Naravist

Person in the Old and New Testaments

Jezebel

Jezebel: Ahab's queen and the use of royal power

Portrait of Jezebel. An AI-generated artistic interpretation, not a historical likeness.

Portrait: an AI-generated artistic interpretation, not evidence of how Jezebel looked.

Who Jezebel is

Jezebel is the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians, and the wife of Ahab, king of Israel. She has prophets of the Lord killed and supports prophets at her table. After Carmel she threatens Elijah's life. When Naboth refuses Ahab's request for his vineyard, Jezebel writes letters in the king's name, seals them with his seal and orders false accusations that lead to Naboth's stoning. She then tells Ahab to take the vineyard. Elijah announces that dogs will eat her at Jezreel. Later, after Ahab's death, Jehu arrives there. Jezebel addresses him from a window, and eunuchs throw her down at his command. When he orders her burial, only parts of her body are found. Jehu recalls Elijah's word about the dogs.

Cited passages: 1 Kings 16:29, 1 Kings 16:30, 1 Kings 16:31, 1 Kings 18:4, 1 Kings 18:13, 1 Kings 18:19, 1 Kings 19:1, 1 Kings 19:2, 1 Kings 19:3, 1 Kings 21:5, 1 Kings 21:6, 1 Kings 21:7, 1 Kings 21:8, 1 Kings 21:9, 1 Kings 21:10, 1 Kings 21:11, 1 Kings 21:12, 1 Kings 21:13, 1 Kings 21:14, 1 Kings 21:15, 1 Kings 21:16, 1 Kings 21:23, 1 Kings 22:37, 1 Kings 22:38, 1 Kings 22:39, 1 Kings 22:40, 2 Kings 9:30, 2 Kings 9:31, 2 Kings 9:32, 2 Kings 9:33, 2 Kings 9:34, 2 Kings 9:35, 2 Kings 9:36, 2 Kings 9:37

Historical setting

Her royal parentage and marriage are stated directly. The vineyard letters use Ahab's name and seal, and the local elders and nobles carry out her instructions; responsibility is not confined to a single person acting alone. At her final appearance she paints her face and arranges her hair, but the narrator gives no motive for these preparations. Jehu's accusations against her belong to his confrontation with Joram. Revelation's later letter to Thyatira names a woman who claims to be a prophetess as Jezebel; this rebuke is not another episode in the life of Ahab's queen.

Cited passages: 1 Kings 16:31, 1 Kings 21:8, 1 Kings 21:9, 1 Kings 21:10, 1 Kings 21:11, 1 Kings 21:12, 1 Kings 21:13, 1 Kings 21:14, 1 Kings 21:15, 1 Kings 21:16, 2 Kings 9:22, 2 Kings 9:30, 2 Kings 9:31, Revelation 2:18, Revelation 2:19, Revelation 2:20, Revelation 2:21, Revelation 2:22, Revelation 2:23, Revelation 2:24, Revelation 2:25

How the story is told

A threat sent to Elijah and letters sent to Naboth's city show royal power exercised through messages. The vineyard plot makes a proclaimed fast and public accusations serve a killing that transfers property to the king. In her last speech Jezebel invokes Zimri, who killed his master. The scene then turns from her words at the window to the failure to recover her body for burial, which Jehu connects with Elijah's earlier announcement.

Cited passages: 1 Kings 19:1, 1 Kings 19:2, 1 Kings 19:3, 1 Kings 21:8, 1 Kings 21:9, 1 Kings 21:10, 1 Kings 21:11, 1 Kings 21:12, 1 Kings 21:13, 1 Kings 21:14, 1 Kings 21:15, 1 Kings 21:16, 1 Kings 21:23, 2 Kings 9:30, 2 Kings 9:31, 2 Kings 9:32, 2 Kings 9:33, 2 Kings 9:34, 2 Kings 9:35, 2 Kings 9:36, 2 Kings 9:37

Story moments

  1. Marriage to Ahab (1 Kings 16:31). Jezebel is introduced as Ethbaal's daughter and Ahab's wife.
  2. Prophets of the Lord killed (1 Kings 18:4). Jezebel's attack on the prophets forms the setting for Obadiah's rescue of a hundred.
  3. Elijah threatened (1 Kings 19:2). She sends Elijah a message threatening his life after Carmel.
  4. Letters sent under the royal seal (1 Kings 21:8). Jezebel writes in Ahab's name to the elders and nobles of Naboth's city.
  5. Ahab told to take the vineyard (1 Kings 21:15). After hearing that Naboth is dead, Jezebel tells Ahab to take possession.
  6. Thrown from the window (2 Kings 9:33). At Jehu's command the eunuchs throw Jezebel down.
  7. The earlier word recalled (2 Kings 9:36). Jehu connects the remains found for burial with Elijah's announcement about dogs.

Key passages

1 Kings 16:31

And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

1 Kings 18:4

For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

1 Kings 18:13

Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred men of the Lord’s prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

1 Kings 18:19

Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.

1 Kings 19:1

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.

1 Kings 19:2

Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.

King James Version. 20 indexed passages in total.

For reflection

How do the letters, witnesses and local officials in Naboth's story show the reach of Jezebel's use of royal power?

Books Jezebel appears in

Related people

Names and references are adapted from STEPBible TIPNR. A person listed with a verse is named or indexed there; it does not mean they wrote or spoke it.