{
  "id": "dict_002974",
  "term": "Jezebel",
  "slug": "jezebel",
  "letter": "J",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Jezebel was the Phoenician queen of Israel, wife of King Ahab, who promoted Baal worship and opposed the prophets of the Lord. In Revelation, her name is used as a symbol for a false teacher who led believers into immorality and idolatry.",
  "simple_one_line": "The wicked queen of Israel who became a lasting biblical warning against idolatry and false teaching.",
  "tooltip_text": "Jezebel, wife of Ahab, is remembered for promoting Baal worship and persecuting the prophets; Revelation also uses her name as a symbol of corrupting false teaching.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Ahab",
    "Elijah",
    "Baal",
    "idolatry",
    "false teaching",
    "Thyatira",
    "Revelation 2"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Athaliah",
    "Baal worship",
    "idolatry",
    "false prophet",
    "women in the Bible"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Jezebel is one of Scripture’s best-known examples of influential wickedness. As queen of Israel and wife of Ahab, she advanced Baal worship, opposed the prophets of the Lord, and became a lasting biblical warning against idolatry, manipulation, and defiance of God’s word.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Biblical queen of Israel and later symbolic name for a false teacher in Revelation.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Wife of Ahab and queen of Israel",
    "Promoted Baal worship and hostility to the Lord’s prophets",
    "Became a biblical example of corrupting influence",
    "In Revelation 2:20, “Jezebel” is used as a condemnatory label for false teaching"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Jezebel is best known from 1 and 2 Kings as the Phoenician wife of Ahab who encouraged idol worship, persecuted the Lord’s prophets, and became a lasting biblical example of corrupting influence and defiant wickedness. In Revelation 2:20, “Jezebel” appears as a symbolic or figurative label for a woman in Thyatira whose teaching led church members into sexual immorality and idolatry. Scripture presents the name as a warning against spiritual compromise and false teaching.",
  "description_academic_full": "Jezebel was a Sidonian princess who became queen in Israel through marriage to Ahab. Scripture presents her as an aggressively idolatrous and hostile figure who promoted Baal worship, supported pagan prophets, and persecuted the prophets of the Lord (1 Kings 16–21; 2 Kings 9). Her account became a permanent biblical warning about covenant unfaithfulness, abuse of power, and resistance to God’s word. In Revelation 2:20, the name “Jezebel” is used as a condemnatory label for a woman in Thyatira associated with false teaching, whether as a literal name or a symbolic designation. The point is clear: she, like the Old Testament Jezebel, was leading God’s people toward sexual immorality and idolatry. As a dictionary entry, Jezebel is best treated as a biblical person with theological significance, rather than as an abstract theological term.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Jezebel first appears in 1 Kings as the wife of Ahab, king of Israel. She encouraged the worship of Baal and Asherah, opposed Elijah, and sought to silence the prophets of the Lord. Her story reaches a dramatic end in 2 Kings 9, where her violent and idolatrous legacy is judged.",
  "background_historical_context": "Jezebel was likely a Phoenician princess from Sidon, reflecting the political marriages and religious pressures of the northern kingdom of Israel. Her influence helped deepen the kingdom’s idolatry during Ahab’s reign and made her a notorious figure in Israel’s history.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In later biblical memory, Jezebel became a byword for corrupting influence, opposition to true worship, and covenant unfaithfulness. Revelation draws on that memory when it names a false teacher “Jezebel,” showing how the Old Testament figure continued to function as a moral and spiritual warning.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "1 Kings 16:31-33",
    "18:4, 13, 19",
    "21:5-25",
    "2 Kings 9:22, 30-37",
    "Revelation 2:20-23"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "1 Kings 18:13",
    "19:1-2",
    "21:7-16",
    "2 Kings 9:7-10, 33-37"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The name appears in the Hebrew Bible as Jezebel and is carried into the Greek text of Revelation. In Revelation 2:20, the name functions as a judgmental designation tied to the Old Testament figure and her legacy of idolatry.",
  "theological_significance": "Jezebel stands as a biblical warning against idolatry, spiritual compromise, and the corruption of God’s people through false teaching. Her account shows that political power and religious influence are morally accountable to the Lord.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "Jezebel illustrates how evil can use authority, persuasion, and institutional power to distort worship and harm a community. Scripture presents such influence not as merely private wrongdoing but as a public moral and spiritual danger.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Revelation 2:20 may use “Jezebel” either as a literal name or as a symbolic label; interpreters should avoid overconfidence where the text does not specify. The Old Testament Jezebel should not be reduced to a modern stereotype or used carelessly in ways that distort the passage.",
  "major_views_note": "Most interpreters agree that Revelation’s “Jezebel” is a deliberate allusion to the Old Testament queen, whether or not the woman in Thyatira actually bore that name. The central point is her role in leading believers into idolatry and immorality.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry describes a biblical person and a New Testament allusion, not a doctrinal category. Scripture uses Jezebel as a warning, but the text does not authorize speculative claims beyond what is stated.",
  "practical_significance": "Jezebel’s story warns believers to guard worship, test teaching, and resist any influence that draws people away from the Lord through compromise, manipulation, or false doctrine.",
  "meta_description": "Jezebel was the queen of Israel who promoted Baal worship and opposed the prophets; Revelation also uses her name for a false teacher.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/jezebel/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/jezebel.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}