John Gill Commentary 1 Kings 21:2

"And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it: or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money." — 1 Kings 21:2 (ASV)

And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, give me your vineyard,
that I may have it for a garden of herbs
For a kitchen garden to produce eatables of the vegetable kind for his household, or for a flower garden; and perhaps for both, as Kimchi observes, it being customary to have such in court yards, or behind the house; perhaps he might take his notion of an herb garden from his neighbours the Syrians, who were very diligent and laborious in cultivating their gardens, as Pliny ^F26 .

From which ``multa Syrorum olera'', the many herbs of the Syrians, became a proverb with the Greeks:

because it is near to mine house ;
lay very convenient for him:

and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it
seems good to you, I will give you the worth of it in money ;
which seems very well spoken, that he would either give him a better in exchange, or purchase it at its full value; he did not pretend to take it by usurpation, by force, against his will, as it was represented by Samuel kings would do, (1 Samuel 8:14) as yet such oppression and tyranny was not exercised.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F26: Nat Hist. l. 20. c. 5.