Abstract
This inquiry reevaluates the Naboth pericope of 1 Kgs 21 in light of a refined translation of ARM 10.73, a letter written by Inib-Šarri to her father Zimri-Lim, king of Mari. The content of ARM 10.73 permits a comparison between the two texts regarding a form of political intrigue that the principal players exploit to gain advantage. Inib-Šarri details the efforts of her husband, Ibâl-Addu, to incriminate the regional Mari delegate, Itûr-Asdû, in seditious activities. Ibâl-Addu's maneuverings, which Inib-Šarri labels karṣīšu īkulū (lit., “they ate his pieces,” that is, denounced him), are remarkably analogous to the steps Jezebel takes against Naboth. Such a correlation reveals an operative relationship between the lu2.mešsarār (“dishonest men”) mentioned in ARM 10.73,rev. 21 and the האנשם בנ־בליעל (“worthless men”) in 1 Kgs 21:10, 13. Two Amarna letters, EA 160 and 161 confirm the ongoing relationship between the lu2.mešsarrūti and the act of karṣī akālu. Both EA 252 and 254 likewise attest to the abiding relevance of karṣī akālu in the area of Omri's future kingdom. On the basis of the evidence adduced, this study concludes that 1 Kgs 21 records an incident of karṣī akālu without using the expression, and suggests that Jezebel's acts are not the product of authorial imagination but reflect features of the ancient Near Eastern practice of denunciation.
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