Ναβουθαί

Nabouthai, Naboth

Translated by Alex Gottesman5 Dec 2002Vetting: high9 revisions

6 notes · 383 words
This man lived in the time of Achab; [he was] from the city of Izaros,1 and had a neighboring field. King Achab asked him to sell him this field of his that was close to his own at any price, in order that he could combine them and make one piece of property.2 If he did not want money, [Achab] told him to take anything he wanted from his fields. [Naboth] said he would not, but would himself cultivate his own land, which he had inherited from his father. The king was upset by this, as if it was an insult that he could not take someone else's property. He did not touch food, nor did he bathe. When Jezebel [his wife] asked what he was upset about, he told her about Naboth's "wickedness;" how he had approached him with proper language, and how he had been insulted with language unsuitable to his royal authority; how he did not receive what he demanded.3 She told him not to fret over such trifles, to cease worrying and return to his usual business; she would see to Naboth's punishment. Soon enough, she sends letters to the governors of the Judaeans in Achab's name, telling them to hold a fast, call an assembly, and give Naboth a front-row seat; for he was of illustrious family.4 [She also told them] to prepare three adventurers to testify that he had blasphemed God and the King, and stone him; and to put him to death in this way. And so he died, and Achab inherited the vineyard as his "dowry."5 God was vexed at this, so he sent the Prophet Elijah to speak to him about what had happened, [tell him] that he had killed the true owner of the field and inherited it unjustly. In that spot where it came about that Naboth's corpse was consumed by dogs, [Achab's] and his wife's blood will be shed and all his family will be extinguished, since he had committed such sins. At this Achab was repentant. He put on rags and went around with bare feet, not eating, confessing his sins and praising God. God told the prophet that the family's punishment was to be postponed, since [Achab] was repentant. The threat was to be carried out against Achab's son.6

Greek original · Adler’s text

Ναβουθαί· οὗτος ἦν ἐπὶ Ἀχαάβ, ἐξ Ἰζάρου πόλεως, ἀγρογείτων ὤν. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως Ἀχαὰβ παρακαλοῦντος αὐτὸν ἀποδόσθαι τιμῆς ὅσης βούλεται τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ τῶν ἰδίων ἀγρόν, ἵνα συνάψας ἓν αὐτὸ ποιήσῃ κτῆμα· εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλοιτο χρήματα λαβεῖν, ἐπιτρέψαντος ἐκλέξασθαι τῶν ἀγρῶν τινα τῶν ἐκείνου, τοῦτο μὲν οὔ φησι ποιήσειν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὴν ἰδίαν καρπώσεσθαι γῆν, ἣν ἐκληρονόμησε τοῦ πατρός. λυπηθεὶς δὲ ὡς ἐφ' ὕβρει τῷ μὴ τἀλλότρια λαβεῖν ὁ βασιλεὺς οὔτε λουτρὸν προσηνέγκατο οὔτε τροφήν. τῆς δὲ Ἰεζάβελ πυνθανομένης ὅ τι λυπεῖται, διηγήσατο αὐτῇ τὴν Ναβουθαὶ σκαιότητα, καὶ ὡς χρησάμενος ἐπιεικέσι πρὸς αὐτὸν λόγοις καὶ βασιλικῆς ἐξουσίας ὑποδεεστέροις ὑβρισθείη, μὴ τυχὼν ὧν ἠξίου. ἡ δὲ μὴ μικροψυχεῖν ἐπὶ τούτοις παρεκάλει, παυσάμενον δὲ τῆς λύπης ἐπὶ τὴν συνήθη τραπέσθαι πρόνοιαν· μελήσειν γὰρ αὐτῇ περὶ τῆς Ναβουθαὶ τιμωρίας. καὶ παραχρῆμα πέμπει γράμματα πρὸς τοὺς ὑπερέχοντας τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐκ τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ ὀνόματος, νηστεῦσαι κελεύουσα καὶ ποιησαμένους ἐκκλησίαν προκαθίσαι μὲν αὐτῶν Ναβουθαί· εἶναι γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐκ γένους ἐπι- φανοῦς. παρασκευασαμένους δὲ τρεῖς τολμηροὺς καταμαρτυρήσοντας αὐτοῦ, ὡς τὸν θεὸν εἴη βλασφημήσας καὶ τὸν βασιλέα, καταλεῦσαι· καὶ τούτῳ διαχρήσασθαι τῷ τρόπῳ. καὶ οὕτως ἀπέθανε, καὶ προῖκα ἐκληρονόμησεν Ἀχαὰβ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα. ἀγανακτήσας δὲ ὁ θεὸς πέμπει Ἡλίαν τὸν προφήτην πρὸς Ἀχαὰβ περὶ τῶν πεπραγμένων ἐρησόμενον, ὅτι κτείνας τὸν ἀληθῆ δεσπότην τοῦ χωρίου κληρονομήσειεν αὐτὸν ἀδίκως, κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν τόπον, ἐν ᾧ τὸν Ναβουθαὶ νεκρὸν συνέβη ὑπὸ κυνῶν δαπανηθῆναι, τό τε αὐτοῦ αἷμα καὶ τὸ τῆς γυναικὸς χυθήσεσθαι καὶ πᾶν αὐτοῦ τὸ γένος ἀπολεῖσθαι, τοιαῦτα ἠσεβηκότος. ὁ δὲ Ἀχαὰβ μετάμελος γενόμενος καὶ σακκίον ἐνδυσάμενος γυμνοῖς τοῖς ποσὶ διῆγε μὴ τρεφόμενος, ἀνθομολογούμενος τὰ ἡμαρτημένα καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἐξευμενίζων. ὁ δὲ θεὸς πρὸς τὸν προφήτην εἶπεν ὑπερβαλέσθαι τὴν τοῦ γένους τιμωρίαν, ἐπεὶ τοῖς τετολμημένοις μετανοεῖ, τελέσειν δὲ τὴν ἀπειλὴν ἐπὶ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ Ἀχαάβ.

Betacode
*nabouqai/: ou(=tos h)=n e)pi\ *)axaa/b, e)c *)iza/rou po/lews, a)grogei/twn w)/n. tou= de\ basile/ws *)axaa\b parakalou=ntos au)to\n a)podo/sqai timh=s o(/shs bou/letai to\n plhsi/on au)tou= tw=n i)di/wn a)gro/n, i(/na suna/yas e(\n au)to\ poih/sh| kth=ma: ei) de\ mh\ bou/loito xrh/mata labei=n, e)pitre/yantos e)kle/casqai tw=n a)grw=n tina tw=n e)kei/nou, tou=to me\n ou)/ fhsi poih/sein, au)to\s de\ th\n i)di/an karpw/sesqai gh=n, h(\n e)klhrono/mhse tou= patro/s. luphqei\s de\ w(s e)f' u(/brei tw=| mh\ ta)llo/tria labei=n o( basileu\s ou)/te loutro\n proshne/gkato ou)/te trofh/n. th=s de\ *)ieza/bel punqanome/nhs o(/ ti lupei=tai, dihgh/sato au)th=| th\n *nabouqai\ skaio/thta, kai\ w(s xrhsa/menos e)pieike/si pro\s au)to\n lo/gois kai\ basilikh=s e)cousi/as u(podeeste/rois u(brisqei/h, mh\ tuxw\n w(=n h)ci/ou. h( de\ mh\ mikroyuxei=n e)pi\ tou/tois pareka/lei, pausa/menon de\ th=s lu/phs e)pi\ th\n sunh/qh trape/sqai pro/noian: melh/sein ga\r au)th=| peri\ th=s *nabouqai\ timwri/as. kai\ paraxrh=ma pe/mpei gra/mmata pro\s tou\s u(pere/xontas tw=n *)ioudai/wn e)k tou= *)axaa\b o)no/matos, nhsteu=sai keleu/ousa kai\ poihsame/nous e)kklhsi/an prokaqi/sai me\n au)tw=n *nabouqai/: ei)=nai ga\r au)to\n e)k ge/nous e)pi-  fanou=s. paraskeuasame/nous de\ trei=s tolmhrou\s katamarturh/sontas au)tou=, w(s to\n qeo\n ei)/h blasfhmh/sas kai\ to\n basile/a, kataleu=sai: kai\ tou/tw| diaxrh/sasqai tw=| tro/pw|. kai\ ou(/tws a)pe/qane, kai\ proi=ka e)klhrono/mhsen *)axaa\b to\n a)mpelw=na. a)ganakth/sas de\ o( qeo\s pe/mpei *(hli/an to\n profh/thn pro\s *)axaa\b peri\ tw=n pepragme/nwn e)rhso/menon, o(/ti ktei/nas to\n a)lhqh= despo/thn tou= xwri/ou klhronomh/seien au)to\n a)di/kws, kat' e)kei=non to\n to/pon, e)n w(=| to\n *nabouqai\ nekro\n sune/bh u(po\ kunw=n dapanhqh=nai, to/ te au)tou= ai(=ma kai\ to\ th=s gunaiko\s xuqh/sesqai kai\ pa=n au)tou= to\ ge/nos a)polei=sqai, toiau=ta h)sebhko/tos. o( de\ *)axaa\b meta/melos geno/menos kai\ sakki/on e)ndusa/menos gumnoi=s toi=s posi\ dih=ge mh\ trefo/menos, a)nqomologou/menos ta\ h(marthme/na kai\ to\n qeo\n e)ceumeni/zwn. o( de\ qeo\s pro\s to\n profh/thn ei)=pen u(perbale/sqai th\n tou= ge/nous timwri/an, e)pei\ toi=s tetolmhme/nois metanoei=, tele/sein de\ th\n a)peilh\n e)pi\ tw=| ui(w=| tou= *)axaa/b.

Notes (6)

  1. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 8.355-362; cf. I Kings 21 LXX. The Greek version of the name, here Nabouthai but in Josephus Nabothes, is Hebrew בות.
    For A(c)hab see alpha 4667; for Jezebel, iota 144 and iota 145.
  2. 1Jezreel (Hebrew יזרעאל Yizre`el). ↩
  3. 2An interesting divergence from I Kings 21:2, where the story of Naboth and Achab (Ahab, Hebrew אחאב) is found. There (in the New International Version) we read "Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace." ↩
  4. 3Another divergence from the Biblical version. ↩
  5. 4In the Biblical version the instructions are to prepare a feast. ↩
  6. 5This is meant sarcastically. ↩
  7. 6Ahaziah (Hebrew אחזיה), who appears in 2 Kings 1. ↩

Linked from1 entry

Neighbouring entries

ν4Νάβλαnabla, nablas, navlaν5ΝάβιςNabisν6ΝαβουθαίNabouthai, Nabothν7ΝαβουχοδονόσορNabouchodonosor, Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadrezzar, Nabu-kudurri-usurν8Ναέταιinhabitants
Revision history9 revisions · last 12 Oct 2020
  1. typos found by Ron Allen — Catharine Roth
  2. tweaked translation and notes — Catharine Roth
  3. codings — David Whitehead
  4. Revised — David Whitehead
  5. corrected note number; more x-refs; more keywords; raised status — David Whitehead
  6. another keyword — David Whitehead
  7. Cosmetics. — Raphael Finkel
  8. added note and keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
  9. Added Hebrew, cosmetics. — Raphael Finkel
  10. Translated — Alex Gottesman

Cite this entry

“Nabouthai, Naboth.” Suda On Line. Tr. Alex Gottesman. 5 December 2002. <https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/nu/6>. Read at ReadSuda: <https://readsuda.org/nu/6>.

Translation by Alex Gottesman for Suda On Line, revised by Catharine Roth, David Whitehead, Raphael Finkel, licensed CC BY-NC-SA 1.0. Shown unchanged, under the same licence, non-commercially. Licence & terms

Original on SOL ↗Report a problem with this entry

Keyboard shortcuts

j
Next entry
k
Previous entry
g
Toggle Greek
/
Search
?
Show shortcuts