What does the Bible say about Jezebel?
Some of the people in the Bible aren’t the type of people you’d like to hang out with. One such individual was Jezebel. She was downright mean and nasty. Let’s read what the Bible says about her and why she is such a bad character.
History of Jezebel
She was the daughter of a King
Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, King of the Sidonians. The Sidonians were occupants of Sidon, a port city in Lebanon on the Mediterranean Sea. Both the Canaanites and Phoenicians also lived in this area. King Ehtbaal’s name means “with Baal.” Baal was regarded as a powerful god of fertility, agriculture, and storms, worshipped by the Canaanites, Phoenicians, and Sidonians.
He [ Ahab] not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. (1 Kings 16:31 NIV)
There isn’t much information available about this King, aside from the verse that mentions his daughter, Jezebel. Historian Josephus stated that King Ethbaal, in addition to residing in Sidon, also built and lived in some cities in Libya.
Jezebel married Ahab
Jezebel married King Ahab, who, according to this verse in the book of 1 Kings, was influenced to worship Baal with her. As Queen, Jezebel and her husband oversaw the northern kingdom of Israel. It was during a time of great evil, and they contributed to the destruction of the house of Israel. Their evil deeds included:
- Building a house for Baal
- Creating an Asherah pole for worship
- Persecuting the prophets who followed the God of Israel, Yahweh
- Seizing land illegally from Naboth, a respected citizen
- Killing Naboth
And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. (1 Kings 16:33 NKJV)
Jezebel’s evil deeds
Jezebel was no better than her infamous husband. She continued to not only worship Baal but to persecute the prophets and priests who worshipped the God of Israel. She instilled fear in the followers of Yahweh, including god-fearing men whom the Lord called to lead His people.
And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, and when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.) (1 Kings 18:4 ESV)
She also encouraged Ahab to join forces with other countries against Israel. She united the Phoenicians from Sidon, protecting both areas from enemies and enhancing the renowned trade route known as the King’s Highway, which connected the Gulf of Aqaba in Egypt to Lebanon.
Ezekiel offends Jezebel
The well-known prophet Elijah was a strong leader and a man of God, but he feared Jezebel. Elijah spoke out against Baal worship and Ahab’s devotion to this false God. Ahab didn’t like Elijah because he had accused the king and queen of wrongdoing.
When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?” He said, “I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals. (1 Kings 18:17-18 NASB)
Elijah issued a challenge against the worshippers of Baal. Ultimately, the Baal worshippers were defeated by God’s overwhelming power. The defeat of the Baal worshippers made Jezebel angry at Elijah, and she issued a death threat against him.
Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning, “May the gods judge me severely if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs! ( 1 Kings 19:2 NET)
Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. (1 Kings 19:3 NLT)
In the meantime, Jezebel devises a plan to kill another innocent man named Naboth because her husband wanted his land for himself.
Naboth’s death and Jezebel’s ultimate judgment
Ahab is depressed because he wants Naboth’s vineyard, but he won’t give it up because it’s his inheritance from his father. Jezebel hears about the king’s sadness and takes matters into her own hands. She writes letters in the King’s name, instructing the nobles and elders to proclaim a fast and place Naboth in an honored seat before the people. Then they are to have two scoundrels witness against Naboth, testifying that he has blasphemed God and the king, so he must die. Everything goes according to her plan. Naboth is accused of blasphemy by the false witnesses, and the elders declare him guilty and kill him outside the city.
And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” So it was, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. ( 1 Kings 2:15-16 NKJV)
Jezebel’s death foretold
God is angry at the deception and murder of Naboth.
“There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited” (1 Kings 21:25).
Elijah predicts judgment from God for her evil deeds against Naboth and the followers of Yahweh and gruesome death for Jezebel.
The Lord also speaks of Jezebel: ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land at Jezreel. (1 Kings 21:23 CSB)
Jezebel dies as predicted, with all the gory details
Unmoved by the prediction of her demise, Jezebel flirts with her assailant.
When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?” (2 Kings 9:30-31 ESV)
And he [Jehu] lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. (2 Kings 9:32-33 ESV)
Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of that cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands. They went back and told Jehu, who said, “This is the word of the Lord that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh. (2 Kings 9:34-36)
Was there more than one Jezebel in the Bible?
There are two Jezebels in the Bible. The Jezebel in the Old Testament, as we mentioned, was a wicked queen who committed many evil acts. The second Jezebel is a symbolic character referred to as a false prophetess in the book of Revelation, specifically in a church in Thyatira. Thyatira was a city in Asia Minor, located in what is now modern-day Turkey.
“But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality. (Revelations 2:20-21 NLT)
Theories about who this “Jezebel” was
There are numerous interpretations and theories regarding who these verses refer to in the book of Revelation.
- Bible historians are unsure whether the author, John, was referring to a specific woman or whether he was calling out a group of teachers who were encouraging believers in the church to sin.
- Some scholars suggest that “Jezebel” is a reference to the Old Testament woman, but her name may also point to a spiritual condition of some individuals in this church. Many Christians agree with this interpretation because evil influences and false teachings, along with sexual sin, can occur in any church, especially if there are no checks and balances in the leadership or accountability for members of the church.
- Another thought is that the Jezebel in Revelation represented a teacher who had what was called an “anti-Judaizing” attitude, because one of the main concerns was food offered to idols. This group might have been those who purposely ate food offered to idols to prove what Jesus said in Matthew.
It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” (Matthew 15:11 ESV)
However, those who argue with this thinking claim that it contradicts the advice of Paul and the Jerusalem Council, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 8.
Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through being hitherto accustomed to idols, eat food as really offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. (1 Corinthians 8:4-8 RSV)
Did some early Christians misuse their freedom and end up being called Jezebels?
Some theologians speculate that some groups of Christians may have also felt because they were “free” that it was okay to have sex outside of marriage. Paul corrects this thinking in the Corinthian and Thessalonian churches to be sure they didn’t misunderstand his teaching.
Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18 NASB)
God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 NLT)
So, the Jezebel in Revelations could have been real, or the name might have been given to a small group that was influencing the church in Thyatira.
But, not that Jezebel
Scholars are clear that this Jezebel isn’t the same as the “harlot” or the “Whore of Babylon” mentioned in Revelation 17 and 18. Whatever or whoever is being referenced, the New Testament readers of Revelation would have understood the reference to this Jezebel.
Conclusion
Jezebel was a notorious evil woman in the Old Testament. She influenced her husband to worship foreign gods and threatened Old Testament prophets so much that they were afraid of her power. Her scheme to get her husband Naboth’s vineyard was the last straw, causing Elijah to prophesy her gruesome death. The New Testament Jezebel is likely a reference to her predecessor. Still, it’s not clear among scholars whether there was a real person who influenced Christians in the early church to sin or if the name represented a group of Christians who used their “freedom” to sin, eating food offered to idols, and participating in illicit sin.
