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What is the story of Ahab and Jezebel?



    
    

Clarify Share Report Asked October 06 2014 Mini Anonymous (via GotQuestions)

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Shea S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries
King Ahab and Queen Jezebel served as leaders of the northern kingdom of Israel during a time of much evil in the land. King Ahab was a Jewish king who married a Sidonian woman named Jezebel and be...

October 06 2014 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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My picture Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate
I love Bible dictionaries. This has been ever since I bought my first one, Unger's Bible Dictionary. Then came the New Bible Dictionary among others. And now, praise God, He led me to even more Bible dictionaries on biblegateway.com under STUDY TOOLS, then "More Resources." (free)

Ahab was the king of Israel, and instead of leading his people toward the Lord, he took the nation even deeper into sin than the kings before him (1 Kings 16:29-30). He married Jezebel, a foreign princess from Sidon who worshiped Baal. She didn’t just influence Ahab personally—she used her position as queen to bring Baal worship right into the heart of Israel (1 Kings 16:31-33).

Jezebel was forceful and determined. She funded pagan prophets and had God’s prophets hunted down and killed (1 Kings 18:4, 19). Her leadership was bold, but it was completely set against the ways of the Lord. Ahab went right along with it, showing no spiritual backbone.

One of the most famous moments came when the prophet Elijah challenged Jezebel’s prophets to a public test on Mount Carmel. God showed up in power—sending fire from heaven—and proved He alone was God (1 Kings 18). But even after this, Jezebel wasn’t shaken. She threatened Elijah’s life, and he ran for his own (1 Kings 19:2-3). That shows how terrifying and intimidating her influence had become.

Then there was the story of Naboth’s vineyard. Ahab wanted the land, but Naboth, a faithful man, wouldn’t sell. Instead of respecting that, Jezebel schemed. She forged letters, framed Naboth for blasphemy, and had him executed (1 Kings 21). Ahab took the vineyard like it was his right. But God sent Elijah with a hard message: judgment was coming for both of them. Ahab’s blood would be spilled in the same place as Naboth’s (1 Kings 21:19), and dogs would eat Jezebel’s body in Jezreel (1 Kings 21:23).

Ahab was killed in battle—an arrow hit him by chance—and his blood was washed out of his chariot in the exact place Elijah had said. And sure enough, dogs licked it up (1 Kings 22:38). Years later, Jezebel met her end when Jehu, a new king appointed by God, had her thrown from a window. She was trampled, and dogs ate her body—just as God had warned (2 Kings 9:30-37).

In the New Testament, her name shows up again—not as a literal person but as a symbol. In Revelation 2:20, Jesus warns the church not to tolerate a false teacher He calls “that woman Jezebel.” She represents someone who leads people into sin and turns them away from God—just like the queen did.

Their story is a warning. When people in power reject God and lead others astray, He doesn’t overlook it. But it also shows that God is patient—He gave Ahab a chance to repent. When Ahab briefly humbled himself, God delayed the full judgment (1 Kings 21:27-29). Jezebel, however, never turned back.

This story reminds us to stay rooted in the truth, even when the world—and even those in leadership—walk the other way. God sees everything, and He is not silent. He calls us, like Elijah, to stand firm and speak up, trusting that His justice will come in His time.

Ahab was the king of Israel, and instead of leading his people toward the Lord, he took the nation even deeper into sin than the kings before him (1 Kings 16:29-30). He married Jezebel, a foreign princess from Sidon who worshiped Baal. She didn’t just influence Ahab personally—she used her position as queen to bring Baal worship right into the heart of Israel (1 Kings 16:31-33).

Jezebel was forceful and determined. She funded pagan prophets and had God’s prophets hunted down and killed (1 Kings 18:4, 19). Her leadership was bold, but it was completely set against the ways of the Lord. Ahab went right along with it, showing no spiritual backbone.

One of the most famous moments came when the prophet Elijah challenged Jezebel’s prophets to a public test on Mount Carmel. God showed up in power—sending fire from heaven—and proved He alone was God (1 Kings 18). God is God of gods!

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