Ahab—Heedless Father, Sullen Son: Humour and Intertextuality in 1 Kings 21

Abstract

This article presents the results of a literary-sensitive reading of 1 Kings 21, with attention to features of humour and intertextuality, addressing the apparent inconsistency between Ahab's passivity in vv. 1–16, and the force of the prophetic condemnation upon him in vv. 17–24. Many allusions are identified to Ahab and Naboth as ‘sons’ with duty to their ancestors. It is shown that through reference to Deuteronomy 21, the theological milieu of kingship-as-sonship, and the theme of non-burial, the narrator caricatures Ahab as a sullen, wayward teenager, subjugated by the oppressive figure of his wife. Additionally, a theme of ‘failed fatherhood’ is identified, which combines innuendo with the theme of severed lineage to portray Ahab as an unmanned king.