1 Kings 21 · Verse 5

1 Kings 21:5

But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
1 Kings 21:5, King James Version

1 Kings 21:5 in other translations

BSBSoon his wife Jezebel came in and asked, “Why are you so sullen that you refuse to eat?”
WEBBut Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sad that you eat no bread?”
ASVBut Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
YLTAnd Jezebel his wife cometh in unto him, and speaketh unto him, ‘What is this? --thy spirit sulky, and thou art not eating bread!'
DARBYAnd Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, Why is thy spirit sullen, and thou eatest no bread?
BBEBut Jezebel, his wife, came to him and said, Why is your spirit so bitter that you have no desire for food?
WebsterBut Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?

What does 1 Kings 21:5 mean?

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Kings 21:5-16
When, instead of a help meet, a man has an agent for Satan, in the form of an artful, unprincipled, yet beloved wife, fatal effects may be expected. Never were more wicked orders given by any prince, than those Jezebel sent to the rulers of Jezreel. Naboth must be murdered under colour of religion. There is no wickedness so vile, so horrid, but religion has sometimes been made a cover for it. Also, it must be done under colour of justice, and with the formalities of legal process. Let us, from this sad story, be amazed at the wickedness of the wicked, and the power of Satan in the children of disobedience. Let us commit the keeping of our lives and comforts to God, for innocence will not always be our security; and let us rejoice in the knowledge that all will be set to rights in the great day.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

1 Kings 21:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַתָּבֹ֥אva.ta.Vo'and she cameH935
אֵלָ֖יו'e.Lavto himH413
אִיזֶ֣בֶל'i.Ze.velJezebelH348
אִשְׁתּ֑וֹ'ish.Towife hisH802
וַתְּדַבֵּ֣רva.te.da.Berand she spokeH1696
אֵלָ֗יו'e.Lavto himH413
מַה\־mah-why?H4100
זֶּה֙zehthisH2088
רוּחֲךָ֣ru.cha.Kha[is] spirit yourH7307
סָרָ֔הsa.RahsullenH5620
וְאֵינְךָ֖ve.'ei.ne.Khaand not youH369
אֹכֵ֥ל'o.Khel[are] eatingH398
לָֽחֶם\׃La.chemfoodH3899

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Kings 21:5

  • 1 Kings 16:31

    And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

  • 2 Samuel 13:4

    And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king’s son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.

  • Genesis 3:6

    And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

  • Esther 4:5

    Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was.

  • 1 Kings 19:2

    Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.

  • Nehemiah 2:2

    Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,

  • 1 Kings 18:4

    For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

  • 1 Kings 21:25

    But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jezebel.
25; 16:31; 18:4; 19:2; Ge 3:6
Why is thy spirit.
2Sa 13:4; Ne 2:2; Es 4:5

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Kings 21:4

    And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

  • 1 Kings 21:5

    But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?

  • 1 Kings 21:6

    And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.

Read all of 1 Kings 21

1 Kings 21:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y vino á él su mujer Jezabel, y díjole: ¿Por qué está tan triste tu espíritu, y no comes pan?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et Jézabel, sa femme, vint vers lui et lui dit: Pourquoi donc ton esprit est-il triste et ne manges-tu pas du pain?
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und Isebel, sein Weib, kam zu ihm hinein und sprach zu ihm: Warum ist doch dein Geist mißmutig, und warum issest du nichts?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Ingressa est autem ad eum Jezabel uxor sua, dixitque ei: Quid est hoc, unde anima tua contristata est? et quare non comedis panem?