Navot's Vineyard and Achav's Punishment/1/en
Introduction
Who's to Blame?
The judicial farce set up by Izevel to frame and execute Navot is one of the starkest examples of abuse of power described in Tanakh. Melakhim I 21 shares how Achav coveted and attempted to buy Navot's vineyard but was met with refusal. When the sullen king returned home, at a loss of how to achieve his desire, his wife took matters into her own hands, orchestrating a mock trial in which Navot was accused of blaspheming both God and king, leading to his death. Hashem then rebuked Achav, "Have you murdered and also inherited!" promising both personal punishment and an end to his dynasty.
Though the crime was undoubtedly a heinous one, and deserving of severe retribution, the reader wonders why the punishment is aimed at Achav and not just his wife. After all, it was Izevel who plotted the entire murder, while Achav played no role at all in the proceedings. Why, then, was he also punished so severely?
Two Accounts
The interaction between Navot and Achav is recounted twice in the chapter, once by the narrator, and once by Achav as he relays the matter to Izevel. There are several differences between the accounts:
- Achav's reasons for desiring the vineyard – When speaking to Navot, Achav explains that he desires to make Navot's vineyard into a vegetable garden, as it is near to his palace. When speaking to his wife, however, Achav does not mention that he had given any reasoning for his request at all.
- Achav's offer – In the narrator's account, Achav first offers Navot an alternative vineyard and then money, while in Achav's retelling, he switches the order.
- Navot's refusal – When approached by Achav, Navot explains that he cannot sell his land because "חָלִילָה לִּי מֵי"י מִתִּתִּי אֶת נַחֲלַת אֲבֹתַי לָךְ". Achav omits this explanation when talking to Izevel, sharing only that Navot said, "לֹא אֶתֵּן לְךָ אֶת כַּרְמִי," as if he had given no reason for his refusal.
How are these differences to be understood? Are they insignificant changes, made almost subconsciously, as often happens when retelling a story, or did Achav intentionally omit or reorder certain details? If the latter, what was Achav's goal in so doing?
