Who Was Jezebel?

Reflecting on the Second Sunday after Pentecost: Three Days after Sunday (Year C)

Seal of Queen Jezebel (9th century B.C.)

Scripture

For information on semicontinuous and complementary readings in the season after Pentecost or Ordinary Time, click here.

Semicontinuous: Psalm 59; 2 Kings 9:30-37; Luke 9:37-43a

Complementary: Psalm 64; Ezekiel 32:1-10; Luke 9:37-43a

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Prayer

O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Reflection

2 Kings 9:30-37

Jezebel was a Phoenician princess, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, and a priest of the goddess Asherah. Her royal lineage and religious background shaped her identity as a powerful, politically astute, and deeply religious woman. When she married King Ahab of Israel, it was not merely a union of two individuals but a strategic alliance between Israel and the wealthy, coastal kingdom of Phoenicia. With Jezebel came not only political ties but also religious and cultural influences that would profoundly alter the spiritual landscape of Israel.