Who Was Jezebel in the Bible?
Quick Summary
Jezebel was a Phoenician queen of Israel, wife of King Ahab, and one of the most infamous figures in the Old Testament. She aggressively promoted the worship of Baal, persecuted the prophets of the Lord, and exercised political power through manipulation and violence. Jezebel’s story exposes how unchecked authority, idolatry, and abuse of power corrode both faith and society.
Introduction
Jezebel’s name has become synonymous with wickedness, yet the biblical portrait is more precise and more unsettling than caricature. She is not portrayed as chaotic or foolish, but as intelligent, strategic, and fiercely committed to her vision of power. Jezebel represents the collision between covenant faith and imperial religion, between the worship of the Lord and the politics of domination.
Jezebel appears primarily in 1 and 2 Kings during the reign of Ahab, one of Israel’s weakest kings. Her influence reshapes Israel’s religious life and provokes some of the most dramatic confrontations in the Old Testament. Her story is not merely about personal immorality but about systemic corruption and spiritual violence.
Jezebel’s Background and Marriage to Ahab
Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. Her marriage to Ahab was a political alliance designed to strengthen Israel’s economic and military position. Such alliances were common in the ancient Near East, but they carried theological consequences.
Jezebel brought with her the worship of Baal and Asherah, deities associated with fertility and royal power. Unlike previous foreign wives of Israelite kings, Jezebel did not adopt Israel’s faith. Instead, she sought to replace it. The text emphasizes that Ahab did more to provoke the Lord than all the kings before him, largely through Jezebel’s influence.
Jezebel and the Worship of Baal
Jezebel aggressively promoted Baal worship, establishing temples and supporting hundreds of prophets of Baal and Asherah. At the same time, she sought to eliminate the prophets of the Lord, ordering their execution. Only through covert resistance were some prophets hidden and preserved.
This religious campaign was not simply about personal belief. It represented a shift in national identity. Jezebel aimed to align Israel with Phoenician religious and political structures, subordinating covenant faith to royal authority. The struggle between Elijah and Jezebel is therefore a struggle over who truly governs Israel.
Jezebel and Elijah
The confrontation between Jezebel and the prophet Elijah defines her legacy. After Elijah’s victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Jezebel responds not with repentance but with a vow to kill him. Her threat sends Elijah into flight, revealing the depth of her power.
Jezebel’s defiance underscores a central theme of her story. Even when confronted with unmistakable signs of God’s power, she refuses to yield. Her authority depends on intimidation, control, and the silencing of opposition. Elijah’s prophetic voice directly challenges this system.
Jezebel and Naboth’s Vineyard
One of the clearest examples of Jezebel’s abuse of power occurs in the story of Naboth’s vineyard. When Naboth refuses to sell his ancestral land to Ahab, Jezebel orchestrates his death through false testimony and legal manipulation. She then presents the stolen land to Ahab as a solution.
This episode reveals Jezebel’s understanding of law as a tool of domination rather than justice. She exploits religious language and civic structures to eliminate dissent. The story culminates in prophetic judgment, declaring that dogs will lick Jezebel’s blood where they licked Naboth’s.
Jezebel’s Death
Jezebel’s death is described with striking imagery. When Jehu arrives to overthrow Ahab’s house, Jezebel adorns herself and confronts him from a window. Her posture is defiant, not fearful. She invokes royal memory and challenges Jehu’s legitimacy.
Jehu orders her thrown from the window. Her body is trampled by horses, and when servants later attempt burial, only fragments remain. The fulfillment of prophecy is explicit. Jezebel’s end mirrors the violence she inflicted, underscoring divine judgment against tyranny.
Jezebel’s Theological Significance
Jezebel represents idolatry joined to political power. She does not merely worship false gods; she weaponizes religion to control a people. Her story warns against systems that silence truth, exploit law, and erase the vulnerable.
At the same time, Scripture does not depict Jezebel as irrational. Her effectiveness makes her dangerous. The text insists that evil often appears ordered, persuasive, and confident. Jezebel’s downfall demonstrates that such power is ultimately unsustainable.
Jezebel Beyond the Old Testament
The name Jezebel reappears symbolically in the book of Revelation to describe false teaching and moral compromise within the church. This usage draws on Jezebel’s legacy as one who entices others into idolatry and distortion of worship.
This later reference confirms that Jezebel’s story functions paradigmatically. She is not only a historical figure but a theological warning about corruption that dresses itself in authority and religious legitimacy.
Jezebel’s Legacy
Jezebel is remembered as one of the Bible’s most forceful antagonists, not because of scandal alone, but because of her sustained opposition to God’s purposes. Her story exposes how power divorced from accountability becomes destructive.
Jezebel’s life invites readers to examine how faith is compromised when allegiance shifts from God to systems of control. Her fall affirms that no authority, however entrenched, stands beyond judgment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Jezebel?
Jezebel was a Phoenician queen, wife of King Ahab, who promoted Baal worship and persecuted the prophets of the Lord.
Why is Jezebel considered evil?
Jezebel is considered evil because she used political and religious power to promote idolatry, silence opposition, and murder the innocent.
How did Jezebel die?
Jezebel was thrown from a window on Jehu’s orders, trampled, and left unburied, fulfilling prophetic judgment.
See Also
Works Consulted
The Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version.
1 Kings 16–21; 2 Kings 9.
Walter Brueggemann, 1 & 2 Kings (Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary).
