So who is this Jezebel woman, and what earned her such an end? Here’s what Today’s Dictionary of the Bible has to say about her:

“Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of the Sidonians, (Side note: Ethbaal means “with Baal”). She was the wife of Ahab, the king of Israel. This was the first time that a king of Israel had allied himself by marriage with a heathen princess; and the alliance was in this case of a peculiarly disastrous kind.

Jezebel has 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 splendor.

Four hundred fifty prophets ministered under her care to Baal, besides four hundred prophets of the Asherah who ate at her table. The idolatry, too, was of the most debased and sensual kind. (Side note: Asherah poles were phallic in nature. Thus, the worship of Asherah poles was the worship of…you get the idea.)

Her conduct was in many respects very disastrous to the kingdom both of Israel and Judah.

Her name came to be used as the synonym for a wicked woman.”

Quite a legacy, huh?

Your thoughts?