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Jezebel: Evil Incarnate

© MIchelle Munro

"On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour Jezebel's flesh. Jezebel's body will be like refuse on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, 'This is Jezebel.'" 2Kings 9:36-37

In the Bible, Jezebel is depicted as the incarnate of feminine evil, a grand leap for someone whose only purpose in life was to be a pawn in political strategy. She was born in 9th century BC, the Phoenician daughter of King Ethbaal who reigned over the city-states of Canaan, Tyre, and Carthage. As a young woman, her father and King Omri of Israel arranged her marriage to Ahab, Omri's son. The marriage signified a political alliance between the kingdoms, providing both countries with military protection and valuable trade routes.

The Phoenicians were worshippers of the god Baal and the goddess Asherah. Jezebel grew to be a devout follower, practicing rituals which included sexual acts and the sacrificing of infants as burnt offerings. The practices were so gruesome that Baalism was even scorned by other pagan religions. She seems an odd choice for the prince of a land that worshipped the Hebrew God.

Upon Omri's death, Ahab and Jezebel assumed control of Israel. In a time were women had little status and few rights, Jezebel was outspoken and independent. She refused to renounce her religious beliefs and set out to convert the Israelis to Baalism. Those she could not force to change were murdered. She was responsible for the deaths of so many prophets of God that the remainder were forced to hide in caves.

She dominated at home as well as on the throne. Ahab, greatly influenced by his wife, ignored the law set forth in his own religion in order to participate in Baalism. He ordered a temple erected to Baal complete with a sacrificial altar. He was willing to support a syncretistic religion in order to pacify both Hebrews and Baalists. Jezebel detested the idea.

The legitimacy of the two gods was determined when Elijah, a divinely guided prophet of the Lord, arrived. He challenged 450 prophets of Baal and 400 of Asherah to a competition at Mount Carmel. Each set up a sacrificial altar for their god to ignite. Urged to go first, the pagan prophets called on Baal. All day long they shouted, danced and slashed themselves with knives until it became evident that they had failed. Then Elijah took his turn. He recited a prayer. Almost immediately a bolt of lightning struck and ignited the altar, thus proving his god the true God. He then summoned the crowd to capture the heathen prophets and slaughtered them.

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