Jezebel

The wife of King Ahab of Israel, and daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon (1 Ki 16:31).

The royal marriage practically served as an endorsement for the worship of Baal in the northern kingdom, with Samaria and the temple of Baal built there for her, serving as the centre for Baal worship in the land.

In her fierce opposition and confrontation with the prophets of Yahweh Jezebel "stamped her name on history as the representative of all that is designing, crafty, malicious, revengeful, and cruel. She is the first great instigator of persecution against the saints of God. Guided by no principle, restrained by no fear of either God or man, passionate in her attachment to her heathen worship, she spared no pains to maintain idolatry around her in all its splendour" (Eaton). Her archenemy was Elijah, who—single-handedly, or so he felt—battled and killed her 950 prophets on Mount Carmel, and she in return, swore, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow" (1 Ki 18-19).

The last string of divine grace gave way on her when she plotted the murder of Naboth in order to gain her husband the vineyard he wanted but that Naboth would not sell. "The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the bounds of Jezreel. Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat," proclaimed Elijah (1 Ki 21:23-24). And so she died, thrown out of the window by her own eunuchs when Jehu arose to usurp the throne from Ahab; dogs fed on her until "no more of her than the skill and the feet and the palms of her hands" were left (2 Ki 9:30-37).

A woman called Jezebel is mentioned in Rev 2:20; she "calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice fornication and to eat food sacrificed to idols." The church in Thyatira's tolerance of her led to the charge brought against them by the angel. We cannot be certain if the reference is to a person of that name living in the city, or whether Jezebel is used here as a synonym for the woman because of her wickedness.