Lexical Summary Izebel: Jezebel Original Word: אִיזֶבֶל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Jezebel From 'iy and Zbul; Izebel, the wife of king Ahab -- Jezebel. see HEBREW 'iy see HEBREW Zbul NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition queen of Isr. with King Ahab NASB Translation Jezebel (21), Jezebel's (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs אִיזֶבֶל proper name, feminine (sense uncertain, CISi. 158 there occurs the proper name, feminine בעלאזבל Baal exalts? or is husband to? [see זָבַל], of which אִיזֶבֶל is conjectured by DHM to be an intentional alteration, made for the purpose of avoiding the name Baal. If so, ׳א perhaps suggested to the Hebrew ear the idea of un-exalted or un-husbanded), queen of Ahab, daughter of Ethbaal, king of Tyre 1 Kings 16:31; 1 Kings 18:4,13,19; 1 Kings 19:1,2; 1 Kings 21:5 +; 2 Kings 9:7 +. Topical Lexicon Historical Background Jezebel appears exclusively in the books of Kings, twenty-two times in all. She was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, and became queen of the northern kingdom through marriage to Ahab (1 Kings 16:31). Her Phoenician pedigree brought Baal-Melkart worship into Israel, setting the stage for a sustained clash between covenant faithfulness and idolatry. Marriage to Ahab and Introduction of Baal Worship Ahab’s union with Jezebel was more than dynastic; it was spiritual capitulation. “Ahab also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal” (1 Kings 16:31). The queen imported Sidonian priests, built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria, and sponsored Asherah worship (1 Kings 18:19). This systemic idolatry reversed the reforms of earlier prophets and plunged Israel deeper into apostasy. Persecution of the Prophets Jezebel’s zeal for Baal manifested in violent suppression of Yahweh’s servants. “When Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves” (1 Kings 18:4). Her hostility intensified after Elijah’s triumph on Mount Carmel; hearing of the execution of Baal’s prophets, she swore, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the lives of those you killed” (1 Kings 19:2). Thus she became the archetype of calculated, state-sponsored persecution against God’s messengers. Usurpation of Justice: Naboth’s Vineyard Jezebel wielded royal authority to subvert Israel’s legal protections when Ahab coveted Naboth’s ancestral land. With forged letters and false witnesses she orchestrated Naboth’s execution, then told Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth” (1 Kings 21:15). Elijah’s ensuing oracle condemned both monarchs and foretold Jezebel’s grisly end (1 Kings 21:23). Influence on Royal Policy and the Nation Jezebel’s name becomes shorthand for the moral degradation of Ahab’s dynasty: “There was none like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel” (1 Kings 21:25). Her influence reached beyond her lifetime; her daughter Athaliah later seized the throne of Judah and repeated her mother’s idolatrous patterns. Prophetic Judgment Pronounced Through Elijah and later through Elisha’s disciple, the Lord declared specific judgments: dogs would devour Jezebel in Jezreel (1 Kings 21:23; 2 Kings 9:10), her lineage would be cut off (2 Kings 9:7), and Baal worship eradicated. The accuracy of these prophecies underlines the trustworthiness of the prophetic word. Fulfillment of Judgment Years later Jehu carried out the divine sentence. As he entered Jezreel, Jezebel, now an aging queen, “painted her eyes, adorned her head, and looked down from the window” (2 Kings 9:30), embodying vanity and defiance to the end. At Jehu’s command she was thrown from the window; dogs consumed her body so thoroughly that only skull, feet, and palms remained (2 Kings 9:35-37). The gruesome scene fulfilled Elijah’s word “on the plot of ground at Jezreel the dogs will devour the flesh of Jezebel” (2 Kings 9:36). Legacy in Later Scripture Her name becomes a symbol of corrupt, seductive idolatry. Centuries later the risen Christ warns the church in Thyatira about a woman “who calls herself a prophetess—by her teaching she misleads My servants… I have given her time to repent… I will cast her on a bed of suffering” (Revelation 2:20-22). Though not the same individual, the reuse of the name underscores the enduring pattern of seduction, false prophecy, and judgment. Theological and Pastoral Lessons 1. Spiritual Compromise: Marital, political, or cultural alliances that dismiss God’s exclusivity invite judgment. Key References 1 Kings 16:31; 18:4, 13, 19; 19:1-2; 21:5-15, 23, 25 2 Kings 9:7, 10, 22, 30, 36-37 Forms and Transliterations אִיזֶ֔בֶל אִיזֶ֖בֶל אִיזֶ֗בֶל אִיזֶ֙בֶל֙ אִיזֶ֜בֶל אִיזֶ֣בֶל אִיזֶ֥בֶל אִיזֶ֧בֶל אִיזָ֑בֶל אִיזָֽבֶל׃ איזבל איזבל׃ וְאִיזֶ֣בֶל ואיזבל לְאִיזֶ֔בֶל לאיזבל ’î·zā·ḇel ’î·ze·ḇel ’îzāḇel ’îzeḇel iZavel iZevel lə’îzeḇel lə·’î·ze·ḇel leiZevel veiZevel wə’îzeḇel wə·’î·ze·ḇelLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Kings 16:31 HEB: אִשָּׁ֜ה אֶת־ אִיזֶ֗בֶל בַּת־ אֶתְבַּ֙עַל֙ NAS: that he married Jezebel the daughter KJV: to wife Jezebel the daughter INT: took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal 1 Kings 18:4 1 Kings 18:13 1 Kings 18:19 1 Kings 19:1 1 Kings 19:2 1 Kings 21:5 1 Kings 21:7 1 Kings 21:11 1 Kings 21:14 1 Kings 21:15 1 Kings 21:15 1 Kings 21:23 1 Kings 21:23 1 Kings 21:25 2 Kings 9:7 2 Kings 9:10 2 Kings 9:22 2 Kings 9:30 2 Kings 9:36 2 Kings 9:37 2 Kings 9:37 22 Occurrences |
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