Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

JEZEBEL

Daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon (1 Kgs 16:31). She became the wife of Ahab, king of the northern kingdom of Israel. The marriage was probably a continuation of the friendly relations between Israel and Phoenicia begun by Omri; it confirmed a political alliance between the two nations. Jezebel exerted a strong influence over the life of Israel, as she insisted on establishing the worship of Baal and demanded the absolute rights of the monarchy. So strong was her pagan influence that Scripture attributes the apostasy of Ahab directly to Jezebel (vv 30-33).

Jezebel’s efforts to establish Baal worship in Israel began with Ahab’s acceptance of Baal following the marriage (1 Kgs 16:31). Ahab followed Jezebel’s practices by building a house of worship and altar for Baal in Samaria, and by setting up a pole for worship of the Asherah. A campaign was then conducted to exterminate the prophets of God (18:4), while Jezebel organized and supported large groups of Baal prophets, housing and feeding large numbers of them in the royal palace (v 19). To meet this challenge, God sent Elijah to prophesy a drought that lasted three years (17:1; 18:1).

Elijah’s confrontation with Jezebel and Ahab culminated on Mt Carmel, where Elijah demanded that the prophets of Baal meet him (1 Kgs 18:19-40). As they and the people of Israel gathered, Elijah issued the challenge to Israel to follow the true God. To demonstrate who was the true God, Baal’s prophets and Elijah each took a bull for sacrifice. The prophets of Baal then prepared the sacrifice and called on their god to send fire to consume it. But no answer came. Elijah prepared his sacrifice and had it drenched in water. After his prayer, God sent fire that consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones of the altar, the dust, and the water in the trench. Following this, the Israelites fell down in tribute to God. Then Elijah directed the people to take the prophets of Baal to the brook Kishon, and he slaughtered all of them. When Jezebel heard of this, she flew into a rage and threatened Elijah with the same fate. In fear, Elijah fled for his life to the wilderness.

Jezebel’s unscrupulous nature is revealed in the account of Ahab’s desire for Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kgs 21:1-16). Although Ahab desired the vineyard, he recognized Naboth’s right to retain the family property. Jezebel recognized no such right in view of a monarch’s wishes. She arranged to have Naboth falsely accused of blaspheming God and consequently executed, leaving the vineyard for Ahab to seize. For this heinous crime, Elijah pronounced a violent death for Ahab and Jezebel (21:20-24), a prophecy which was ultimately fulfilled (1 Kgs 22:29-40; 2 Kgs 9:1-37).

The corrupt influence of Jezebel spread to the southern kingdom of Judah through her daughter Athaliah, who married Jehoram, king of Judah. Thus the idolatry of Phoenicia infected both kingdoms of the Hebrews through this evil Sidonian princess.

In Revelation 2:20 the name of Jezebel is used (probably symbolically) to refer to a prophetess who seduced the Christians of Thyatira to fornication and to eating things sacrificed to idols.