For more than two thousand years, Jezebel has been saddled with a reputation as the bad girl of the Bible, the wickedest of women. This ancient queen has been denounced as a murderer, prostitute and enemy of God, and her name has been adopted for lingerie lines and World War II missiles alike. But just how depraved was Jezebel? In recent years, scholars have tried to reclaim the shadowy female figures whose tales are often only partially told in the Bible. She is not a heroic fighter like Deborah, a devoted sister like Miriam or a cherished wife like Ruth.
These other women may be bad, but Jezebel is the worst. Yet there is more to this complex ruler than the standard interpretation would allow. As we piece together the world in which Jezebel lived, a fuller picture of this fascinating woman begins to emerge. But her character might not be as dark as we are accustomed to thinking. Her evilness is not always as obvious, undisputed and unrivaled as the Biblical writer wants it to appear.
The story of Jezebel, the Phoenician wife of King Ahab of Israel , is recounted in several brief passages scattered throughout the Books of Kings. Scholars generally identify 1 and 2 Kings as part of the Deuteronomistic History, attributed either to a single author or to a group of authors and editors collectively known as the Deuteronomist.
They sin against Yahweh in many ways, the worst of which is by worshiping alien deities. The first commandments from Sinai demand monotheism, but the people are attracted to foreign gods and goddesses. When Jezebel enters the scene in the ninth century B.
The legacy of Jezebel. She is, if anything, a too-devoted wife, willing even to commit murder in order to help her husband maintain his authority as king.
