Jezebel

The Death of Jezebel by Gustave Doré.

Jezebel (Hebrew: אִיזֶבֶל / אִיזָבֶל, Standard Izével / Izável Tiberian ʾÎzéḇel / ʾÎzāḇel ; "not exalted") was the wife of King Ahab of Israel. A Phoenician princess, her marriage to Ahab portended peace and prosperity for Israel, but alienated the partisans of the Hebrew God Yahweh, who strongly denounced Jezebel for supporting Baal worship. Jezebel responded by persecuting the prophets of Yahweh, and an increasingly violent and bitter struggle for supremacy ensued.

After Ahab's death, Jezebel continued to hold influence through her sons Ahaziah and Joram, who succeeded her husband on the throne. Her daughter, Athaliah, reigned for several years as queen of Judah, the only woman to rule eithe Judah or Israel as queen. Jezebel's lineage thus merged with the Davidic kings. Thought seldomly acknowledged as such, she is also one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ according to the genelogy implied in the Gospel of Matthew.

Because of her strong denunciation by the bibical authors, the name Jezebel has become virtually synonymous with ruthless wickedness in females.

In the Hebrew Bible

Jezebel lived at a time when the nothern kingdom of Israel had established itself on a firm foundation of independence and even superiority in relation to the southern kingdom of Judah. She was a Phoenician princess, the daughter of King Ithobaal I of Tyre.

Marriage to Ahab

Her marriage to Ahab, who had recently moved his capital from Tirzah to the more centrally located Samaria, solidified a properous alliance between Israel and Trye, a wealthy trade center between the northern Mediterranean and the Levant. Biblical scholars suggest that Psalm 45 may have been composed in honor of her arrival in Ahab's capital:

Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear:

Forget your people and your father's house.

The king is enthralled by your beauty;

honor him, for he is your lord.

The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift,

men of wealth will seek your favor.

All glorious is the princess within her chamber ;

her gown is interwoven with gold.

In embroidered garments she is led to the king;

her virgin companions follow her

and are brought to you.

They are led in with joy and gladness;

they enter the palace of the king.

Your sons will take the place of your fathers;

you will make them princes throughout the land.

Devotion to Baal Melqart

Whether or not this song actually pertains to Jezebel, it captures the hopes that the court of Israel must have held upon her arrival. Jezebel, however, did not "for her people and her father's house." Indeed, she seems to have brought with her a large number of attendants, including priests of the Phoneician God Baal Melqart, to whom she was strongly devoted.

The bible, our only near-contemporaneous source for Jezebel, says little about the years immediately after the marriage of Ahab and Jezebel. However, it is clear that dought plagues the country. Since Baal was worshiped as the god of rain storms who brings life and fertility to the land, it is reasonable to presume that the situation was ripe for the resurgence of Baal worship among the populace. This situation would make the introduction of an official temple of Baal in the new capital a tempting attraction. Thus, Ahab "set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria." (1 Kings 16:32)

It is also probable that the "sons of the prophets," bands of ecstaic Yahwist devotees who attended the "high places" of Israel, took strong and outspoke offense to any sings of official support of Baal, whom they considered Yahweh's enemy.

In 1 Kings 17:1, the prophet Elijah appears at court at declares: "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." A serious drought follows. Jezebel herself is introduced into the narrative of Kings 19 by way of background. Several years of droubt have passed, and the drought has resulted in a severe famine. Jezebel has begun killing off hundreds prophets of Yahweh, whom she and Ahab apparently hold responsible along with Elijah for the lack of rain.

Elijah receives a new command from God to confront King Ahab, and the king agrees not only to meet Elijah but to arrange a contest between him and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, which is significantly located commanding the spiritual and physical high ground between the two capitals: Samaria and Trye. Elijah not only facilitates the spiritual defeat of Baal, but presides over the massacre of 450 of the the prophets of Baal. Rain clouds soon appear in response to Elijah's prayers.

Hearing Ahab's report of the slaughter of Baal's prophets, Jezebel threatens to take Eljiah's life in retaliation. The prophet then flees to Beersheba in the south of Judah. With Elijah out of the picture, other prophets of Yahweh emerge, at least one of which seems to be a "true" prophet declares that God will give victory to Ahab in an upcoming battle against a powerful coalition headed by the Syrian king Ben Hadad. The Israelite army gains the upper hand as predicted, and Yahweh's prophet counsels Ahab to prepare for another battle the following spring. This battle, at Aphek, too, is successful; but a second unnamed prophet soon condemns Ahab for allowing Ben Hadad to live.

The ruthless Jezebel then spoils whatever merit Ahab has won in the eyes of Yahweh in counseling her husband to murder the innocent Naboth, whose vineyard Ahab wishes to own. At this, Elijah himself suddenly returns from exile to deliver a ghoulish prophecy:

Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country.

Ahab wins God's reprieve when he repents for killing Naboth, but is killed when he accepts the advice 100 prophets of Yahweh urge him to join with Jehoshaphat of Judah in a battle against Ben Hadad at Ramoth Gilead. One additional Yahwist prophet, Micaiah son of Imlah, alone had warned of disaster. Although not specifically mentioned in the text, it seems that about this time, Jezebel and Ahab's daughter Athaliah was married to Jehshaphat's son.

Jezebel survived the death of her husband and see two of her own sons, Ahaziah and Joram, ascend to the throne of Israel.

Joram is killed by Jehu, who confronts Jezebel in Jezreel and urges her servants to kill her by defenestration. They comply, and her corpse is left in the street to be eaten by dogs leaving only her skull, feet, and hands in fulfillment of Elijah's prophecy.

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File:Elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg

Elijah condemns Ahab and Jezebel.

In the New Testament

In the New Testament, Jezebel is a prophetess in the city of Thyatira. She is accused in Revelation 2:20 of inducing members of the church there to commit acts of sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Some authorities suggest that the author here uses the name Jezebel as a nickname, knowing that readers in Thyatira would know to whom it was being referred, and they would also know of the deeds of the previous Jezebel recorded in 1 Kings.

Jezebel in modern culture

The name Jezebel has come down through the centuries to be used as a general name for all wicked women. Jezebel is portrayed in modern usage as a controlling whore in such phrases as "painted Jezebel." (The "painted" part refers to a line in 2 Kings, just before she is defenestrated, where she puts on her makeup). From a generalized Christian point of view, the story and concept of Jezebel has been used to refer to those who refute perceived evidence and belief in God. From a biblical and generalized Christian point of view, being compared to Jezebel would suggest that the implied person would be a pagan or an apostate. While it is often negative in connotation, some embrace the image, as evidenced by various lingerie designs named after Jezebel.

• Edith Piaf recorded a song called "Jezebel," which was later covered in tribute by Ann Wilson of Heart.
• Pioneer Virginia gospel/pop quartet of the '30s and '40s, The Golden Gate Quartet recorded a song titled "Jezebel" on their Rock My Soul album; the song reflects the story of Jezebel, and was re-recorded and adapted for Recoil's album Liquid (March 2000).
• Bette Davis won an Oscar for Best Actress in William Wyler's Jezebel (1938).
• Anita O'Day was billed as the "Jezebel of Jazz".
• Frankie Laine had a big pop hit in 1951 with a song called Jezebel.
• Indie musician Sam Beam (aka Iron & Wine) recorded a song somewhat sympathetic to Jezebel on his Woman King EP.
• Australian rock band The Drones have Jezebel as the opening track of their third album "Gala Mill". A sprawling 7 minute song, it appears to cover topics from nuclear testing in Australia to the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl.
• Nathan Price mentions and compares his daughter to Jezebel in the novel The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.
• British grime artist Dizzee Rascal recorded a song titled "Jezebel" on his debut album Boy In Da Corner; it is a tale of a young girl and the choices she makes.
• British singer Sade Adu (Sade) also recorded a song titled "Jezebel" on her Promise album in 1985 about a girl who knows how to get what she wants.
• The American band 10,000 Maniacs also recorded a song titled "Jezebel" on their 1992 album Our Time on Eden, concerning Jezebel's regrets about the inexorability of her mission.
• In Tom Robbins's novel Skinny Legs and All, Jezebel is presented as a down to earth, sympathetic, and strong female character.
• In Isaac Asimov's novel Caves of Steel, Jezebel is described as an ideal wife, and a woman who, in full compliance with the mores of the time, promotes her own religion conscientiously.
• In Memories by Leonard Cohen, Jezebel is mentioned as being sung about by Frankie Lane in a dance club.
• Joni Mitchell's song "Magdalene Laundries" from her album Turbulent Indigo, along with many other biblical references, alludes to Jezebel.
• Sarah Jane Ferridge, a.k.a Sarah Jezebel Deva is an English singer who has collaborated with bands like Cradle of Filth and Mortiis.
• My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, a 1981 album by Brian Eno and David Byrne, features a track called The Jezebel Spirit, which contains a sample of Jezebel being mentioned during an exorcism performed by a preacher.
• In the 1997 Jim Carrey movie Liar Liar, Carrey and co-star Swoosie Kurtz are involved in a courtroom argument that degenerates into name-calling. The dialogue in the released version of the film begins with Kurtz objecting to one of Carrey's character's points, Carrey saying "You would," Kurtz calling him "Bastard," with Carrey finally calling Kurtz "Hag" before Jason Bernard's "Judge Stevens" harshly reprimands them both. In the gag reel on the DVD, Kurtz continues with "Overactor" before Bernard has a chance to begin his dialogue, to which Carrey responds "Jezebel" as the film crew break down in laughter.
• In the Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy, The Wedding Planner, drunk Lopez's character mumbles that "Jezebel is the only queen in the Bible to be eaten by dogs."
• KMFDM has a song entitled "Juke Joint Jezebel" on their 1995 album Nihil, written by collaborator Raymond Watts, which is considered by many to be their most popular song.
• WWE commentator Jim Ross refers to the heel divas as "Jezebels" quite frequently.
• The German singer/songwriter Alexander Veljanov has recorded a song Jezebel on his 1998 Album 'Secrets of the Silver Tongue'
• The hard rock band He Is Legend refers to Jezebel in the lyrics of their song The Seduction which was released on the album I Am Hollywood, released in 2004.
• In 1996, Elenor Brown composed the poem "Jezebel and the Eunuchs."
• The Hip-Hop group Outkast have a song off the album 'ATLiens' called 'Jazzy Belle', a take on the name that explores similar themes to the biblical Jezebel.
• From Lauryn Hill's 1998 rap hit Doo Wop (That Thing): "Now that was the sin that did Jezebel in / Who you gonna call when the repercussions spin?"
• In Margret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale, the chapter where Offred talks to her best friend Moira, an escaped handmaid transformed to a whore, for the final time is entitled "Jezebel."
• In the 2005 movie musical Reefer Madness, Mary Lane refers to herself as "a pubescent addition to Jezebel" in the song "Murder".
• The Smothers Brothers recorded a humorous version of Jezebel.
• Tea Leaf Green, a rock 'n' roll band from San Francisco, plays a song by the name of 'Jezebel'.
• The american Doom/Sludge Metal band Acid Bath, has a song by the name "Jezebel".
• In the movie Jacob's Ladder, Jacob's girlfriend is named Jezebel.
• In the Original Twilight Zone there is an episode about an evil girl named Jess-Belle,a reference to Jezebel from the old Testament

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