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{{Infobox royalty
| name = Jezebel
| title = Queen
| image = John Liston Byam Shaw 003.jpg
| caption = 19th-century painting of Jezebel by [[John Liston Byam Shaw]]
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| death_place = [[Tel Jezreel]]
| spouse = King [[Ahab]]
| issue = [[Ahaziah of Israel|Ahaziah]]<br
| father = [[Ithobaal I]]
| mother =
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}}
'''Jezebel''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|ɛ|z|ə|b|əl|,_|-|b|ɛ|l}};<ref name=ipa_en>{{cite book|title=Oxford English Dictionary|edition=Second|year=1989}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20190505122805/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/Jezebel "Jezebel"] (US) and {{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Jezebel |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505000000/http://www.lexico.com/definition/Jezebel |url-status=dead |archive-date=2019-05-05 |title=Jezebel |dictionary=[[Lexico|Oxford Dictionaries]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/jezebel |title= Jezebel |work=[[Collins English Dictionary]] |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |access-date=5 May 2019}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite Merriam-Webster |Jezebel |access-date=5 May 2019}}</ref> {{
According to the biblical narrative, Jezebel replaced [[Yahwism]] with [[Baal]] and [[Asherah]] worship and was responsible for [[Naboth]]’s death. This caused irreversible damage to the reputation of the [[Omrides|Omride dynasty]], who were already unpopular among the Israelites.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://biblehub.com/micah/6-16.htm|title=Micah 6:16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://biblehub.com/2_chronicles/21-6.htm|title=2 Chronicles 21:6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://biblehub.com/2_kings/8-18.htm|title=2 Kings 8:18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=ISHDA|first=T.|date=1975|title=The House of Ahab|journal=Israel Exploration Journal|volume=25|issue=2/3|pages=135–137|jstor=27925509}}</ref> For these offences, Jezebel was [[Defenestration|defenestrated]] and devoured by dogs, under [[Jehu]]'s orders, which Elijah prophesied ([[2 Kings 9]], {{Bibleverse||2 Kings|9:33-37|kjv|}}).
Later, in the [[Book of Revelation]], the name Jezebel is contemptuously attributed to a prophetic woman of [[Thyatira]], whom the author, through the voice of the risen Christ, accuses of leading her followers into fornication (idolatry). For refusing to repent, she is threatened with sexual domination, humiliation, and the death of her children.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dunning |first=Benjamin H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bZOzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA513 |title=The Oxford Handbook of New Testament, Gender, and Sexuality |date=2019-10-10 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-021340-4 |pages=513 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Streete |first=Gail Corrington |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MoXi1cWbSPMC |title=The Strange Woman: Power and Sex in the Bible |date=1997-01-01 |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |isbn=978-0-664-25622-7 |pages=154–55 |language=en}}</ref>
==Meaning of name==
Jezebel is the Anglicized transliteration of the Hebrew {{Script/Hebrew|[[wikt:איזבל|אִיזֶבֶל]]}} {{transliteration|he|ʾIzeḇel}}. ''The Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible'' states that the name is "best understood as meaning 'Where is the Lord?'" ({{lang-he|אֵיזֶה בַּעַל|ʾēze baʿal}}), a ritual cry from worship ceremonies in honor of [[Baal]] during periods of the year when the god was considered to be [[Dumuzid#Death|in the underworld]].<ref name="Metzger"/> Alternatively, a feminine [[Punic]] name noted by the ''[[Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum]]'', {{lang-phn|𐤁𐤏𐤋𐤀𐤆𐤁𐤋|bʿlʾzbl}},<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/CorpusInscriptionumSemiticarumI1/page/n227/mode/2up|title=Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum I |pages=209 |date=1926 }}</ref> may have been a cognate to the original form of the name, as the Israelites were known to often alter personal names which invoked the names of foreign gods (cf. instances for Baal, [[Mephibosheth]] and [[Ish-bosheth]]).
==Biblical account==
[[File:Leighton, Frederic - Jezabel and Ahab - c.1863.jpg|thumb
Jezebel is introduced into the biblical narrative as a princess, the daughter of [[Ithobaal I]], king of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]]; [[1 Kings 16]]:31 says she was an inhabitant of [[Sidon]].<ref name="Metzger">{{cite book |last=Hackett |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=amlXOOaSuLMC&q=The+Oxford+Guide+to+People+%26+Places+of+the+Bible|first=Jo Ann |editor1-first=Bruce M |editor1-last=Metzger |editor2-last=Coogan|editor2-first=Michael D |title= The Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible |publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2004 |pages=150–151 |isbn=978-0-19-517610-0}}</ref>▼
According to genealogies given in [[Josephus]] and other classical sources, she was the great-aunt of [[Dido]], Queen of [[Carthage]].<ref name="Metzger"/> As the daughter of Ithobaal I, she was also the sister of [[Baal-Eser II]]. Jezebel eventually married King [[Ahab]] of [[Samaria (ancient city)|Samaria]], the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|northern kingdom of Israel]].▼
▲Jezebel is introduced into the biblical narrative as a [[Phoenicia]]n princess, the daughter of [[Ithobaal I]], king of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]]
[[Near East]]ern scholar Charles R. Krahmalkov proposed that [[Psalm 45]] records the wedding ceremony of Ahab and Jezebel,<ref>Krahmalkov, Charles R. (2000), ''A Phoenician-Punic Grammar'', page 2 </ref> but other scholars cast doubt on this association.<ref>{{cite book| last1=Rogerson |first1=J W |author-link1=John W. Rogerson |last2=McKay |first2=John William |author-link2=John William McKay |date=1977 |title=Psalms 1-50 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mwY4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA213 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=213 |isbn=978-0-521-29160-6}}</ref> This marriage was the culmination of the friendly relations existing between Israel and Canaan during Omri's reign, and possibly cemented important political designs of Ahab. Jezebel, like the foreign wives of [[Solomon]], required facilities for carrying on her form of worship, so Ahab made a Baalist altar in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.<ref name=je>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8675-jezebel|title=JEZEBEL - JewishEncyclopedia.com|website=www.jewishencyclopedia.com}}</ref> [[Geoffrey W. Bromiley|Geoffrey Bromiley]] points out that it was Canaanite practice to install a royal woman as a priestess of [[Astarte]], thus she would have a more active role in temple and palace relations than was customary in the Hebrew monarchy.<ref name="Bromiley">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yklDk6Vv0l4C&q=jezebel+bible&pg=PA1058|title=The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia|first=Geoffrey W.|last=Bromiley|date=28 August 1979|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|via=Google Books|isbn=978-0-8028-3782-0}}</ref>▼
▲According to genealogies given in [[Josephus]] and other classical sources, she was the great-aunt of [[Dido]], Queen of [[Carthage]].<ref name="Metzger"/> As the daughter of Ithobaal I, she was also the sister of [[Baal-Eser II]]. Jezebel eventually married King [[Ahab]] of [[Samaria (ancient city)|Samaria]], the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|northern kingdom of Israel]].
▲[[Near East]]ern scholar Charles R. Krahmalkov proposed that [[Psalm 45]] records the wedding ceremony of Ahab and Jezebel,<ref>Krahmalkov, Charles R. (2000), ''A Phoenician-Punic Grammar'', page 2 </ref> but other scholars cast doubt on this association.<ref>{{cite book
===Elijah===
[[File:Jezabel-and-Ahab-Meeting-Elijah-in-Naboth-s-Vineyard.jpg|thumb|alt=Coloured illustration of a bearded prophet confronting a luxuriously dressed king and queen|''Jezebel and Ahab meeting Elijah'', print by Sir [[Frank Bernard Dicksee|Francis Dicksee]] (1853–1928)]]
Her coronation as queen upset the balance of power between [[Yahwism]] and [[Baal]]ism.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Frank E.|last=Eakin|title=Yahwism and Baalism before the Exile|journal=Journal of Biblical Literature|volume=84|issue=4|pages=407–414|year=1965|doi=10.2307/3264867|jstor=3264867}}</ref><ref name="MillerAhab">{{cite journal|first=J. M.|last=Miller|title=The Fall of the House of Ahab|url=https://brill.com/view/journals/vt/17/3/article-p307_4.xml|journal=Vetus Testamentum|volume=17|issue=3|pages=307–324|year=1967|doi=10.1163/156853367X00042}}</ref> As queen, Jezebel institutionalized Baalism and killed Yahwist prophets, which most likely included the priests of [[Jeroboam]]'s [[golden calf]] cult,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=1 Kings 18 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges |url=https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/1_kings/18.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211024756/https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/1_kings/18.htm |archive-date=February 11, 2024 |website=Biblehub.com}}</ref> and desecrated their altars.<ref>Mare, Leonard P. "" Twice as much of your Spirit": Elijah, Elisha, and the Spirit of God." Ekklesiastikos Pharos 91.1 (2009): 72-81.</ref><ref name="Kandelmwin">Bayor, Conrad Kandelmwin. "The Alienation of Jezebel: Reading the Deuteronomic Historian's Portrait of Jezebel in the Contemporary Global Context." (2017).</ref> [[Obadiah (1 Kings)|Obadiah]], a pro-Yahwist figure in Ahab's royal court, secretly protected the survivors of these purges in a cave.<ref name="je" /><ref name="Kandelmwin" /> Some commentators observe that Jezebel's desecration of [[Altar (Bible)|Yahwist altars]] would have normally been condoned since they were built outside of [[Jerusalem]], which contravened the [[Deuteronomic Code]]. However, they were overlooked due to Elijah's piety or Jezebel's 'improper' motives. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=1 Kings 19:10 Benson Commentary |url=https://biblehub.com/commentaries/benson/1_kings/19.htm |website=Biblehub}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Glatt-Gilad |first=David |date=February 21, 2019 |title=Was Elijah Permitted to Make an Offering on Mount Carmel? |url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/was-elijah-permitted-to-make-an-offering-on-mount-carmel |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103023709/https://www.thetorah.com/article/was-elijah-permitted-to-make-an-offering-on-mount-carmel |archive-date=January 3, 2024 |website=TheTorah.com}}</ref> Alternatively, scholars argue that the Deuteronomic Code promotes laicization and considers all of Israel to be Yahweh's "sacred space". Theologians likewise argue that the "sacred space" is any place where Yahweh "manifested" to humans, according to {{Bibleverse|Exodus|20:24}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alster |first=Baruch |date=2014 |title=Deuteronomy: Religious Centralization or Decentralization? |url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/deuteronomy-religious-centralization-or-decentralization |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418042836/https://www.thetorah.com/article/deuteronomy-religious-centralization-or-decentralization |archive-date=April 18, 2024 |website=TheTorah.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=Exodus 20:24 Gill's Exposition |url=https://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/exodus/20.htm |website=Biblehub.com}}</ref>
As a result, [[Elijah]] invited Jezebel's prophets of Baal and Asherah to a challenge at [[Mount Carmel]].<ref name="Kandelmwin" /><ref name="Merecz" /> [[Adam Clarke]] believes these prophets were royal chaplains and that the Baalist prophets had more jurisdiction over Samaria during Jezebel's reign than the
===Attempted kidnapping===
After these events, [[
=== Naboth ===
In
===Death===
[[File:097.The Death of Jezebel.jpg|thumb|upright|alt= Engraving of Jezebel being thrown out of a window to waiting mounted troops and dogs|''The Death of Jezebel'' by [[Gustave Doré]]]]
Three years later, Ahab died in battle. Jezebel's son [[Ahaziah of Israel|Ahaziah]] inherited the throne, but died as the result of an accident and was succeeded by his brother, [[Jehoram of Israel|Jehoram]]. [[Jehu]] later usurped the throne<ref name="Metzger"/> and killed Jehoram, and his nephew [[Ahaziah of Judah|Ahaziah]], who was the son of Jehoram's possible sister [[Athaliah]] and her Judahite husband [[Jehoram of Judah|Jehoram]]. He later approached Jezebel at the royal palace in Jezreel.
Anticipating his arrival, Jezebel put on make-up and a formal wig with adornments and looked out of a window and taunted him. Bromiley says that it should be looked at less as an attempt at seduction and more as the public defiance of the queen mother, invested with the authority of the royal house and cult to confront a rebellious commander.<ref name=Bromiley/> In his two-volume ''[[Asimov's Guide to the Bible|Guide to the Bible]]'' (1967 and 1969), [[Isaac Asimov]] describes Jezebel's last act: dressing in all her finery, make-up, and jewelry, as deliberately symbolic, indicating her [[dignity]], royal status, and determination to go out of this life as a queen.<ref>{{cite book|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|title=Asimov's Guide to the Bible: Two Volumes in One, the Old and New Testaments|year=1988|edition=reprint|publisher=Wings|isbn=978-0-517-34582-5|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/asimovsguidetobi00asim}}</ref>
Jehu, however, remained unfazed and ordered Jezebel's [[eunuch]] servants to [[Defenestration|throw her from the window]]. Her blood splattered on the wall and horses, and Jehu's horse trampled her corpse. He entered the palace where, after he ate and drank, he ordered Jezebel's body to be taken for burial. However, only her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands remained—her flesh had been eaten by stray dogs, just as the prophet Elijah had prophesied. <ref>{{Bibleverse||2 Kings|9:35-36|kjv|}}</ref><ref>See also [https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/jezebel-midrash-and-aggadah jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/jezebel-midrash-and-aggadah]</ref> [[Edwin R. Thiele]] dates Jezebel's death {{circa|850 BCE}}.<ref>Edwin Thiele, ''[[The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings]]'', (1st ed.; New York: Macmillan, 1951; 2d ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965; 3rd ed.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan/Kregel, 1983). {{ISBN|0-8254-3825-X}}</ref>
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==Historicity==
[[File:Andrea Celesti - Queen Jezabel Being Punished by Jehu - WGA4622.jpg|alt=painting of Jezebel's dead body being consumed by dogs as Jehu gestures at her body in triumph|thumb|''Queen Jezebel Being Punished by Jehu'', by [[Andrea Celesti]]]]
According to [[Israel Finkelstein]], the marriage of King Ahab to the daughter of the ruler of the Canaanite empire was a sign of the power and prestige of Ahab and the northern Kingdom of Israel. He termed it a "brilliant stroke of international diplomacy".<ref name="Finkelstein">{{Cite book|title=The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts|last1=Finkelstein|first1=Israel|last2=Silberman|first2=Neil Asher|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=2001|isbn=978-0-684-86912-4|pages=169–195|author-link1=Israel Finkelstein}}</ref> He says that the inconsistencies and anachronisms in the biblical stories of Jezebel and Ahab mean that they must be considered "more of a historical novel than an accurate historical chronicle".<ref name="Finkelstein" /> Among these inconsistencies, [[1 Kings 20]] states that "[[Hadadezer|Ben-Hadad]] king of [[Aram-Damascus|Aram]]" invaded Samaria during Ahab's reign, but this event did not take place until later in the history of Israel, and "Ben-Hadad" was the title of the ruler of Aram-Damascus.<ref name="FinkelsteinSilberman2002">{{cite book |author1= Israel Finkelstein |author2= Neil Asher Silberman |title= The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Sacred Texts |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=lu6ywyJr0CMC&pg=PA176 |date=6 March 2002 |publisher= Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-7432-2338-6 |page= 176}}</ref> Finkelstein also states that the biblical accounts are "obviously influenced by the [[Deuteronomic Code|theology]] of the seventh century BCE writers".<ref name="Finkelstein" /> They were hostile to polytheism and viewed Samaria as a rival to Jerusalem.<ref name="Finkelstein" /> ▼
▲According to [[Israel Finkelstein]], the marriage of King Ahab to the daughter of the ruler of the
According to Dr J. Bimson, of [[Trinity College, Bristol]] 1 and 2 Kings are not "a straightforward history but a history which contains its own theological commentary". He points to verses like {{bibleverse|1 Kings|14:19}} that show the author of Kings was drawing on other earlier sources.<ref>''IVP New Bible Commentary'' (21st Century Edition), p. 335</ref> The book mixes the annals of history with legends, folktales, miracle stories and "fictional constructions",<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RCgUvQOIvD0C&q=%22fictional+constructions%22&pg=PA1 |page=1 |title=Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: First and Second Kings |author=Richard D. Nelson |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-664-22084-6}}</ref> and presentation of earlier sources is heavily edited to fit the Deuteronomist agenda.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fretheim|first=Terence E|title=First and Second Kings|publisher=[[Westminster John Knox Press]] |year=1997|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ODLAo9QouEC |isbn=978-0-664-25565-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Van Seters |first=John |author-link=John Van Seters |title=In search of history: historiography in the ancient world and the origins of biblical history |publisher= Eisenbrauns |year=1997 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=0-skPdXtewwC&pg=PA406 |isbn= 978-1-57506-013-2 |page=307}}</ref> Janet Howe Gaines likewise finds the narratives implausible, especially the narrative of Naboth being betrayed by an entire Israelite town. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Gaines |first=Janet Howe |date=2023 |title=How Bad Was Jezebel? |url=https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/how-bad-was-jezebel/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211025417/https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/how-bad-was-jezebel/ |archive-date=February 11, 2024 |website=Biblical Archaeology Society}}</ref> But Christian Frevel argues that the biblical narrative subtly alludes to the Omrides' historical role in introducing Yahwism to Judah, which was obfuscated by anti-Omride Judaeans. For example, Ahab gave his children theophoric names during his years of expansion in the northern territories and Judah.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Frevel |first=Christian |date=2021 |title=When and from Where did YHWH Emerge? Some Reflections on Early Yahwism in Israel and Judah |url=https://er.ceres.rub.de/index.php/ER/article/view/8776 |journal=Entangled Religions |volume=12 |issue=2 |doi=10.46586/er.12.2021.8776 |via=RUB|hdl=2263/84039 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Stahl |first=Michael J. |date=2023 |title=Yahweh or Baal- Who Was the God of Northern Israel? |url=https://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/article/yahweh-or-baal-who-was-the-god-of-northern-israel/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418044706/https://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/article/yahweh-or-baal-who-was-the-god-of-northern-israel/ |archive-date=April 18, 2024 |website=Biblical Archaeology Review}}</ref> Other scholars propose that the Baal worshipped by Ahab and Jezebel was the "[[Kuntillet Ajrud inscriptions|YHWH of Samaria]]", which was opposed as Yahwist heresy by the Judaean priests,<ref name="lipinski">Edward Lipiński "Studia z dziejów i kultury starożytnego Bliskiego Wschodu" Nomos Press, 2013, {{ISBN|978-83-7688-156-0}}</ref> but some disagree based on archaeological evidence and extrabiblical records on Jezebel's upbringing.<ref name=":4" /><ref>Merrill F. Unger, ''Unger’s Bible Dictionary'' (Chicago: Moody Press, 1977) 327.</ref> Brian R. Doak believes the narratives are historically plausible because of the historicity of Omri and Ahab, evidence for widespread paganism among Israelites, international marriages for political purposes and competition between religious professionals during periods of "political unrest or social change". In addition, other contemporary sources, including sources written by Phoenicians, face similar issues in terms of being unverified by third-party sources.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Doak |first=Brian R. |url=https://academic.oup.com/book/33589/chapter/288065678 |title=Ancient Israel's Neighbors |date=2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190690632}}</ref>▼
▲According to Dr J. Bimson, of [[Trinity College, Bristol]] 1 and 2 Kings are not "a straightforward history but a history which contains its own theological commentary". He points to verses like {{bibleverse|1 Kings|14:19}} that show the author of Kings was drawing on other earlier sources.<ref>''IVP New Bible Commentary'' (21st Century Edition), p. 335</ref> The book mixes the annals of history with legends, folktales, miracle stories and "fictional constructions",<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RCgUvQOIvD0C&q=%22fictional+constructions%22&pg=PA1 |page=1 |title=Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: First and Second Kings |author=Richard D. Nelson |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-664-22084-6}}</ref> and presentation of earlier sources is heavily edited to fit the Deuteronomist agenda.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fretheim|first=Terence E|title=First and Second Kings|publisher=[[Westminster John Knox Press]] |year=1997|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ODLAo9QouEC |isbn=978-0-664-25565-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Van Seters |first=John |author-link=John Van Seters |title=In search of history: historiography in the ancient world and the origins of biblical history |publisher= Eisenbrauns |year=1997 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=0-skPdXtewwC&pg=PA406 |isbn= 978-1-57506-013-2 |page=307}}</ref> Janet Howe Gaines likewise finds the narratives implausible, especially the narrative of Naboth being betrayed by an entire Israelite town. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Gaines |first=Janet Howe |date=2023 |title=How Bad Was Jezebel? |url=https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/how-bad-was-jezebel/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211025417/https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/how-bad-was-jezebel/ |archive-date=February 11, 2024 |website=Biblical Archaeology Society}}</ref> But Christian Frevel argues that the biblical narrative subtly alludes to the Omrides' historical role in introducing Yahwism to Judah, which was obfuscated by anti-Omride
A seal from the 9th century BCE, discovered in 1964, has a partially damaged inscription of "[[Yodh|Y]][[Zayin|Z]][[Bet (letter)|B]][[Lamedh|L]]" which could have once read, "belonging to Jezebel". However, there are some issues with this theory. Whereas on the seal it appears the inscription begins with the letter [[yodh]], Jezebel's name starts with an [[aleph]], which is lacking on the seal; furthermore, the possessive [[lamedh]] which would translate to the predicate "belonging to ..." is also missing from the seal. However, it is entirely possible these letters simply could have been located where the seal is now [[Lacuna (manuscripts)|damaged]]. The seal includes motifs associated with both Egyptian and Israelite royalty, such as the [[Uraeus]] cobra which is commonly found on pharaonic artifacts, and symbols such as the [[winged sun]] and [[Ankh]], which are found on numerous other Israelite royal seals from the 8th century BCE and onwards. Regardless, scholars do not agree on whether the seal is evidence for the historicity of the biblical character. Some scholars have said that the size and intricacy of the seal could mean it was used by royalty. If the seal truly represents Jezebel, then she most likely represented '[[Anat]] as queen, who was the wife of the [[Baal#Baʿal|Ugaritic Baal]]. This aligns with Phoenician royal tradition. <ref name=":4">{{cite web |last= Korpel |first= Marjo C. A. |title= Fit for a Queen: Jezebel's Royal Seal |date= May 2008 |url= http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/uncategorized/fit-for-a-queen-jezebels-royal-seal |publisher= Biblical Archaeology Society |access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref>▼
▲A seal from the 9th century BCE, discovered in 1964, has a partially damaged inscription of "[[Yodh|Y]][[Zayin|Z]][[Bet (letter)|B]][[Lamedh|L]]" which could have once read, "belonging to Jezebel". However, there are some issues with this theory. Whereas on the seal it appears the inscription begins with the letter [[yodh]], Jezebel's name starts with an [[aleph]], which is lacking on the seal; furthermore, the possessive [[lamedh]] which would translate to the predicate "belonging to ..." is also missing from the seal. However, it is entirely possible these letters simply could have been located where the seal is now [[Lacuna (manuscripts)|damaged]]. The seal includes motifs associated with both Egyptian and Israelite royalty, such as the [[Uraeus]] cobra, which is commonly found on pharaonic artifacts, and symbols such as the [[winged sun]] and [[
==Cultural symbol==
[[File:Jezabel - Léon Auguste Perrey.jpg|thumb|''Jezabel'' by Léon Auguste Perrey]]
According to [[Geoffrey Bromiley]], the depiction of Jezebel as "the incarnation of Canaanite cultic and political practices, detested by Israelite prophets and loyalists, has given her a literary life far beyond the existence of a ninth-century Tyrian princess."<ref name=Bromiley/>
Through the centuries, the name ''Jezebel'' came to be associated with false prophets. By the early 20th century, it was also associated with fallen or abandoned women.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|first=Stanley Arthur |last=Cook |wstitle=Jezebel |volume=15|page=411}}</ref> In Christian lore, a comparison to Jezebel suggested that a person was a [[paganism|pagan]] or an [[apostasy|apostate]] masquerading as a servant of God. By manipulation and seduction, she misled the saints of God into sins of idolatry and sexual immorality.<ref>{{cite book|title=''The New Testament, Book of Revelation''|url=http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=REV%202:20-23&version=ESV}}, Ch. 2, vs. 20-23.</ref> In particular, Christians associated Jezebel with [[promiscuity]]. The [[cosmetics]] which Jezebel applied before her death also led some Christians to associate makeup with vice, although, as Isaac Asimov points out in his ''Guide to the Bible'', such cosmetics—used on ceremonial occasions by royalty and priestesses—could be interpreted as the desire of a proud woman to meet her last moments in a manner and attire becoming a Queen. In the [[Middle Ages]], the chronicler [[Matthew Paris]] criticised [[Isabella of Angoulême]], the [[queen consort]] of [[John, King of England]], by writing that she was "more Jezebel than Isabel".<ref>Nicholas Vincent 'John's Jezebel' 1999</ref> In modern usage, the name of Jezebel is sometimes used as a synonym for sexually promiscuous or controlling women.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jezebel |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jezebel |
In feminist interpretations and Bible scholarship, Jezebel is re-examined and, for example, seen as unfairly framed<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Bellis |first=Alice Ogden |url=https://www.pcusastore.com/Content/Site119/FilesSamples/175270Helpmates_00000145967.pdf |title=Helpmates, harlots, and heroes: women's stories in the Hebrew Bible |date=1994 |publisher=Westminster/John Knox Pr |isbn=978-0-664-25430-8 |location=Louisville, Ky |pages=3 |language=en |chapter=Introduction}}</ref> or her story altered,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beach |first=Eleanor Ferris |url=http://archive.org/details/jezebellettersre0000beac |title=The Jezebel letters
==In popular culture==
[[File:Bette Davis in Jezebel trailer 1.jpg|thumb|right|alt=close up photo of classic film actress with "Bette Davis' written across the bottom of the image|[[Bette Davis]] as Julie in the film ''[[Jezebel (1938 film)|Jezebel]]'']]
▲| [[Bette Davis]] and [[Henry Fonda]] starred in the 1938 romantic drama ''[[Jezebel (1938 film)|Jezebel]]''.
{{poemquote|If ever the Devil was born without a pair of horns▼
It was you, Jezebel, it was you
If ever an angel fell
Jezebel, it was you, Jezebel, it was you!<ref>{{cite web|title=Jezebel lyrics|url=http://www.metrolyrics.com/jezebel-lyrics-frankie-laine.html|work=Frankie Laine lyrics|publisher=Metro Lyrics|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161219045746/http://www.metrolyrics.com/jezebel-lyrics-frankie-laine.html|archive-date=2016-12-19|url-status=unfit|access-date=17 November 2013}}</ref>}}
| [[Paulette Goddard]] starred as Jezebel in the film ''[[Sins of Jezebel]]'' (1953).<ref>{{cite news|title=At The Imperial: 'Jezebel' Color Spectacle Stars Paulette Goddard In Title Role|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2IQuAAAAIBAJ&pg=3263,4699346&dq=sins+of+jezebel&hl=en|access-date=17 November 2013|newspaper=The News and Eastern Townships Advocate|date=14 January 1954}}</ref>▼
|The [[Faces (band)|Faces]] 1971 song "[[Stay with Me (Faces song)|Stay with Me]]" includes the line, "I hear you're a mean old Jezebel".▼
| In [[Margaret Atwood]]'s ''[[The Handmaid's Tale]]'' (1985) and its [[The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)|Hulu adaptation]], Jezebels are women forced to work as prostitutes after they are sterilized for the totalitarian and theocratic Republic of Gilead and are named after the biblical figure of the same name.▼
| [[Sade (band)|Sade's]] 1985 album [[Promise (Sade album)|Promise]] includes the track "Jezebel", written by [[Sade (singer)|Sade Abu]].▼
|The band [[10,000 Maniacs]] song "Jezebel" was released on the band's 1992 album [[Our Time in Eden]] and later performed acoustically on the 1993 live album [[MTV Unplugged (10,000 Maniacs album)]]. ▼
|The 1995 [[KMFDM]] song "[[Juke Joint Jezebel]]" is the band's most well-known song with around 3 million copies sold.▼
| The popular historian [[Lesley Hazleton]] wrote a revisionist account, ''Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen'' (2004), presenting Jezebel as a sophisticated queen engaged in mortal combat with the fundamentalist prophet [[Elijah]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen, by Lesley Hazleton|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/lesley-hazleton/jezebel/|publisher=Kirkus reviews|access-date=8 April 2014}}</ref>▼
| [[Iron & Wine]] included a song "Jezebel" on his 2005 EP ''[[Woman King]]''. It contains many references to the biblical Jezebel, in particular the dogs associated with her death.<ref>{{cite web|last=Leahey|first=Andrew|title=Iron & Wine, 'Jezebel'|date=9 April 2012|url=http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/04/iron-wine-jezebel/|publisher=americansongwriter.com|access-date=8 April 2014}}</ref>▼
| [[The Jezabels]] is an Australian indie rock band founded in 2007. The band's name is based on the biblical character, whom one band member describes as "misunderstood or misrepresented" and "an example of how women are really wrongly presented".<ref name="Cherrie">{{cite web | url = http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-jezabels-mn0002189231 | title = The Jezabels | last = Cherrie | first = Chrysta | website = [[AllMusic]] | publisher = [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date = 2 December 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Lam2">{{cite news | url = http://digitaledition.expressadvocate.com.au/?iid=25424&startpage=page0000035#folio=34 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130115000403/http://digitaledition.expressadvocate.com.au/?iid=25424&startpage=page0000035%23folio=34 | url-status = dead| title = The Jezabels | last = Lam | first = Lana | work = Central Coast Express Advocate | publisher = [[News Limited]] ([[News Corporation (1980–2013)|News Corporation]]) | page = 35 | date = 20 May 2009 | access-date = 3 December 2012 |archive-date = 15 January 2013}}</ref>▼
| The [[Harry Styles]] 2022 song "[[Little Freak (Harry Styles song)|Little Freak]]" includes the line, "Little freak, Jezebel".▼
|[[Finland]] sent a song by the name [[Jezebel (The Rasmus song)]] to the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2022]].}}▼
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==In literature==▼
*Beach, Eleanor Ferris. ''The Jezebel Letters: religion and politics in ninth-century Israel''. Fortress Press, 2005.▼
▲
*Bellis, Alice Ogden. ''Helpmates, harlots, and heroes: Women's stories in the Hebrew Bible''. Westminster John Knox Press, 2007.▼
*Everhart, Janet S. "Jezebel: Framed by eunuchs?." ''The Catholic Biblical Quarterly'' 72, no. 4 (2010): 688-698.▼
▲
*Garrett, Ginger. "Reign: The Chronicles of Queen Jezebel", Book #3 in the Lost Loves of the Bible Series (2013), {{ISBN|143-4-7659-62}}▼
*Hazleton, Lesley. "Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen" (2009)▼
▲
*Jackson, Melissa. "Reading Jezebel from the "other" side: Feminist critique, postcolonialism, and comedy." ''Review & Expositor'' 112, no. 2 (2015): 239-255.▼
*Lomax, Tamura. ''Jezebel unhinged: Loosing the Black female body in religion and culture''. Duke University Press, 2018.▼
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*Mokoena, Lerato. "Reclaiming Jezebel and Mrs Job: Challenging Sexist Cultural Stereotypes and the Curse of Invisibility" in ''Transgression and transformation: Feminist, postcolonial and queer Biblical interpretation as creative interventions'' (2021).▼
*Quick, Catherine S. "Jezebel's last laugh: the rhetoric of wicked women." ''Women and Language'' 16, no. 1 (1993): 44-49.▼
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*Snyder, J.B., 2012. Jezebel and her Interpreters. ''Women's Bible Commentary: Twentieth–Anniversary Edition. Louisville, KY'', pp. 180–183.▼
*Wyatt, Stephanie. "Jezebel, Elijah, and the widow of Zarephath: A ménage à trois that estranges the holy and makes the holy the strange." ''Journal for the Study of the Old Testament'' 36, no. 4 (2012): 435-458.▼
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*Barnard, Megan. "Jezebel." Penguin Random House, 2023.▼
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▲=== In literature ===
▲* Beach, Eleanor Ferris (2005). ''The Jezebel Letters: religion and politics in ninth-century Israel''. Fortress Press
▲* Bellis, Alice Ogden (2007). ''Helpmates, harlots, and heroes: Women's stories in the Hebrew Bible''. Westminster John Knox Press
▲* Everhart, Janet S. (2010). "Jezebel: Framed by eunuchs?
▲* Garrett, Ginger (2013).
▲* Jackson, Melissa (2015). "Reading Jezebel from the
▲* Lomax, Tamura (2018). ''Jezebel unhinged: Loosing the Black
▲* Mokoena, Lerato (2021). "Reclaiming Jezebel and Mrs Job: Challenging Sexist Cultural Stereotypes and the Curse of Invisibility" in ''Transgression and transformation: Feminist, postcolonial and queer Biblical interpretation as creative interventions''
* Moran, Michelle (2003). ''Die Phönizierin'', München: Wilhelm Goldmann Verlag (Random House Group). (Original title ''Jezebel''). {{ISBN|3-442-35775-6}}
▲* Quick, Catherine S. (1993). "Jezebel's last laugh: the rhetoric of wicked women." ''Women and Language'' 16, no. 1
▲* Snyder, J. B.
▲* Wyatt, Stephanie (2012). "Jezebel, Elijah, and the widow of Zarephath: A ménage à trois that estranges the holy and makes the holy the strange
== References ==
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==External links==
* {{commons category-inline}}
{{Rulers of Ancient Israel}}
{{Book of Revelation}}
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