In the Hebrew Scriptures
In the
Tanakh (the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Old Testament), Jezebel is a queen of ancient
Israel, whose story is told in
I Kings. She is introduced by the author as a
Phoenician princess, the daughter of King
Ithobaal I of
Tyre, who marries King
Ahab. She turns Ahab away from the God of the Israelites and
of the Jews (being the inhabitants of
Judah in this context) and towards the worship of her god,
Baal. The two then allow temples of Baal to open in Israel. Jezebel uses her control over Ahab to subject Israel to
tyranny. After she slaughters the prophets of the Lord, the prophet
Elijah confronts her to charge her with
abominations. She responds by threatening to kill him as well. After Ahab's death, Jezebel continues to rule through her son
Ahaziah. When Ahaziah is killed in battle, she exercises control through her other son,
Jehoram. Jehoram is killed by
Jehu, who confronts Jezebel in Jezreel and urges her servants to kill her by throwing her out a window (
defenestration). They comply, tossing her out the window and leaving her corpse in the street to be eaten by dogs; only her skull, feet, and hands remained, in fulfillment of Elijah's
prophecy. Her daughter,
Athaliah, is wed to King of
Judah,
Jehoram, similarly corrupting Judah.
[edit] The Name
Using the vowels traditionally used for this name by Hebrew readers, the Hebrew form of this name means "not exalted". But it is highly unlikely her parents would have given her such a name. Read with different vowels it can be understand as meaning "Where is the Prince?" ('ay zebul in Hebrew). In fact, early Syrian inscriptions from
Ugarit demonstrate that "the Prince" (equivalent of Hebrew "Zebul") was a popular title for the storm god of the Phoenicians. The sentence "Where is the Prince?" is even found in Ugaritic literature. It is a form of
invocation, calling on the god named to appear and act. In other words, this Tyrian princess was given a name in praise of the chief god of her people (whom the Hebrew Bible refers to mainly by the title "Baal", meaning "lord, master"). "Jezebel" is, then, a reinterpretation, intended to mock this Queen and her god, whom she encouraged Israel to worship.
The Hebrew Bible contains two other examples of this name formula. First, in the larger context of the Jezebel story, after Elijah is taken up, Elisha strikes the Jordan with Elijah's cloak and cries, "Where is YHWH, the God of Elijah?" as an invocation for God to part the waters, as he had done from Elijah (2 Kings 2). Second, the name "
Ichabod", traditionally read as "no glory" (son of the priest
Phinehas, in 1 Samuel) may be read as, "Where is the Glory?" In context, the question becomes sadly ionic, because "the Glory" is associated with the ark of the covenant, which has just been captured by the Philistines. A related type of Hebrew name is "Who is like God/YHWH?" (
Michael/Micaiah)
[edit] In the New Testament
In the
New Testament, Jezebel calls herself
prophetess in the city of
Thyatira. She is accused in
Revelation 2:20 of inducing members of the church there to commit acts of sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Some authorities suggest that the author here uses the name Jezebel as a nickname, knowing that readers in Thyatira would know to whom it was being referred, and they would also know of the deeds of the previous Jezebel recorded in 1 Kings.
[edit] Carthage
Jezebel is said to be the
great aunt of Queen
Dido, founder of
Carthage, who is best known for her depiction in
Virgil's
The Aeneid.
[edit] Jezebel in modern culture
Trivia sections are discouraged under
Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by
integrating relevant items and removing
inappropriate ones.
The name
Jezebel has come down through the centuries to be used as a general name for all
wicked women. Jezebel is portrayed in modern usage as a controlling harlot in such phrases as "painted Jezebel." (The "painted" part refers to
a line in II Kings, just before she is killed, where she puts on her
makeup). From a generalized Christian point of view, the story and concept of Jezebel has been used to refer to those who refute perceived evidence and belief in God. From a biblical and generalized Christian point of view, being compared to Jezebel would suggest that the implied person would be a pagan or an apostate. While it is often negative in connotation, some embrace the image, as evidenced by various
lingerie designs named after Jezebel. The "tribute" uses of the name Jezebel are often either (1) in recognition of her role as a strong and powerful woman in the face of a patriarchal cultural or (2) to thumb the nose at tradition by highlighting an infamous character in Scripture. Her daughter,
Athaliah, has not been rehabilitated in popular culture, but bears a reputation of power-lusty madwoman.
