LIFE Legendary Women of the Bible by The Editors of LIFE

Author:The Editors of LIFE
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Liberty Street
Published: 2015-07-24T20:30:00+00:00

JEZEBEL

Israel’s Idol-Worshipping Queen

JEZEBEL IS THE DAUGHTER OF THE Phoenician king Ethbaal, and her name has become synonymous with that of the wicked woman. She marries Ahab, ruler of the Northern kingdom in the 9th century BCE, but when she arrives in his capital she brings hundreds of prophets of the god Baal and the goddess Asherah. Moreover, as they set up shrines to their foreign gods, Jezebel slaughters all Israelite prophets who oppose her.

This invokes the wrath of Elijah. The great Hebrew prophet predicts that Jezebel’s actions will bring about a major drought. Three parched years later, when Elijah announces that God will end the dry spell, he challenges the pagan priests to see whose god could start a fire to sacrifice a bull. The pagan priests fail, while the fire of the God of the Israelites falls from the sky and consumes not only the offering but also the dust and the stones around it. After this, the Israelites kill the opposing clergy and heavy rains then begin to fall. But Elijah’s execution of the pagan priests infuriates Jezebel, and he has to flee when he learns of her desire to murder him, a clear sign of the fear she instills throughout the kingdom.

When Elijah hears that Jezebel has caused a man to be stoned to death because he would not sell his vineyard to King Ahab, the prophet places a curse on Ahab. The king dies fighting the Syrians, some time after which the commander Jehu ascends to the throne. He kills Jezebel’s son and has the palace eunuchs hurl her from a window. Dogs then devour her corpse.

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