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JEZEBEL

(Heb. ʾîzeḇel)

Queen of Israel, the wife of Ahab and daughter of the Sidonian (Phoenician) king Ethbaal. As vocalized in the MT the name can be read as either “islands of dung” or “no dung,” generally recognized as parodies of the consonantal form meaning “no nobility” or “Where is the prince?” The latter, most likely the word’s original meaning, is known from the liturgy of the Baal cult.

Conflict over the meaning of the name is replicated in a conflict over the evaluation of the character. Is Jezebel an archetypal wicked woman? (Her name is used symbolically in Rev. 2:20-23 to refer to a prophetess who is “beguiling” the congregation at Thyatira “to practice fornication and to eat food sacrificed to idols.”) Or is such a characterization a way of deflecting attention away from the quite considerable power she wields? Even her first introduction into the text, as wife of Ahab and daughter of Ethbaal, signals conflict (1 Kgs. 16:31). Indeed, these two relational identifications, insofar as they also signal expectation of loyalty to two different cultures, help contextualize the several narrative episodes in which she plays a role.

Early on, it is her relationship to prophets that is highlighted — whether these be prophets of Yahweh, Baal, or Asherah. 1 Kgs. 18:3-4 (cf. vv. 13-14) comments that Jezebel has been killing off the prophets of Yahweh; refugees of this violence have resorted to hiding in caves where they subsist on bread and water. Even the highly-vaunted Elijah, fresh off his victory over the Baal prophets at Mt. Carmel, flees the country upon hearing — from a messenger sent by Jezebel — that she means to kill him. This venom on Jezebel’s part toward Yahweh prophets is in contrast to her support of the prophets of Baal and Asherah. 1 Kgs. 18:19 reports that she is bestowing the hospitality of her royal table, no doubt lavishingly provendered, to no fewer than 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (no mention here of Ahab).

Another episode that provokes conflict is the Naboth incident (1 Kgs. 21:1-19). In support of her husband’s desire to possess the vineyard of Naboth, Jezebel strategically arranges for the latter’s death and the subsequent acquiring of his property for Ahab. In doing so, she might well be acting in accord with the royal prerogatives to which her father’s upbringing had accustomed her; however, such an action is strongly counter to Israelite tradition, which demands that landed property be considered the perpetual inheritance of the family. Interestingly, though, Jezebel’s means for carrying out the death sentence are actually well calibrated to the Israelite legal system: two witnesses (cf. Deut. 17:6) accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king (cf. Exod. 24:15), for which he is punished with death by stoning (cf. Lev. 24:16).

The violence evident in Jezebel’s life finds a last echo in the manner of her death: cast out of a window by her own attendants, her body is trampled to death by horses (2 Kgs. 9:30-37). Israel thereby rids itself of the dangerous influences of this foreign woman. Or does it? No fewer than three of her children also come to the throne of Israelite territories: Ahaziah and Joram are, successively, kings in the north; Athaliah reigns as queen in the south.

Bibliography. C. Camp, “1 and 2 Kings,” in The Women’s Bible Commentary, ed. C. A. Newsom and S. H. Ringe (Louisville, 1992), 96-109; P. Trible, “Exegesis for Storytellers and Other Strangers,” JBL 114 (1995): 3-19.

Karla G. Bohmbach

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

JEZEBEL

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)