Ithobaal I is the name of a 9th-century BCE king of Tyre mentioned in the story of Jezebel from the Hebrew Bible , and in a citation by Josephus of a list of the kings of Tyre put together by the Phoenician author Menander of Ephesus (2nd century BCE).
68-515: Jezebel ( / ˈ dʒ ɛ z ə b əl , - b ɛ l / ) was the daughter of Ithobaal I of Tyre and the wife of Ahab , King of Israel , according to the Book of Kings of the Hebrew Bible ( 1 Kings 16 , 1 Kings 16:31 ). 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
136-592: A Baalist altar in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. Geoffrey Bromiley points out that it was Phoenician 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. Her coronation as queen upset the balance of power between Yahwism and Baalism . As queen, Jezebel institutionalized Baalism and killed Yahwist prophets, which most likely included
204-416: A golden calf at Dan and Beth-El. Ahijah signed this document, believing firmly that Jeroboam would not belie his trust. Herein he was mistaken in his pupil. Jeroboam had shown great wisdom and learning, and appeared to Ahijah "as pure as the new garment" he wore when Ahijah saw him coming out of Jerusalem (I Kings, xi. 29). Moreover, as he excelled all the rest of the pupils, he had been initiated by Ahijah into
272-498: A history which contains its own theological commentary". He points to verses like 1 Kings 14:19 that show the author of Kings was drawing on other earlier sources. The book mixes the annals of history with legends, folktales, miracle stories and "fictional constructions", and presentation of earlier sources is heavily edited to fit the Deuteronomist agenda. Janet Howe Gaines likewise finds the narratives implausible, especially
340-568: A hit song. The song begins: 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! Paulette Goddard starred as Jezebel in the film Sins of Jezebel (1953). Claude Demetrius references Jezebel in the fourth verse of the No. 1 hit single, Hard Headed Woman released as a single (1958) by Elvis Presley . The Faces 1971 song " Stay with Me " includes
408-472: A lad, turned to wickedness. God had offered to raise him into Gan 'Eden; but when Jeroboam heard that Jesse's son would enjoy the highest honors there, he refused. Jeroboam had even learned the "mysteries of the chariot" (Midr. Teh.; see "Sefer Midrash Abot," Warsaw, 1896). "...If the person suffers indignities after his death, this too, can atone for his sins, and gain him a share in the World to Come. For example,
476-685: A song by the name " Jezebel " to the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 . In the 2023 Barbie Movie , the Mattel CEO calls Barbie a "Jezebel" while trying to force her back into her toy box. Ithobaal I Primary information related to Ithobaal comes from Josephus's citation of the Phoenician author Menander of Ephesus, in Against Apion i.18. Here it is said that the previous king, Phelles , “was slain by Ithobalus,
544-465: A song named "Jezebel". 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 . Iron & Wine included a song "Jezebel" on his 2005 EP Woman King . It contains many references to the biblical Jezebel, in particular
612-649: Is construed as implying some defect in his progenitor. Jeroboam is excluded from the world to come (Yalḳ., Kings, 196). Although he reached the throne because he reproved Solomon, he was nevertheless punished for doing so publicly (ib.). In the meeting between Jeroboam and the Shilonite the Rabbis detect indications of Jeroboam's presumption, his zeal for impious innovations (ib.). His arrogance brought about his doom (Sanh. 101b). His political reasons for introducing idolatry are condemned (Sanh.90). As one that led many into sin,
680-539: Is fulfilled in 2 Kings. Josephus and Jerome identify the "man of God" who warned Jeroboam as the seer named Iddo . The wife of Jeroboam is a character in the Hebrew Bible . Though unnamed in the Masoretic text , she appears in the Septuagint as an Egyptian princess called Ano: In 1 Kings, Jeroboam's son Abijah falls ill, and Jeroboam sends his wife to the prophet Ahijah. Ahijah's message, however,
748-521: Is introduced into the biblical narrative as a Phoenician princess, the daughter of Ithobaal I , king of Tyre ( 1 Kings 16:31 says she was "Sidonian", which is a biblical term for Phoenicians in general). According to genealogies given in Josephus and other classical sources, she was the great-aunt of Dido , Queen of Carthage . As the daughter of Ithobaal I, she was also the sister of Baal-Eser II . Jezebel eventually married King Ahab of Samaria ,
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#1732780380838816-911: Is not mentioned as an opponent of Shalmaneser III at the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC, but twelve years later, in 841, Ithobaal's son Baal-Eser II gave tribute to the Assyrian monarch. For decades, it was believed Ithobaal was mentioned in the inscription found on the Ahiram sarcophagus as the titular king's heir; however, more recent transcriptions of the text reconstruct the heir's name as Pilsibaal and not Ithobaal — which has raised questions about Ithobaal's paternity and historicity. Jeroboam Jeroboam I ( / ˌ dʒ ɛr ə ˈ b oʊ . əm / ; Hebrew : יָרָבְעָם Yārŏḇʿām ; Greek : Ἱεροβοάμ , romanized : Hieroboám ), frequently cited Jeroboam son of Nebat , was, according to
884-488: Is sometimes used as a synonym for sexually promiscuous or controlling women. In feminist interpretations and Bible scholarship, Jezebel is re-examined and, for example, seen as unfairly framed or her story altered, or as a resource for womanist theology. In American Christian spiritual warfare contexts, particularly popular among neo-Charismatic groups such as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR),
952-484: Is that Abijah will die, which he does. According to The Jewish Encyclopedia , the good that Abijah did for which he would be laid in the grave ("Rabbinical Literature: The passage, I Kings, xiv. 13, in which there is a reference to "some good thing [found in him] toward the Lord God of Israel") is interpreted (M. Ḳ. 28b) as an allusion to Abijah's courageous and pious act in removing the sentinels placed by his father on
1020-567: Is threatened with sexualized punishment ("throw[n] on a bed") and the death of her children. Jezebel is the Anglicized transliteration of the Hebrew אִיזֶבֶל ʾIzeḇel . The Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible states that the name is "best understood as meaning 'Where is the Lord?'" ( Hebrew : אֵיזֶה בַּעַל , romanized : ʾēze baʿal ), a ritual cry from worship ceremonies in honor of Baal during periods of
1088-464: The Hebrew Bible , the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel following a revolt of the ten tribes against Rehoboam that put an end to the United Monarchy . According to the book of 1 Kings, he reigned for 22 years and "there was war continually between Rehoboam and Jeroboam". Jeroboam also fought Abijam son of Rehoboam king of Judah. Jeroboam is often described as doing "evil in
1156-563: The Kingdom of Judah for the rest of his reign. He also lost the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah , and Ephron , with their surrounding villages. Bethel was an important centre for Jeroboam's Golden Calf cult (which used non-Levites as priests), located on Israel's southern border, which had been allocated to the Tribe of Benjamin by Joshua , as was Ephron, which is believed to be the Ophrah that
1224-534: 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". The Jezebel stereotype is an oppressive image and was used as a justification for sexual assault and sexual servitude during the eras of colonization and slavery in the United States . In modern usage, the name of Jezebel
1292-631: The Pygmalion article. Ithobaal held close diplomatic contacts with king Ahab of Israel . 1 Kings 16 :31 relates that his daughter Jezebel married Ahab (874 – 853 BC), and Phoenician influence in Samaria and the other Israelite cities was extensive. In the First Kings passage, Ithobaal is labeled king of the Sidonians. At this time Tyre and Sidon were consolidated into one kingdom. Tyre
1360-500: The northern kingdom of Israel . Near Eastern scholar Charles R. Krahmalkov proposed that Psalm 45 records the wedding ceremony of Ahab and Jezebel, but other scholars cast doubt on this association. This marriage was the culmination of the friendly relations existing between Israel and Phoenicia 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
1428-504: The 1950s and 1960s, the figures of Jezebel in 1 and 2 Kings and the Jezebel of Revelation began to be conflated and became "a trope for women". In Christian lore, a comparison to Jezebel suggested that a person was a pagan or an apostate masquerading as a servant of God. By manipulation and seduction, she misled the saints of God into sins of idolatry and sexual immorality. In particular, Christians associated Jezebel with promiscuity and
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#17327803808381496-437: The 2024 James River Church Stronger Men's Conference for being opened by "the Jezebel spirit" following a sword-swallowing act. Bette Davis and Henry Fonda starred in the 1938 romantic drama Jezebel . The American gospel vocal group Golden Gate Quartet released a single called "Jezebel" in 1941 which narrates the story of Jezebel. Frankie Laine recorded " Jezebel " (1951), written by Wayne Shanklin , which became
1564-517: 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 Ugaritic Baal . This aligns with Phoenician royal tradition. According to Geoffrey Bromiley ,
1632-404: The 9th century BCE, discovered in 1964, has a partially damaged inscription of " Y Z B 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
1700-526: The Baalist prophets had more jurisdiction over Samaria during Jezebel's reign than the Asherah prophets, who were always indigenous to Samaria. The challenge was to see which god, Yahweh or Baal, would burn a bull sacrifice on an altar. Jezebel's prophets failed to summon Baal in burning the bull sacrifice, despite their cries and cutting themselves. Elijah, however, succeeded when he summoned Yahweh, impressing
1768-472: 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 Exodus 20:24 . As a result, Elijah invited Jezebel's prophets of Baal and Asherah to a challenge at Mount Carmel . Adam Clarke believes these prophets were royal chaplains and that
1836-579: The Israelites. He then ordered the people to seize and kill the prophets of Baal and Asherah at the Kishon River . In response, Jezebel vows to kill Elijah. Elijah fled to Mount Horeb , where he mourned the apostasy of Israel. After these events, Ben-Hadad , the king of Aram-Damascus , besieged Israel and threatened to capture Ahab's wives, including Jezebel. Ahab refused and defeated him in battle. However, he spared Ben-Hadad's life, an act that
1904-570: The Jezebel spirit is considered one of multiple named demons or territorial spirits and is "near [ubiquitous] in spiritual warfare literature". It is a powerful demon representing an "apocalyptic threat to American life, one whose demonic reign [is] hastening US moral decline and who thus [has] to be both guarded against and dethroned and replaced, spiritually and politically, if the nation [is] to evade divine judgement". "The story of Jezebel so permeates NAR culture", states religion journalist Frederick Clarkson , that prophetic art has been made by one of
1972-573: The Spirit of Jezebel", while NAR pastor Ché Ahn has invoked the story of Jezebel to decree that Harris will be "cast out" by Donald Trump , who he sees as a Jehu figure, and "lose in Jesus's name". The politically violent implications of such messaging, and lack of significant media coverage, have been criticized by Clarkson and others. Others who have been identified with the demonic Jezebel spirit include singer Madonna . Pastor Mark Driscoll criticized
2040-466: The Talmud says that King Jeroboam, a brazen idolater who incited the population to follow his G‑dless ways, and certainly deserved to be excluded from the World to Come, will nevertheless arise when the time of resurrection arrives. Why? Because many years after he died his remains were ignominiously burned in fire." The account of Jeroboam's life, like that of all his successors, ends with the formula "And
2108-512: The armies of Israel, urging them to submit and to let the Kingdom of Israel be whole again, but his plea fell on deaf ears. Abijah then rallied his own troops with a phrase which has since become famous: "God is with us as our leader". The biblical account states that his elite warriors fended off a pincer movement and rout Jeroboam's troops, killing 500,000 of them. Jeroboam was crippled by this severe defeat to Abijah and posed little threat to
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2176-586: The biblical figure of the same name. Sade's 1985 album Promise includes the track "Jezebel", written by Sade Adu . The Natalie Merchant song "Jezebel" was released on the 10,000 Maniacs 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 underground rapper Dizzee Rascal in his 2003 album boy in da corner features
2244-399: 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." 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. By
2312-417: The dogs associated with her death. 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". The Kid Harpoon 2022 song " Little Freak " released by Harry Styles includes the line, "Little freak, Jezebel". Finland sent
2380-509: The eighteenth year of Jeroboam's reign, Abijah (also known as Abijam), Rehoboam's son, became king of Judah. During his short reign of three years, Abijah went to considerable lengths to bring the Kingdom of Israel back under his control. He waged a major battle against Jeroboam in the mountains of Ephraim . According to the Book of Chronicles Abijah had a force of 400,000 and Jeroboam 800,000. The Biblical sources mention that Abijah addressed
2448-530: The frontier between Israel and Judah to prevent pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Some assert that Abijah himself undertook a pilgrimage." According to the Hebrew Bible, Jeroboam was in "constant war with the house of Judah". While the southern kingdom made no serious effort militarily to regain power over the north, there was a long-lasting boundary dispute, fighting over which lasted during the reigns of several kings on both sides before being finally settled. In
2516-403: The history of Israel, and "Ben-Hadad" was the title of the ruler of Aram-Damascus. Finkelstein also states that the biblical accounts are "obviously influenced by the theology of the seventh century BCE writers". They were hostile to polytheism and viewed Samaria as a rival to Jerusalem. According to Dr J. Bimson, of Trinity College, Bristol 1 and 2 Kings are not "a straightforward history but
2584-579: The idol made by Jeroboam, so that it was seen between heaven and earth; he had "Yhwh" engraved on it, and in consequence the idol (a calf) pronounced the first two words of the Decalogue (ib.). According to 1 Kings, while Jeroboam was engaged in offering incense at Bethel , a "man of God" warned him that "a son named Josiah will be born to the house of David", who would destroy the altar (referring to King Josiah of Judah who would rule approximately three hundred years later). When Jeroboam attempted to have
2652-521: The innermost secrets of the Law (Sanh. 101b et seq.). Just as the words said of Isaac, "his eyes were dim, so that he could not see" (Gen. xxvii. 1), are taken to refer to spiritual blindness, because he favored his wicked son Esau, so the words, "Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were set by reason of his age" (I Kings, xiv. 4), imply spiritual blindness on the part of Ahijah, who favored a wicked pupil and set him up as ruler (Gen. R. lxv.). For this reason Ahijah
2720-501: The line, "I hear you're a mean old Jezebel". David Byrne and Brian Eno 's 1981 album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts includes the song " The Jezebel Spirit ", featuring clips of the exorcism of a Jezebel spirit. In Margaret Atwood 's The Handmaid's Tale (1985) and its 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
2788-587: The marriage of King Ahab to the daughter of the ruler of the Phoenician 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". 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". Among these inconsistencies, 1 Kings 20 states that " Ben-Hadad king of Aram " invaded Samaria during Ahab's reign, but this event did not take place until later in
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2856-402: The movement's apostles "depicting the scene when she's devoured by dogs." In 2016, the senior editor of Charisma magazine claimed that the 2016 US presidential election removed the spirit of Jezebel present in the government. NAR apostles and prophets have used the term in reference to US Vice President Kamala Harris . NAR apostle Lance Wallnau states she is guided by an " occult spirit",
2924-544: The narrative of Naboth being betrayed by an entire Israelite town. 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 Judeans. For example, Ahab gave his children theophoric names during his years of expansion in the northern territories and Judah. Other scholars propose that the Baal worshipped by Ahab and Jezebel
2992-564: The northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria). Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained to form the rump kingdom of Judah, loyal to Rehoboam. Jeroboam rebuilt and fortified Shechem as the capital of the northern kingdom, and fearing that pilgrimages to the temple in Jerusalem prescribed by the Law might provide an occasion for his people to go back to their old allegiance, he built two state temples with golden calves , one in Bethel and
3060-564: The other in Dan . This act is condemned by an unnamed prophet in 1 Kings 14, where the LORD declares that Jeroboam has cast YHWH behind his back. Jeroboam further deviated from normative Torah law by moving the holiday of Sukkot to eighth month instead of the seventh month (perhaps by adding a leap month in Elul ). According to Rabbinic literature , Gehazi possessed a magnet by which he lifted up
3128-456: The people's cause". It is alternatively translated to mean "his people are many" or "he increases the people" (from רבב rbb , meaning "to increase"), or even "he that opposes the people". In the Septuagint he is called Hieroboam (Ἱεροβοάμ). Jeroboam was the son of Nebat , an Ephraimite of Zereda . His mother, named Zeruah (צרוע "leprous") was a widow. He had at least two sons, Abijah and Nadab ; Nadab succeeded Jeroboam on
3196-495: 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 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
3264-416: The priest of Astarte, who reigned thirty-two years, and lived sixty-eight years; he was succeeded by his son Badezorus ( Baal-Eser II ).” The dates given here are according to the work of F. M. Cross and other scholars who take 825 BC as the date of Dido's flight from her brother Pygmalion , after which she founded the city of Carthage in 814 BC. See the chronological justification for these dates in
3332-637: The priests of Jeroboam 's golden calf cult, and desecrated their altars. Obadiah , a pro-Yahwist figure in Ahab's royal court, secretly protected the survivors of these purges in a cave. Some modern commentators observe that Jezebel's desecration of 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. Alternatively, some scholars argue that
3400-562: The prophecy could have been a logical deduction. Judah had just been conquered and turned into a vassal of Egypt, while Israel stood between the Egyptian and Mesopotamian empires. It is likely that the story of the golden calf in the wilderness was composed as a polemic against Jeroboam's cultic restoration by claiming that its origins were inconsistent with worship of YHWH. Thomas Römer has argued that Jeroboam I may not have existed and that Deuteronomistic redactors transferred data from
3468-405: The prophet arrested for his bold words of defiance, the king's hand was "dried up", and the altar before which he stood was rent asunder. At the entreaty of the man of God, his hand was restored to him again, but the miracle made no abiding impression on him. Jeroboam offered hospitality to the man of God but this was declined, not out of contempt but in obedience to the command of God. The prophecy
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#17327803808383536-497: The public defiance of the queen mother, invested with the authority of the royal house and cult to confront a rebellious commander. In his two-volume 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. Jehu, however, remained unfazed and ordered Jezebel's eunuch servants to throw her from
3604-557: The reputation of the Omride dynasty , who were already unpopular among the Israelites. For these offences, Jezebel was defenestrated and devoured by dogs, under Jehu 's orders, which Elijah prophesied ( 2 Kings 9 , 2 Kings 9:33–37 ). 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
3672-506: The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel". "The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel ", likely compiled by or derived from these kings' own scribes, is likely the source for the basic facts of Jeroboam's life and reign, though the compiler(s) of the extant Book of Kings clearly made selective use of it and added hostile commentaries. His family
3740-401: The sight of the Lord", and all the rest of the northern kings were also described in the same way. William F. Albright has dated his reign from 922 to 901 BC, while Edwin R. Thiele offers the dates 931 to 910 BC. The name Yārŏḇ‘ām יָרָבְעָם is commonly held to have been derived from rīḇ רִיב and ʿam עַם , signifying "the people contend" or "he pleads
3808-420: The sins of many cling to him (Abot v. 18). He is said to have invented one hundred and three interpretations of the law in reference to the priests to justify his course. At first God was pleased with him and his sacrifice because he was pious, and in order to prevent his going astray proposed to His council of angels to remove him from earth, but He was prevailed upon to let him live; and then Jeroboam, while still
3876-434: The ten northern tribes; but these were discovered, and he fled to Egypt , where he remained under the protection of Pharaoh Shishak until the death of Solomon. After this event, he returned and participated in a delegation sent to ask the new king Rehoboam to reduce taxes. After Rehoboam rejected their petition, ten of the tribes withdrew their allegiance to the house of David and proclaimed Jeroboam their king, forming
3944-477: The throne and killed Jehoram, and his nephew Ahaziah , who was the son of Jehoram's possible sister Athaliah and her Judahite husband 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
4012-474: The throne. King Solomon made the young Jeroboam a superintendent over his tribesmen in the building of the fortress Millo in Jerusalem and of other public works, and he naturally became conversant with the widespread discontent caused by the extravagances which marked the reign of Solomon. Influenced by the words of the prophet Ahijah , he began to form conspiracies with the view of becoming king of
4080-402: The usurpation of male authority. 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
4148-458: 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. Edwin R. Thiele dates Jezebel's death c. 850 BCE . According to Israel Finkelstein ,
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#17327803808384216-532: The year when the god was considered to be in the underworld . Alternatively, a feminine Punic name noted by the Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum , Phoenician : 𐤁𐤏𐤋𐤀𐤆𐤁𐤋 , romanized: bʿlʾzbl , 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 ). Jezebel
4284-541: Was allocated to the Tribe of Benjamin by Joshua. Jeroboam died soon after Abijam. That Ahijah, though one of the pillars of righteousness, should have been sent to Jeroboam with a divine message inducing him to establish his idolatrous kingdom is explained by the rabbis in the following manner: They say that he was entrapped by a ruse of Jeroboam's idolatrous friends, who circulated a document requesting Jeroboam to become king and stipulating that, if he were elected, he set up
4352-463: Was denounced by an unnamed prophet. The prophet also declared that Israel would be ravaged by the Arameans as punishment. In 855–856 BC, Jezebel resolved a failed business deal between Ahab and a civilian named Naboth , concerning a vineyard. To do this, she ordered the execution of Naboth and his sons, under false charges of blasphemy against God and the king. Commentators observe that the execution
4420-461: Was eventually wiped out. The prophecies of doom concerning the fall of both the House of Jeroboam and the northern kingdom as a whole ("For the Lord shall smite Israel..., and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river", might have been composed retroactively, after the events described had already come to pass. Alternatively,
4488-507: Was performed according to the Biblical guidelines so that suspicions of foul play could be minimized. After Naboth's death, his corpse was licked by stray dogs. His execution was criticized by Elijah, who prophesized doom for Jezebel's family as punishment. Three years later, Ahab died in battle. Jezebel's son Ahaziah inherited the throne, but died as the result of an accident and was succeeded by his brother, Jehoram . Jehu later usurped
4556-500: Was stricken with the plague (Gen. R. lxv., Yer. Yeb. xvi. 15c and parallels). Jeroboam became for the rabbinical writers a typical evil-doer. This appears in the Septuagint (2d recension), where even his mother is represented as a disreputable woman. The name is explained as (= "one that caused strife among the people," or "one that caused strife between the people and their Heavenly Father"; Sanh. 108b). The name (Nebat) of his father
4624-723: Was the " YHWH of Samaria ", which was opposed as Yahwist heresy by the Judean priests, but some disagree based on archaeological evidence and extrabiblical records on Jezebel's upbringing. 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. A seal from
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