Jezebel Biography

Jezebel was a ninth century BCE princess born to King Ithobaal I of Tyre, or Sidon as mentioned in the Bible, as Tyre and Sidon were consolidated into one kingdom at that time. According to Oxford, the original Hebrew word from which 'Jezebel' is derived can be interpreted as 'Where is the Prince?', a ritualistic cry that was used in worship ceremonies in honor of Baal.

Her father was the priest of Astarte, the primary Phoenician and Canaanite goddess, based on the account of Phoenician author Menander of Ephesus, and it is possible that Jezebel was raised as a priestess herself. After Ahab was crowned the seventh King of Israel, his marriage to Jezebel was arranged as a means of strengthening the good relationship between Israel and Phoenicia achieved under his father Omri.

Much like foreign wives of King Solomon, Jezebel brought her pagan deities with her when she came to Israel and convinced her husband to build an alter to Baal in the capital city of Samaria. As the Queen, she is often depicted as a domineering person who exerted a significant amount of influence over her husband, and likely had greater roles in the temple and the palace following Phoenician traditions.

Jezebel bore three children to Ahab: their eldest son Ahaziah, second son Jehoram or Joram, and their only daughter, Athaliah. Both their sons were kings of Israel, while Athaliah was the queen consort of King Jehoram of Judah before becoming queen regnant, and was the mother of Ahaziah, the sixth king of Judah.

According to biblical references, Jezebel was not content to worship her ancestral gods, but converted her husband from Yahwism to Baalism and further worked towards diminishing worship of Yahweh in the northern kingdom of Israel. She established Baal as a national deity by building temples and alters to him, and sponsored 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, for which Yahweh inflicted a severe famine in Samaria.

She was mentioned for the second time in 1 Kings 18:4, where she was accused of persecuting and killing "the prophets of the Lord" until the last 100 survived. Recognizing the threat she posed, Elijah, the legendary prophet of the Hebrew God, decided to challenge the prophets of Baal and Asherah at Mount Carmel to determine which god was superior.

While Jezebel's prophets failed to complete the task of setting a sacrificial bull on fire despite raving and dancing all day long to appease their god Baal, Elijah's lone appeal to God was heard immediately. Ironically, the biblical account details how, after winning the tournament, Elijah slaughtered all the prophets of Baal and Asherah, committing the same crime Jezebel was accused of, and was even rewarded by God.

Jezebel, who was not present at the event, learned about the deaths of her prophets from Ahab and sent a venomous message to Elijah, vowing to kill him. Interestingly, Jezebel's words are recorded in 1 Kings 19:2, which sets her apart from most biblical women who are silent, and Elijah, truly afraid for his life, flees to Mt. Horeb (Sinai).

Jezebel is next mentioned in connection with the story of Naboth, a citizen of Jezreel, who owned a beautiful vineyard right next to the royal palace, where Ahab wanted to have a vegetable garden. Ahab visited Naboth in his residence and requested to purchase his vineyard, for which he offered generous financial compensation, including a better vineyard, but Naboth refused saying God forbids him from selling ancestral property.

Depressed at this rebuff, Ahab sulked and refused to eat, seeing which Jezebel, a Phoenician accustomed to seeing the king exercising ultimate authority, implored him to cheer up and promised to take the vineyard for him. She framed Naboth on false charges of blasphemy against God and the king and enlisted townsmen in Ahab's name without his knowledge, who stoned Naboth to death, leaving his corpse to be eaten by dogs.

Elijah, informed by Yahweh about destruction of Ahab's family, confronted him as the king attempted to take possession of Naboth's vineyard, and told him, "The dogs shall devour Jezebel in the field of Jezreel." Ashamed at the deed, Ahab humbled himself by donning sackcloth, fasting, and taking on an overall mourning appearance, while Jezebel is described as unrepentant.

Jezebel's name appears again in 2 Kings 9:6–7. By this time, Ahab had died in battle against Syria, and his blood was licked by dogs, as prophesied by Elijah. Ahab's eldest son, Ahaziah, succeeded him as the eighth king of Israel but died after falling from the roof-gallery of his palace. With no son to succeed him, Ahaziah was followed by his younger brother, Joram.

The prophet Elisha, Elijah's successor, anointed Jehu, a commander in Joram's army, as the new king of Israel and instructed him to eliminate the House of Ahab. When Hazael, the Aramean king, revolted according to Elisha's prediction, Joram allied with his nephew Ahaziah, King of Judah. However, both were killed by Jehu, who then pursued Jezebel to the royal palace in Jezreel.

Upon learning of her impending end, Jezebel did not attempt to flee. Instead, she put on makeup, dressed her hair, and looked out of her palace window with composure. When Jehu arrived, he ordered her eunuch attendants to throw her out the window. By the time her body was retrieved for burial, stray dogs had eaten her flesh, fulfilling Elijah's prophecy.

According to the Deuteronomistic records, Jezebel has been vilified for thousands of years as a promiscuous woman and an apostate who influenced Ahab to commit crimes against God. However, some modern interpretations view her as a strong woman and a loyal wife, who acted in her husband’s interests and was condemned for her adherence to her ancestral gods.

Jezebel had one sibling, brother Baal-Eser II, who succeeded their father as the King of Tyre. His granddaughter was Dido, the legendary founder and queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage.