Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 21:11
And the men of his city, [even] the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, [and] as it [was] written in the letters which she had sent unto them.
11. who were the inhabitants ] R.V. who dwelt. The word is the same as in 1Ki 21:8.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The ready submission of the elders and nobles implies a deep moral degradation among the Israelites, the fruit of their lapse into idolatry.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
The elders and the nobles did as Jezebel had sent unto them; which is not at all strange in them who had for a long time cast off the fear and sense of God, and prostituted their consciences and religion to please their king, and sold themselves to all manner of wickedness, and could not now make a safe and honourable retreat, and durst not disobey Jezebels command, by whom they knew the king was wholly governed, and who could easily have taken away their lives in the same manner, if they had refused to kill Naboth.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And the men of the city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them,…. That Jezebel should contrive so execrable a scheme, and that there should be such sons of Belial among the common people to swear to such falsehoods, need not seem strange; but that the elders and nobles of the city, the chief magistrates thereof, should be so sadly and universally depraved as to execute such a piece of villany, is really surprising. Idolatry, when it prevails, takes away all sense of humanity and justice:
[and] as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them; they punctually, exactly, obeyed the orders in them, as follows.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(11) And the men of his city . . . did.The pains taken in the invention of this foul plot, and the ready acquiescence of the rulers of the city in carrying it out, are characteristic of the baser forms of organised Eastern despotismnot venturing to take life by simple violence without some cause apparently shown, and yet always able to poison the springs of justice, and do murder under form of law. In Israel, where the king was held to be but a vicegerent of God, subject, in theory, under the old constitution or manner of the kingdom (1Sa. 10:25), to the supreme law, the need of clothing crime with legal form would be especially felt.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
1Ki 21:11 And the men of his city, [even] the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, [and] as it [was] written in the letters which she had sent unto them.
Ver. 11. Did as Jezebel had sent unto them. ] So wretched were those times, that whatsoever pleased the prince, pleased all. But, oh, how miserable is that people whose rulers, instead of punishing, plot and encourage wickedness! When a distillation of evil falleth from the head upon the lungs of any state, there must needs follow a deadly consumption.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
as = according as.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
did as Jezebel: Exo 1:17, Exo 1:21, Exo 23:1, Exo 23:2, Lev 19:15, 1Sa 22:17, 1Sa 23:20, 2Ki 10:6, 2Ki 10:7, 2Ch 24:21, Pro 29:12, Pro 29:26, Dan 3:18-25, Hos 5:11, Mic 6:16, Mat 2:12, Mat 2:16, Act 4:19, Act 5:29
Reciprocal: 2Sa 13:29 – servants 2Sa 19:21 – Shall not 2Ki 9:33 – Throw her down 2Ki 16:11 – built an altar Job 22:8 – But as Jam 2:6 – and
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ki 21:11. The men of his city did as Jezebel had sent to them Which is not at all strange, considering that they had for a long time cast off the fear of God; prostituted their consciences and religion to please their king; and sold themselves to all manner of wickedness; so that they could not now make a safe and honourable retreat. Besides, they durst not disobey Jezebels command, by whom they knew the king was wholly governed, and who could easily have taken away their lives, in the same manner, if they had refused to kill Naboth: and it is not unlikely that she sent private messengers to tell them, by word of mouth, what she expected from them, and how she would reward them; as well as public letters to authorize what they did. Princes never want instruments to execute their pleasure; but it is strange that, in this case, there should be none among the judges and great men that abhorred such villany: it argues the great corruption of their manners by idolatry.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
21:11 And the {e} men of his city, [even] the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, [and] as it [was] written in the letters which she had sent unto them.
(e) Thus the worldlings contrary to God’s commandment, who does not consent to the shedding of innocent blood, would rather obey the wicked commandments of princes than the just laws.