Who Was Jezebel in the Bible — Meaning Explained

Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, and became the wife of Ahab, king of Israel, around 874 BC. She was a fierce devotee of Baal and Asherah and used her royal authority to plant idolatry deep in Israel. She slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, supported 450 prophets of Baal at her own table, and sought to kill Elijah after his triumph on Mount Carmel. Her most infamous crime was the murder of Naboth so Ahab could seize his vineyard (1 Kings 21). For this God pronounced doom on her house. Years later, Jehu carried out the judgment: Jezebel was thrown from a window and trampled, and dogs ate her flesh, just as Elijah had prophesied (2 Kings 9). Her name has become a byword for seductive evil and unrepentant rebellion against God.