Editing Naboth (section)

==Interpretations==
[[File:Weltchronik Fulda Aa88 335v detail.jpg|thumb|Naboth's stoning in front of the vineyard, Prague, 14th century]]

Archaeological exploration conducted by the University of Haifa and the University of Evansville discovered an ancient winery in the vicinity of an Iron Age IIB (900–700 B.C.E.) military enclosure at the foot of Tel Jezreel.<ref name=Dospel/> While not definitely identifying the site as the location for the story of Naboth, archaeologist Dr. Norma Franklin, of the [[University of Haifa]] said that the vineyard appears to have been established sometime prior to 300 BCE, which would not be inconsistent with the time frame for Naboth. Franklin further noted, "Owning a vineyard would make him wealthy since wine was an important commodity. I reckon that since he was from the aristocracy he probably lived in Samaria and had more than one vineyard. This would give a slightly different picture than the Bible, which implies, though does not state explicitly, that he was a poor man being abused by the wealthy king."<ref name=Zaimov/>

Based on the dates of Ahab's death, which occurred three years after Naboth's death,<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Kings|16:29|NIV}}</ref> it is presumed that Naboth died on 855-856BC.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thiele |first=Edwin R. |title=[[The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings]] |edition=2nd |date=1965 |location=Grand Rapids, MI |publisher=Eerdmans }}</ref>{{pn|date=December 2023}}

[[Francis Andersen]] observed that "Commentators have seen in the episode a clash of Israelite and Canaanite ideas of kingship, of citizenship, and of property."<ref name=Andersen>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/3264356?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Andersen, Francis I. "The Socio-Juridical Background of the Naboth Incident." ''Journal of Biblical Literature'', vol. 85, no. 1, 1966, pp. 46–57. JSTOR]</ref>

Jewish medieval scholars sometimes used Elijah's words to Ahab "You have killed and also taken possession" ("הֲרָצַחְתָּ וְגַם יָרָשְׁתָּ") or the expression "Naboth's vineyard" to hint at double injustice (or crime committed with indecency, as opposed to "simply committed" crime). The [[Talmud]] also sees here a link to the prohibition of mixtures of milk and meat in Jewish law.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

[[Roger Williams]], the founder of the American colony of [[Rhode Island]] and the co-founder of the [[First Baptist Church in America]], wrote about Naboth's story in ''[[The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience]]'' as an example of how God disfavored Christians from using government force in religious matters, such as the religious decrees by Jezebel and Ahab. Williams believed using force in the name of religion would lead to political persecution contrary to the Bible.<ref>James P. Byrd, ''The challenges of Roger Williams: religious liberty, violent persecution, and the Bible'' (Mercer University Press, 2002)[https://books.google.com/books?id=M4FK-j35yFYC] (accessed on Google Books on July 20, 2009)</ref>