Jezebel
Jezebel was the daughter of Ithobaal I of Tyre and the wife of Ahab, King of Israel. Jezebel, along with her husband, instituted the worship of Ba'al on a national scale. In addition, she violently purged the prophets of Yahweh from Israel, damaging the reputation of the Omride dynasty.
Description[]
Jezebel is ruthless, willful, cold, ambitious, and cunning in the sense that she is utterly willing to destroy anyone who is against her, or do anything to protect her own. However, she is also arrogant and self-centered to a fault, which has proven to be one of her greatest weaknesses. This malicious nature along with her undying loyalty to the pagan god Ba'al also has the Christian doctrines regard her as a false prophet.
Overview[]
Upon coronation as queen, the official royal support for Yahwism had weakened. Temples and altars dedicated to Baal were built, elevating Ba'al to a national status. Jezebel additionally used royal provisions to fund the 450 prophets of Baal, during a severe famine in Samaria. Meanwhile, Yahwism was systematically purged. Altars dedicated to Yahweh were torn down and desecrated. Many prophets of Yahweh were killed, leaving only 100 survivors. Obadiah, a pro-Yahwist figure in Ahab's royal court, secretly protected these survivors in a cave. Elijah notes that the Israelite community, due to the increasing influence of Baal worship, was divided over whether to worship Ba'al or Yahweh.
He decided to put an end to this controversy by inviting Jezebel's prophets of Baal to a challenge at Mount Carmel. 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 the Israelites. He then ordered the people to seize and kill the prophets of Ba'al at the Kishon River. After the prophets were slain, Jezebel swore to have Elijah become like her prophets (i.e. killed), even if it meant embracing divine judgement upon herself if she failed to do so. Elijah fled for his life to the wilderness, where he mourned the devotion of Israel to Ba'al and lamented about being the only Yahwist worshiper left.
Jehu, commander of the Joram's army, began to kill Ahab and Jezebel's royal lineage and later the patriarchs themselves. Jehu later ordered Jezebel's eunuch servants to throw her from the window. Before her death, she painted her face and dressed her hair, indicating that she made the effort to look the best that she could in the face of death and refusal to due as a weak woman, although it is implied that she attempted to seduce Jehu from 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. His servants discovered only her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands—her flesh had been eaten by stray dogs, just as the prophet Elijah had prophesied.