![]() He took matters into his own hands and challenged 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of Asherah to the top of Mount Carmel. The Prophet known as Elijah was concerned about the divide between Jehovah and Baal, especially with the presence of Jehovah now been overtaken. It seemed that no one was strong enough nor willing enough to repel ideals for the nation-until Elijah. It’s understood that during his time of the story, with Jezebel’s frightful influence, the people of Israel were torn as to who to worship.īaal was gaining popularity and those who are in favour of Jehovah were fearful of encountering Jezebel’s fury. Not only is she thorough and brutal in the murdering of Jehovah’s prophets, but she also uses royal resources to fund and supports several hundred prophets of Baal. She’s not shy about abusing the power that she has inherited out of her marriage, and some might say she takes more of a fundamental role as Queen than her husband does as King. It’s clear by this point the Jews was a fierce woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her goal-the goal seemingly been to eradicate the name of Jehovah, as well as destroying all who defy her. Her impious ways are only further demonstrated when we see her ordered the killing of several prophets of Jehovah. Her scheming and outright domination over Israel with the induction of Baal further enhances the idea that Jezebel was indeed a bold and calculating woman, but not only this, as the tales go on, we see Jezebel denounced Jehovah and proclaimed that Baal, a foreign God to the people, was the one they should all be worshipping. She was able to incorporate her god Baal into society and render Jehovah nearly redundant. Given how devoted the people of Israel were to God, it shows us how powerful Jezebel was. Jezebel, of course, rejects Ahab’s God Jehovah and remains true to her gods-which, in a sense, shows another side to her, as she is militant in her beliefs, not conforming to societal expectations and unyielding to any man in a time where men were the undisputed rulers. Known as a controlling, manipulative woman, it’s possible that Jezebel had Ahab under her from the very beginning and that this worship of Baal wasn’t of his own volition, but of the direction of his wife. We are told that Ahab goes as far as to build a sanctuary for Baal in the heart of Israel going on to worship him and seemingly abandoned the worship of Jehovah. While the Old Testament doesn’t specify Ahab’s reaction, it’s clear that the gods or at least Jezebel’s commitment to the gods have a profound effect on him. When Jezebel was first brought to Israel to marry King Ahab, she brings her gods with her. The most critical figure amongst these gods, at least in this story, is the god Baal, the god of fertility and agriculture. Meanwhile, the Phoenicians were said to have a more varied range of gods to choose from which were considered by the writers of the Old Testament to be the ‘pagan’ gods. The Israelites primarily worship the one God who was known by the Hebrew name Yahweh or Jehovah. The main difference which separates the Phoenicians, and the Israelites were the worship of gods. In this sense, it seems clear that the relationship between Jezebel and Ahab were purely political, but the Old Testament does not refer to the nature of their relationship. Her father, Ethbaal, the king of Phoenicians-a group of people closest to the Israelites-was eager for Jezebel to marry into Ahab’s Kingdom, so that their kingdoms could share resources, security and establish a united front. ![]() Jezebel stories are scattered throughout the Book of Kings, but the beginning of her tale shows that she’s brought to the Northern Kingdom of Israel to marry King Ahab. It’s a reputation that the original Jezebel from the Old Testament would surely sustain since the inception of the text, given how she manipulated her husband, murdered prophets, before swindling scheming and condemning those who would not follow her commands or accept her god Baal as the one true God. You may have heard of the term Jezebel to describe a controlling woman a woman of certain wickedness, spitefulness and perhaps one who is promiscuous. Jezebel is described today as a woman of certain wickedness spitefulness and perhaps one who is promiscuous in nature she has come to be known as an archetype of the wicked woman or a prostitute.Īccording to modern culture, Jezebel is defined as a female who is seeking attention from and possibly plotting to use someone wealthy or otherwise desirable to gain status in society. Jezebel was the daughter of the priest-king Ethbaal, ruler of the coastal Phoenician cities (now in Lebanon) of Tyre and Sidon and the wife of Ahab, King of Israel, according to the Book of Kings of the Hebrew Bible. Bathsheba:Whats the Bible Say about Bathsheba Who is Jezebel in the Bible?
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