Jezebel
Jezebel (/ˈdʒɛzəbəl, -bɛl/; Hebrew: אִיזֶבֶל, Modern: ʾĪzével, Tiberian: ʾĪzeḇel) was the daughter of Ithobaal I of Tyre and the wife of Ahab, King of Israel, according to the Book of Kings of the Hebrew Bible (1 Kings 16:31).
| Jezebel | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort of Israel | |
19th-century painting of Jezebel by John Liston Byam Shaw | |
| Died | c. 852 BCE Tel Jezreel |
| Spouse | King Ahab |
| Issue | Ahaziah Jehoram Athaliah? |
| Father | Ithobaal I |
| Religion | Canaanite religion |
Various Bible scholars say the depiction in the Book of Kings mixes fictional elements with non-fictional history derived from previous sources, heavily edited to support theological ideas of the authors.
According to the biblical narrative, Jezebel and her husband purged the Yahwist cult so that Baal and Asherah worship could be institutionalized. This caused irreversible damage to the reputation of the Omride dynasty, who were already unpopular among the Yahwists. For these offences, Jezebel was thrown from a window to her death. Her corpse was trampled by Jehu's horse and then eaten by stray dogs, just as the prophet Elijah had prophesied (2 Kings 9:33–37).
Later, in the Book of Revelation, Jezebel is symbolically associated with false prophets.