Jezebel was an infamous queen mentioned in the Bible, primarily in 1 and 2 Kings. She was a Phoenician princess who married King Ahab of Israel and became the queen of the northern kingdom of Israel during the 9th century BC.
Jezebel’s story begins when she marries Ahab. Ahab was an evil king who did more to provoke the anger of God than any of the kings before him (1 Kings 16:33). Soon after their marriage, Jezebel begins promoting the worship of Baal and Asherah in Israel. These were Canaanite gods that Jezebel likely worshipped back in her home country of Phoenicia. Jezebel uses her power and influence as queen to establish shrines and prophets dedicated to these false gods throughout the land (1 Kings 16:31-32). She fiercely persecutes the prophets of the Lord, killing many of them (1 Kings 18:4, 13). Jezebel’s idolatrous influence over Ahab leads him to erect altars and worship these false gods as well.
One of Jezebel’s most brazen acts is her plot to kill Naboth and seize his vineyard, simply because it was near the palace and Ahab desired it. She forges letters in Ahab’s name demanding that Naboth be falsely accused and stoned to death so the king could take possession of his land (1 Kings 21:1-16). This cold-blooded murder illustrates Jezebel’s disregard for God’s law and human life in order to satisfy her selfish desires.
Jezebel’s idolatry provokes the prophet Elijah to confront the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in one of the most dramatic showdowns in the Bible (1 Kings 18:16-46). Elijah calls fire down from heaven, proving the Lord is the one true God. He then orders the people to seize and kill the prophets of Baal. After this, Elijah flees from Jezebel’s wrath as she vows to kill him just as he killed her prophets (1 Kings 19:1-3).
Later, Jezebel again demonstrates her ruthlessness when she masterminds a conspiracy to falsely accuse an innocent man named Naboth of blasphemy and treason so that the king can take possession of his vineyard near the palace (1 Kings 21:5-16). Her sinful actions result in the pronouncement of a dark prophecy of judgement upon Ahab and his descendants (1 Kings 21:17-24).
The beginning of Jezebel’s downfall comes when the prophet Elisha sends one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu as king and pronounces that he will avenge the blood shed by Jezebel (2 Kings 9:1-10). Jehu shows no mercy and fatally throws Jezebel from a window, as was foretold. Her body is left in the street to be devoured by dogs, a dishonorable end for an evil queen (2 Kings 9:30-37).
The name “Jezebel” has become synonymous with an evil, controlling woman who manipulates and seduces others into sinning. However, looking deeper at Jezebel reveals she was motivated by her fanatical devotion to promote the worship of Baal in Israel. She likely believed she was serving her gods through her actions. Nonetheless, the merciless and immoral ways she went about it earned her this infamous reputation.
Jezebel’s story is a sobering example of how idolatry and sin can gradually corrupt even those in great power and influence. It illustrates how unrepentant sin ultimately leads to destruction, no matter one’s position or authority. Jezebel met a violent end because she repeatedly ignored God’s commands and pursued her own selfish desires. Her life serves as a warning that no one can evade God’s judgment forever.
The passage in Revelation 2:18-29 contains a message to the church in Thyatira. In this letter, Jesus condemns a false prophetess in the church who is misleading people into sexual immorality and idolatry. Jesus says this woman is a modern-day “Jezebel” who will face great suffering unless she repents of her sins.
This comparison reveals that Jezebel’s name has become associated with characteristics such as deception, immorality, idolatry, false teaching, and opposing God’s true prophets. Any persons exhibiting similar traits risk facing comparable judgement.
In summary, Jezebel was an idolatrous Phoenician queen, the wife of King Ahab of Israel. Through her influence as queen, she aggressively promoted the worship of false gods in Israel and persecuted God’s prophets. Jezebel was a prime example of someone who repeatedly chose to reject God’s commands, serving as a biblical archetype for wickedness and rebellion against God. Her legacy is a reminder that idolatry, deception, greed, and ruthless ambition ultimately bring downfall and destruction.
Jezebel first appears in 1 Kings 16, which records her marriage to King Ahab of Israel. Ahab “did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him” (1 Kings 16:30). Ahab’s great wickedness began with his marriage to Jezebel.
Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidonians in Phoenicia (modern day Lebanon). The Sidonians worshipped Baal as their chief god. When Jezebel married Ahab, she brought her zealous worship of Baal with her and promoted it in Israel (1 Kings 16:31-32).
The worship of Baal involved sexual immorality and sacrificing children. Jezebel aimed to combine the worship of Baal with the worship of Yahweh in Israel. But under the Mosaic law, worshipping other gods along with Yahweh was strictly forbidden and severely punished (Exodus 20:3-6).
After marrying Ahab, Jezebel urged him to build a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. She supported hundreds of prophets for Baal and the associated goddess Asherah. Meanwhile, she began persecuting and killing the prophets of Yahweh in Israel (1 Kings 18:4, 13).
Elijah confronts Ahab and denounces him for forsaking God’s commandments and worshipping Baal. Under Jezebel’s orders, Ahab had the prophets of the Lord hunted down and killed (1 Kings 18:4). Obadiah, a devout follower of Yahweh, sheltered 100 prophets and hid them from Jezebel in caves to save their lives (1 Kings 18:3-4). Meanwhile, Jezebel kept a company of 450 prophets of Baal who ate at her table (1 Kings 18:19).
The idolatrous influence of Jezebel over Israel provoked the prophet Elijah to directly confront her pagan prophets. The epic showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal is recorded in 1 Kings 18.
Elijah challenges the prophets to call upon their gods while he calls on Yahweh. The true God of Israel answers Elijah’s prayer with consuming fire from heaven. Afterwards, Elijah orders the people to seize and kill all the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40).
After this stunning defeat at Mount Carmel, Jezebel swears to take Elijah’s life. “So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow’” (1 Kings 19:2).
True to her word, Jezebel seeks to kill Elijah. This drives him to flee into the wilderness where he has an emotional breakdown (1 Kings 19:3-4). However, God provides food and encouragement to Elijah in the wilderness through an angel. The angel gives Elijah strength for the journey to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:5-8). There God speaks to Elijah and assures him he is not alone; 7,000 in Israel remain faithful (1 Kings 19:9-18).
In 1 Kings 21, Jezebel schemes to obtain a vineyard owned by a man named Naboth. It was located beside King Ahab’s palace in Jezreel. Ahab offers to buy or trade for Naboth’s vineyard, but Naboth refuses since it is his ancestral inheritance (1 Kings 21:1-3).
Ahab is resentful and sullen that Naboth will not sell his vineyard. Jezebel perceives this and decides to take matters into her own hands. She forges letters from Ahab demanding the elders and nobles of Jezreel falsely accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king. The penalty for this offense was death by stoning (1 Kings 21:8-14).
Jezebel’s deceitful plot succeeds. The elders and nobles of Jezreel obediently stone Naboth to death. Afterwards, Ahab takes possession of Naboth’s vineyard to add to his palace grounds as Jezebel desired (1 Kings 21:15-16).
However, God sends the prophet Elijah to pronounce severe judgment upon Ahab and Jezebel for this murderous act. Elijah prophesies that dogs will lick up Ahab’s blood in the same place they licked Naboth’s blood. Likewise, dogs will consume Jezebel’s flesh. Their dynasty will come to a gruesome end (1 Kings 21:17-24).
This prophecy is fulfilled years later in 2 Kings 9. Jehu is anointed king of Israel with the mission to wipe out the house of Ahab and avenge the blood of God’s prophets. Jezebel meets her violent demise shortly after Jehu’s revolt.
When Jehu arrives at Jezreel, Jezebel adorns herself and looks down from her window as he enters the city gate. Upon seeing her, Jehu calls out: “Who is on my side? Who?” (2 Kings 9:32). Several eunuchs then appear at the window and comply with Jehu’s command to throw Jezebel down. Her body splatters on the ground and is trampled by horses. Jehu casually eats a meal while her mangled corpse is eaten by stray dogs, fulfilling Elijah’s prophecy (2 Kings 9:30-37).
Jezebel is remembered as an evil, scheming woman who manipulated her weak husband and maliciously orchestrated the demise of those who stood in her way. Her name has become synonymous with being a deceitful, controlling, idolatrous woman. While Ahab was certainly guilty of wickedness, it was often Jezebel who incited his evil deeds.
Jezebel’s idolatrous influence brought severe consequences upon Israel. Her fanatical worship of Baal provoked God to judge the nation. The writer of 1 Kings makes a sobering assessment of Ahab’s reign: “Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:33). The sins of Ahab and Jezebel changed the spiritual course of Israel for generations. Their dynasty was ultimately destroyed as punishment for evil and unrepentant leadership.
The name Jezebel is referenced again in Revelation 2:20-23 in a letter to the church in Thyatira. Jesus condemns a false prophetess who misleads believers into sexual immorality and idolatry, saying: “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols” (Revelation 2:20).
This false prophetess in Thyatira is condemned for echoing the idolatrous behaviors and spiritual immorality of Queen Jezebel centuries earlier. By calling her “Jezebel,” it cements this woman’s reputation as a deceiver who leads others away from Christ into sin. Unless she repents, this Jezebel of Thyatira will suffer “great tribulation” for her sins (Revelation 2:21-22).
This reference illustrates how Jezebel’s name continued to be associated with idolatry, sexual immorality, false prophecy, and deceiving God’s people. It became a designation for anyone exhibiting similar traits. Anyone following in the footsteps of the wicked Queen Jezebel risked facing severe judgment.
In summary, the infamous Queen Jezebel was the Phoenician wife of King Ahab of Israel. Her zealous worship of idols and persecution of Yahweh’s prophets during the 9th century BC earned her a reputation as an archetypal evil queen. Jezebel’s idolatrous influence over Israel provoked the prophet Elijah to directly confront her paganism. Her brazen schemes to eliminate those who stood in her way ultimately led to the destruction of Ahab’s dynasty. The judgment prophecies against Ahab and Jezebel came to pass when Jezebel met her violent death at Jehu’s revolt. Her legacy as a manipulative, ruthless idolater caused her name to become synonymous with wickedness. The Jezebel figure lives on as a warning about evading God’s justice.