Who is Jezebel?

Jezebel lived in the year 800 BC. She was the daughter of King Ethbaal*, ruler of the cities of Tyre and Sidon (Lebanon).

She married Ahab the 7th king of Israel. Ahab succeeded his father Omri and reigned 22 years over Israel in Samaria. Jezebel persuaded Ahab to initiate the worship of the Tyrian god Baal* and the goddess Asherah** among the people. Under Jezebel's advice, he destroyed the altar of YAHWEH and built an altar to Baal

1 Kings 16:32-33 "First, Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. Then he set up an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him."

This idol worship interfered with the exclusive worship of YAHWEH because its practices did not respect human rights.

*The Baals are occult deities represented in a semi-bull and half-man form. To receive their favors, the members of the faithful gather around this statue and offer him humans (especially children) and animals. While the victim is being sacrificed, the members of the cult indulge in all sorts of abominations, perversions and sexual deviances in order to incite Baal to make their businesses profitable, to bring them success and power.

**Asherah who is represented as the wife of Baal, is associated with sensuality and sacred prostitution.

The marriage of Jezebel (Phoenician) and Ahab (Israelite) was primarily a political alliance. Phoenicia consisted of a confederation of several states including the maritime trading centers of Tyre and Sidon on the Mediterranean coast; while Israel had a powerful military presence. This union provided the monarchy with strong military protection and access to several trade routes.

Ahab was wicked and cruel.

1 Kings 18:9 "But Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death?"
1 Kings 18:12 "Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me."

But he did not have a strong personality, by his attitude he was abdicating his authority to his wife, so the real ruler of this powerful kingdom was Jezebel because she had control over and manipulated her husband.

1 Kings 21:25 "Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel."
1 Kings 21:7 But his wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you not reign over Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful, for I will get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

Jezebel was a prostitute who practiced witchcraft and made sacrifices to idols.

2 Kings 9:22 "When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” “How can there be peace,” he replied, “as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?"
Revelations 2:20 "But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols."
2 Chronicles 21:13 "And have caused Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab prostituted itself. You have also killed your brothers, your father’s family, who were better than you."

She would slaughter anyone who dared to confront her. Her greatest enemies were the prophets of YAHWEH whom she regularly challenged and killed.

1 Kings 18:4 "for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)"

Her cruel and despotic actions led to an internal conflict that weakened Israel for decades and provoked the righteous anger of the prophet Elijah.

One day, Elijah went to Ahab and asked for a public confrontation on Mount Carmel with the 450 priests of Baal and the 400 priests of Asherah who regularly took part in festivities at Jezebel's house. Elijah asked for a visible sign (fire) from their god Baal. Two bulls were presented: one for Baal and one for YAHWEH. The priests began to call, jump, beg, and self-mutilate for hours, but Baal gave no sign.

Elijah laughed at them and said: "Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked." - 1 Kings 18:27

Then he rebuilt the altar of YAHWEH that had been knocked down. As soon as he presented the offering, the fire of the LORD appeared and entirely consumed the burnt offering. This immediate and visible manifestation of YAHWEH discredited the god Baal among the people. Elijah then ordered all the priests to be seized and slaughtered. (1 Kings 18).

When Jezebel heard about the massacre, she angrily vowed to have Elijah killed. Frightened, Elijah fled into the desert where he begged YAHWEH to take his life. But the angel of God appeared and comforted him and asked him to go to Mount Horeb, where God commanded him to anoint Elisha (son of Shaphat) as his successor, and also to anoint Jehu (son of Jehoshaphat) to be the future king of Israel (1 Kings 19).

There was a vineyard in Samaria next to Ahab's palace, belonging to Naboth of Jezreel. Ahab coveted it. But when Naboth, who was simply obeying God's law concerning the right of land redemption (Leviticus 25:23-34) refused to part with his vineyard as it was part of his fathers' inheritance, Ahab miserably complained to Jezebel. She promised that she would take care of Naboth. She wrote letters to her magistrates signed by Ahab commissioning Naboth to be put to death. Naboth was falsely accused of blaspheming against "God and Ahab", he was killed by stoning and thus Ahab took possession of the vineyard. (1 Kings 21)

Following the death of Naboth, YAHWEH instructed Elijah to inform Ahab a curse had come upon him. Elijah went to Ahab and predicted that upon his death dogs would lick his blood, all his possessions would be destroyed and the dogs of Naboth would devour Jezebel (1 Kings 21).

Ahab became alarmed and humbled himself before God. When YAHWEH saw Ahab's humiliation, He decided not to destroy Ahab's possessions while he was still alive, but rather the curse would fall upon his children.

A few years later, there was a battle between the Israelites and the Syrians. In an attempt to hide himself, Ahab took off his royal clothes and put on the armor of a regular soldier. But a man, randomly drawing his bow, struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. The latter was seriously wounded and carried in his chariot and then died in the evening. While the chariot soaked with Ahab's blood was being washed in a pond of Samaria, stray dogs licked the blood and prostitutes were bathing in the same place where the blood had been washed. (1 Kings 22)

Ahaziah (son of Ahab) succeeded his father, but he too served Baal Zebub. He died following a confrontation with Elijah. (2 Kings 1)

Jehoram (another son of Ahab) also became king of Israel. He knocked down the statues of Baal that his father Ahab had erected, but just like Jeroboam (king of Israel after Solomon), he encouraged idolatry by sacrificing to golden carved calves. (2 Kings 3)

Elisha succeeded Elijah. In order to fulfill the prophecy on Mount Horeb, Elisha anointed Jehu, made him king of Israel and ordered him to destroy the entire house of Ahab, including Jezebel, so that the blood of God's prophets will finally be avenged. Following Elisha's advice, Jehu ambushed Jehoram, killed him and had his body thrown into the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel.

Jehu then went to Jezebel's palace. Jezebel knowing that Jehu and his army were advancing towards her, made herself look beautiful and looking out the window, she insulted Jehu by calling him a traitor, for she said: Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?

*Zimri was the servant of Asa (king of Judah), he ruled Israel for 7 days after a military coup against king Asa.

Jehu became very upset with Jezebel's remarks and ordered his eunuchs that she be thrown out of her window. Jezebel's blood spilled on the wall and on the horses, and Jehu trampled on her dead corpse. He then had some time to eat. After he had been fully fed, he asked that she nevertheless be buried as a king's daughter. But it was discovered that Naboth's dogs had eaten most of Jezebel's body and only her skull, her feet and the palms of her hands remained. (2 Kings 9)

YESHUA strongly condemned Jezebel's actions, which He called "the deep things of Satan". He forbade that Jezebel be associated with the body of Christ and promised she would be humiliated before everyone's eyes.

Revelations 2:20-24 "But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden upon you,"
1 Corinthians 6:15-16 "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
Nahum 3:4-5 "Because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the seductive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft. “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms."

He also revealed to the apostle John that this mysterious spirit has a strong hold on the nations and influences the entire world: It is the mother of harlots and abominations on earth.

Revelations 17:4-6 " The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus."

Much could be written about Jezebel, however, the apostle Paul summarized so well the vices that are characteristic of the spirit of Jezebel. One can recognize these from the story of Jezebel.

Galatians 5:19-21 "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God"

< Previous

Next >