the LORD God of Israel and to speak against Him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver His people out of my hand.
• Ezra 4:7-8 : 7 And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian language, and interpreted in the Syrian language. 8 Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this way:
• Ezra 4:11 : 11 This is the copy of the letter that they sent to him, even to Artaxerxes the king; Your servants the men on this side of the river, and at such a time.
• Neh 6:5 : 5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand;
• Esth 3:12-15 : 12 Then the king's scribes were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written according to all that Haman had commanded to the king's lieutenants, and to the governors who were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province, according to its writing and to every people in their language; in the name of King Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring. 13 And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them as a prey. 14 A copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published to all people, that they should be ready against that day. 15 The couriers went out, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was perplexed.
• Esth 8:8-9 : 8 Write also for the Jews as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring; for the writing which is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's ring cannot be reversed by any man. 9 Then the king's scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, and to the governors and officials and rulers of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred twenty-seven provinces, to every province according to its script, and to every people in their language, and to the Jews in their writing and language. 10 And he wrote in King Ahasuerus' name, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by mounted couriers on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries. 11 By these letters, the king granted the Jews in every city the right to gather and protect themselves, to destroy, to slay, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, along with their little ones and women, and to plunder their possessions. 12 On a single day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, namely, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 13 The copy of the document for a decree to be proclaimed in every province was published to all peoples, that the Jews should be prepared on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.