This paper examines the figure of Jezebel as she appears in the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Old Testament, tracing her portrayal from a Phoenician princess and queen of Israel to the archetypal symbol of female wickedness. Drawing on 1st and 2nd Kings, the paper covers the religious controversy surrounding her promotion of Baal worship, her role in the death of Naboth, her conflict with the prophet Elijah, and her appearance in the Book of Revelation. The paper then contrasts these biblical interpretations with modern scholarly perspectives — including feminist and historical-critical readings — that question the motives of the biblical authors and offer a more nuanced view of Jezebel as a political actor and possible advocate for cultural pluralism.
The paper exemplifies multi-perspectival analysis: a single historical figure is examined through at least three distinct lenses — theological/biblical, historical-political, and feminist-critical. Each lens is introduced with its own evidentiary basis before the paper draws them into contrast, showing the student's ability to hold competing interpretations in productive tension rather than collapsing them into a single verdict.
The paper opens with a brief definitional introduction establishing the cultural weight of the name "Jezebel." The large central section works chronologically through the biblical narrative — marriage, religious controversy, the Naboth affair, death, and Revelation — pausing at key moments to introduce historical counter-readings. A dedicated section then consolidates modern and feminist scholarly reinterpretations. The conclusion acknowledges the ongoing debate without forcing a resolution, which is appropriate given the contested nature of the evidence.
The historical and biblical name "Jezebel" has assumed a meaning in everyday usage that refers to all that is evil and corrupt in woman. In common parlance, the appellation "Jezebel" refers to certain very negative qualities in the person so described. These meanings have their roots in the historical and biblical figure of Jezebel. This paper will delineate and describe both the biblical and historical nature of this figure. It also aims to show that modern scholarship indicates a certain discontinuity between the biblical and historical interpretations of this character. These and other interpretations of the character and reality of Jezebel will be examined.
The central reference to the figure of Jezebel comes from the Tanakh — the Hebrew Scriptures — and the Christian Old Testament. In the Old Testament, Jezebel appears in 1st and 2nd Kings. She is a princess from Phoenicia and the daughter of Ithobaal I of Sidon, who marries King Ahab of Israel. From a more historical point of view, the marriage between Ahab and Jezebel is regarded as a positive political arrangement intended to promote progress and peace in the region.
In the ninth century BCE, King Ahab brought the Phoenician princess to Israel as his bride. His actions suggest a worldview that encompassed the hope of drawing diverse groups of Semites together in harmony and prosperity. Marrying the daughter of a powerful neighbor, attempting later in his reign to form alliances across the Middle East, and eventually uniting his daughter with the king of Judah all point to Ahab's breadth of outlook. His political policy was devoted to establishing his country's military and financial security.
In this light, the marriage of Ahab and Jezebel is seen as politically and socially expedient from a historical point of view. However, the central accusation against Jezebel in the biblical context is that she was responsible for turning Ahab away from the true God of the Jews. She brought with her the Phoenician gods and the worship of Baal, and she succeeded in convincing Ahab to allow temples of Baal in Israel. This carries enormous and serious implications in a biblical context.
These aspects must be seen against the backdrop of the Bible and the creation of the nation of Israel in relation to the Covenant with their God. The worst sin that could be committed against Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the worship of other "false" gods or alien deities. The first commandment of this faith demands that the faithful worship only the one true God. In this light, the arrival of Jezebel in Israel in the ninth century BCE as the consort of King Ahab is seen by some scholars as a "perfect opportunity for the Bible writer to teach a moral lesson about the evil outcomes of idolatry, for she is a foreign idol worshiper who seems to be the power behind her husband."
From the biblical point of view, she "embodies everything that must be eliminated from Israel so that the purity of the cult of Yahweh will not be further contaminated."
In both the Bible and historical context, Jezebel arrives in the Northern Kingdom of Israel to marry King Ahab, son of Omri (1 Kings 16:31). As noted above, the central biblical criticism of Jezebel is that she imports the gods and idols of the Phoenicians into Israel. Central among these gods is Baal, the "general term for 'lord' given to the head fertility and agricultural god of the Canaanites."
It is also historically plausible that, due to her position in Phoenician society, Jezebel would have served as a priestess in the temple of Baal. It is therefore relatively clear that she would revere the gods of her home country, which places her in a theologically contentious position with regard to the religious principles of the Israelites and their insistence on rejecting the worship of "false" gods. It should also be noted that Jezebel would have brought other deities with her, including Asherah, Baal's consort.
The most important aspect from a biblical perspective, however, is that Jezebel as queen of the Israelites does not accept the God of the Israelites. What is also significant is that her views appear to have had a direct influence on Ahab, who builds a sanctuary for Baal. We read in 1 Kings:
"And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him."
In essence, Jezebel is portrayed as a woman who leads Ahab astray and convinces him to allow and tolerate the worship of Baal in the country, in contravention of the holy commandments. Jezebel therefore becomes the opposite of a figure like the biblical Ruth, who was also an alien to the culture but accepted the Jewish God and customs.
On the other hand, the political alliance forged by the marriage between Jezebel and Ahab, from a more historical perspective, "provided both peoples with military protection from powerful enemies as well as valuable trade routes: Israel gained access to the Phoenician ports; Phoenicia gained passage through Israel's central hill country to Transjordan and especially to the King's Highway." This more positive perspective, however, contrasts sharply with the biblical and religious view of her influence.
Jezebel, as she is presented and conventionally interpreted in the biblical texts, is an unredeemable, evil, and immoral character. This view is sustained into the Book of Revelation, where her name is associated with the defiance of God's laws and immorality. However, at the same time, many modern scholars question the accuracy of these perceptions, employing methods of interrogative historical and feminist analysis. In the final analysis, the true character of Jezebel will continue to be debated from these often conflicting points of view.
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