She continued to worship the god Baal, and in doing so, earned many enemies. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. When Jezebel heard of the slaughter, she angrily swore to have Elijah killed, forcing him to flee for his life (1 Kings 18:19–19:3). Queen Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon, and the wife of Ahab, king of Israel. When Jezebel married Ahab (ruled c. 874–c. Adjacent to Ahab’s palace was a vineyard, which he coveted; it belonged to a commoner, Naboth of Jezreel (an ancient city at the foot of Mount Gilboa, probably the site of the modern Israeli settlement of the same name). However, her pride and spirit to enact vengeance led to her death when the judgment of her family was brought to fruition, as promised by the Lord. Jezebel lived on for approximately another ten years. Elijah then ordered the killing of all Baal prophets.

She forged letters under Ahab’s name and seal requesting a fast. The Lord casted much of the blame to Jezebel by explaining, “[t]here was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife” ( 1 Kings 21:25 ). Elijah confronted Ahab in the vineyard, predicting that he and all his heirs would be destroyed and that dogs in Jezreel would devour Jezebel. Elijah’s successor, Elisha the prophet, equally determined to end Baal worship, had a military commander named Jehu anointed to be king of Israel, an act that provoked civil war, for Jezebel’s son Jehoram (Joram) then ruled.

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Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright © 2020, Christianity.com. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The story of Naboth is perhaps the best-known story of Jezebel's life. The last vicious act attributed to Jezebel is recorded in 1 Kings 21:5–16.

What Does it Mean That Jesus Leaves the Ninety-Nine? In the centuries since Jezebel’s death, she’s become legendary. She used her attraction and affection to gain a place in the government and was able to use her influence to spread the worship of Baal among the people of Israel. Do We Strive for God’s Justice or Our Own? Jezebel was the daughter of the priest-king Ethbaal, ruler of the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon. He enjoys serving his church as a deacon and Sunday School teacher. Despite her reputation, there's more to her story. Then he added 12 stones to the altar to represent the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob and dug a deep trench around the alter. Jezebel has come to be known as an archetype of the wicked woman. It was common during this era of kingdoms for the king to establish worship facilities for foreign wives. Before becoming king, Ethbaal was noted to have been a priest of Astarte, which was the Greek form of the moon goddess Ashtoreth. This influence led to the promotion of false gods among the people of Israel. What Was She Really Like? As the story goes, Jehu made his way Jezebel's palace to murder her, and she, expecting him, applied make-up and dressed herself in finery. Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn! Jehu looked up to the window and asked, “[w]ho is on my side? Ahab was “sullen and angry” (1 Kings 21:4) with the rejection, but Queen Jezebel concocted a scheme to get the vineyard. Like Cleopatra, Jezebel’s story is one of intrigue, romance and ultimately, the fall of a nation.

When Ahab “heard these words,” he realized his guilt in the conspiracy and “rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went around meekly” (1 Kings 21:27). Jehu killed Joram, then proceeded to Jezreel, where Queen Jezebel was, as she was his next obstacle for his promotion to king.

At this point, Elijah arrived and confronted King Ahab about this brutal transgression, and then predicted that Ahab and all of his heirs would be killed and that dogs will eat Jezebel, according to the famous story. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

Who Was Jezebel in the Bible?

The adornments were not to entice Jehu, but to reflect her majesty, pride, and haughty spirit. The prophet Elisha, successor to Elijah, sent orders to Jehu, a commander in Joram’s army, to eliminate all of Ahab’s descendants. Her citizens and the Yahweh prophet Elijah despised such actions. In His great mercy, the Lord came to Elijah and said He would not bring evil upon Ahab in his life because he humbled himself, but judgment would pass onto his son’s days. Who Are the Samaritans in the Bible? Animosities were so heighted that Jezebel ordered the death of the Lord’s prophets, while she fully supported the prophets of Baal and Asherah. Ezekiel was a biblical prophet and priest of ancient Israel who was the subject and in part the author of an Old Testament book that bears his name. Since she was Phoenician, Jezebel more than likely had a role that was more active than what was normal in Hebrew rule. Most of the prophets of Yahweh were killed at her command.

A few years later Ahab perished in battle with the Syrians. In 1 Kings 21, we see how Jezebel organized the death of Naboth. A woman of fierce energy, she tried to destroy those who opposed her; most of the prophets of Yahweh were killed at her command. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives.

Jezebel had Naboth killed so the king could confiscate his land (1 Kings 21), and she prodded her husband into many other wicked acts besides: “There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited” (1 Kings 21:25).

She then took his plot of land for the king. After enjoying a life of luxury, she was suddenly taken into a conservative society and made to oversee it. He then called for the crowd to pour four barrels of water onto the sacrifice and wood. There are numerous references to her in popular culture, none of them flattering, while there are others who believe that Jezebel was one of the first suffragists and that it’s time to change that definition to “a strong, courageous, loyal woman who stands up for what she believes in… no matter what the cost.”. By opposing the worship of the Hebrew god Yahweh, neglecting the rights and well-being of her subjects, and challenging the great prophets Elijah and Elisha, she prompted the internal conflict that plagued Israel for decades. Article Images Copyright © 2020 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated.

Golda Meir was best known as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel and the first woman to hold the title.

Jezebel eventually became Israel's Queen. Elijah requested the prophets to call upon Baal to provide the fire, and he would call upon the Lord to provide. Astarte is what the Phoenicians called her.

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Jezebel was the daughter of the priest-king Ethbaal, ruler of the coastal Phoenician cities (now in Lebanon) of Tyre and Sidon (Arabic: Ṣaydā). Jezebel was a Phoenician princess in the 9th century who married Ahab, the prince of Israel.

When Naboth refused to part with his vineyard (“the inheritance of my fathers”), Jezebel falsely charged him with blaspheming “God and the king,” which led to Naboth’s death by stoning. Naboth, a common landowner who lived close to the King's residence, was asked to give his land to King Ahab in exchange for some compensation.

Because of Jewish law, Naboth refused to give up his family's ancestral land.

Eventually, they ruled as king and queen. In 2 Kings 9:30, we learn “When Jezebel heard about it, she put on eye makeup, arranged her hair and looked out of a window.”.