Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Jezebel

Photo by Harold Copping from Wikipedia

 Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Jezebel

According to the books of kings in the Bible, Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab, who ruled the kingdom of Israel.

Jezebel was an infamous Queen of Israel who died around 853 BCE.

She promoted the worship of false gods, harassed and killed God’s prophets.

Here are the top 10 astonishing facts about Jezebel.

1.  Jezebel was a Queen of Israel

Image by Guillaume Rouille from Wikimedia

In 922 B.C., the nation of Israel was torn into two nations, Israel to the north and Judah to the south.

Israel was raked by internal tribal differences and, subsequently, became susceptible to frequent invasions. 

Jezebel was a Phoenician princess;  as she was the daughter of King Ethball.

To create an alliance with Israel, the king arranged for his son Ahab to wed Jezebel. Their marriage cemented a political alliance.

Jezebel was the Queen of Israel for over two decades, during the reign of King Ahab between  874-853 BCE.

During her reign as the Queen of Israel, Jezebel was a cruel and brutal queen who organized the executions of innocent men.

2.  Jezebel was a Princess

Image by Harold Copping from Wikimedia

Jezebel is introduced into the biblical narrative as a Phoenician princess, the daughter of Ithobaal I, king of Tyre

The Bible does not describe her childhood, but from deductive reasoning, Jezebel must have received her education from the best tutors.

As a daughter of Ithobaal 1, Jezebel was a sister to Baal-Eser 1 who became the king of Tyre after the death of his father.

3. Jezebel was an Idol Worshipper

Jezebel’s family worshipped many gods, the most important being Baal, a nature god.

All foreign wives of Kings at that time were required to carry their own form of worship.

The king made for her a Baalist altar in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

Jezebel used her position as a Queen to persuade king  Ahab to introduce the worshipping of the Tyrian god Baal-Melkart to all citizens.

She brought 800 Baal prophets to Israel and ordered the murder of several Yahweh prophets who were opposed to her.

4. Jezebel was a Murderer

Image by Caspar Luiken from Wikipedia

A woman of fierce energy destroyed all those who opposed her; most of the prophets of Yahweh were killed at her command.

The story of Naboth is perhaps the best-known story of Jezebel’s life and her cruelty.

Naboth was a common landowner who lived close to the King’s residence, he was asked to give his land to King in exchange for some compensation.

Naboth refused to give up his family’s ancestral land to the king, citing Jewish laws which prohibited the selling of ancestral land.

Jezebel falsely charged him with treason and blasphemy; he had him condemned to death by stoning.

5. Jezebel was the Power Behind the Throne

Image by Guillaume Rouille from Wikimedia

After Jezebel married King Ahab, she was coroneted as the queen of Israel.it gave her a lot of power and influence.

She introduced idol worshipping and made it compulsory for every citizen, many of Yahweh’s prophets were killed.

Many of the remaining Yahweh prophets went into hiding for the fear of being destroyed by Jezebel.

Naboth and innocent local land owner, who refused to give up his land to the king, was brutally murdered.

Jezebel was a strong-willed cruel queen, who had managed to convince King Ahab to fulfill all her evil ambitions. She was the real power behind the throne.

6. Jezebel  had Tussles with Prophet Elijah

There was a general decline in the love of Yahweh during the reign of Queen Jezebel.

Most of the prophets of Yahweh that could have helped spread his message got killed by the Queen.

  Worshipping gods of Baal were made mandatory for all citizens without exception.

According to the Jewish Bible, Yahweh sent Prophet Elijah to tussle with Jezebel and her Baal prophets.

Elijah had the aim of disapproving of the validity of the power of the false gods. He achieved his goal and ordered all Baal prophets to be slain.

Elijah went into hiding to escape from the wrath of  Queen Jezebel who wanted to retaliate against his actions. 

7. Jezebel’s Name is used to Describe Evil

Jezebel continues to be associated with Evil,  Many centuries after her death.

In modern society calling a woman Jezebel, means that she is evil, cruel, and deceptive.

In Christian lore, a comparison to Jezebel suggests that a person is a pagan or an apostate masquerading as a servant of God.

The name Jezebel is used as a synonym for sexually promiscuous or controlling women.

 In the early years, the name Jezebel was used to be associated with false prophets.

8. Jezebel’s Sons Became kings

After King Ahab died, his son Ahaziah inherited the throne.

Ahaziah died as the result of an accident and was succeeded by his brother Joram. 

Joram was the second son of Ahab and Jezebel, who ruled Israel between c.849-c.842BC. He had ascended to the throne after the death of his brother.

According to the bible, Joram maintained a good relationship with the kingdom of Judah.

A revolution took place in the Kingdom of Israel, and Joram was removed from the throne.

Jehu, now the new king of Israel killed all the members of the Ahab family including Queen Jezebel

9. Jezebel’s Story has Inspired the Composition of Books and Songs

Jezebel’s character as narrated in the bible has inspired some authors to write about her.

The popular historian Lesley Hazleton wrote a revisionist account of Jezebel.

Her book presents Jezebel as a sophisticated queen engaged in mortal combat with the fundamentalist prophet Elijah.

In the book The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov, the main protagonist’s wife is named Jezabel, and the story of Jezabel is discussed.

The American gospel vocal group Golden Gate Quartet released a single called “Jezebel” in 1941 which narrates the story of Jezebel.

10. Jezebel was Murdered

Image by an unknown author from Wikimedia

Elisha commanded one of his disciples to anoint Jehu, commander of Joram’s army, as king, and to be the agent of divine punishment against Ahab’s family.

Jehu killed Jezebel and members of her family, including King Joram and his nephew Ahaziah.