856. Ethbaal
Lexical Summary
Ethbaal: Ethbaal

Original Word: אֶתְבַּעַל
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Ethba`al
Pronunciation: eth-BAHL
Phonetic Spelling: (eth-bah'-al)
KJV: Ethbaal
NASB: Ethbaal
Word Origin: [from H854 (אֵת - against) and H1168 (בַּעַל - Baal)]

1. with Baal
2. Ethbaal, a Phoenician king

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Ethbaal

From 'eth and Ba'al; with Baal; Ethbaal, a Phoenician king -- Ethbaal.

see HEBREW 'eth

see HEBREW Ba'al

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from eth and Baal
Definition
"with Baal," a king of Sidon
NASB Translation
Ethbaal (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
אֶתְבַּ֫עַל proper name, masculine Ethbaal (with Baal, i.e. living under Baal's favour; Ἰθόβαλος, Εἰθώβαλος JosAnt. viii. 13, 1. 2, c. Ap. 1, 18; on later king of like name, in Assyrian Tuba'lu, see COT Genesis 10:15) king of Sidon, father of Jezebel 1 Kings 16:31.

Topical Lexicon
Identity and Historical Setting

Ethbaal was a ninth-century BC monarch who ruled the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon. Classical sources (Philo of Byblos; Josephus, Against Apion 1.18) remember him as Ithobaal I, a former priest of Astarte who seized the throne after assassinating his predecessor. His realm controlled the lucrative Mediterranean trade routes, and his political ambitions reached inland through a marriage alliance between his daughter Jezebel and Ahab, king of Israel (1 Kings 16:31). The very form of his name reflects loyalty to the storm-deity Baal, the chief god of the Syro-Phoenician pantheon.

Biblical Occurrence

1 Kings 16:31: “And as though it were a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Ahab even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he proceeded to serve and worship Baal.”

This solitary reference anchors Ethbaal within the narrative of Israel’s northern kingdom, not for his own deeds but for the far-reaching consequences of his dynastic strategy.

Cultural and Religious Context

Tyre and Sidon were renowned for skilled artisans, extensive commerce, and fervent devotion to Baal and Astarte. Royal authority and priestly functions frequently overlapped, so the king’s person embodied national piety. Ethbaal’s consolidation of political power therefore reinforced Phoenicia’s religious identity, making Baal worship the defining trait he exported through Jezebel’s marriage into Israel. The Phoenician gods promised agricultural fertility and maritime security—tangible benefits that appealed to nations tempted to forsake exclusive allegiance to the LORD.

Impact on Israel’s Spiritual Decline

Ethbaal’s principal biblical significance lies in the chain reaction triggered by Jezebel:
• Construction of a temple for Baal in Samaria (1 Kings 16:32).
• State sponsorship of Baal and Asherah prophets (1 Kings 18:19).
• Systematic persecution of the prophets of the LORD (1 Kings 18:4).
• Formalization of syncretism that surpassed Jeroboam’s cult of the golden calves, provoking divine judgment.

Prophetic Confrontation and Divine Response

The intrusion of Phoenician idolatry set the stage for Elijah’s ministry. By withholding rain for three and a half years and triumphing on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 17–18; James 5:17), the LORD demonstrated supremacy over Baal, reputed master of storm and fertility. Later, the violent deaths of Ahab (1 Kings 22:37–38) and Jezebel (2 Kings 9:30-37) fulfilled prophetic words, illustrating that alliances forged at the expense of covenant faithfulness invariably lead to national disaster.

Theological Themes

1. Covenant exclusivity: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).
2. Unequal alliances: “You shall not intermarry with them… for they will turn your sons away from following Me” (Deuteronomy 7:3-4).
3. Prophetic witness against cultural compromise: Elijah, Elisha, Micaiah.
4. Divine sovereignty over the nations: Ethbaal’s power could not hinder God’s purposes in Israel.

Practical and Ministry Applications

• Discernment in partnerships: 2 Corinthians 6:14 warns against yoking with unbelievers, echoing the lesson of Ahab and Ethbaal’s dynasty.
• Vigilance against subtle idolatry: Modern prosperity and cultural prestige can mirror Phoenicia’s allure, tempting believers to blend biblical faith with prevailing ideologies.
• Confidence in prophetic truth: Even when political structures appear entrenched, God raises voices like Elijah to call His people back to Himself.

Related Scriptures

1 Kings 16:31-33; 1 Kings 18:17-40; 1 Kings 21:23-25; 2 Kings 9:30-37; Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 7:3-4; 2 Corinthians 6:14; James 5:17; Revelation 2:20.

Forms and Transliterations
אֶתְבַּ֙עַל֙ אתבעל ’eṯ·ba·‘al ’eṯba‘al etBaal
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Kings 16:31
HEB: אִיזֶ֗בֶל בַּת־ אֶתְבַּ֙עַל֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ צִידֹנִ֔ים
NAS: the daughter of Ethbaal king
KJV: the daughter of Ethbaal king
INT: Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 856
1 Occurrence


’eṯ·ba·‘al — 1 Occ.

855b
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