For some 40 years, one of the flashiest opal signets on display at the Israel Museum had remained without accurate historical context. Two weeks ago, Dutch researcher Marjo Korpel identified article IDAM 65-321 as the official seal of Queen Jezebel, one of the bible’s most powerful and reviled women. 5
In her paper, scheduled to appear in the highly-respected Biblical Archaeology Review, Korpel lists observations pertaining to the seal’s symbolism, unusual size, shape and time period. By way of elimination, she shows Jezebel as the only plausible owner.1
As a researcher, Korpel will only say she thinks her research serves to prove the seal belonged to Jezebel. “True, there is no way of knowing for sure where the seal comes from. Theoretically, it could come from anywhere.5
Back in September, Jan Pieter van de Giessen of Aantekeningen bij de Bijbel did a great post on this seal and Marjo Korpel’s study. One of his pictures, the one near the end of his post, shows exactly how to read “belonging to Jezebel” on the seal.17
Then Elijah orders water to be poured on his meal offering to the Lord. Elijah beseeches the Lord and fire descends from heaven consuming the meal offering and even the water (1 Kings 18:23–38). “Her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her” (2 Kings 9:33). However, Naboth refuses to sell— at any price. Disappointed and depressed, Ahab tells Jezebel about it.8
He is now in Naboth’s vineyard; he has gone down there to take possession of it. Say to him, ‘Thus said the Lord: Would you murder and take possession’ Thus said the Lord: In the very place where the dogs lapped up Naboth’s blood, the dogs will lap up your blood too’ (1 Kings 21:17-19). The Deuteronomist uses every possible argument to make the case against her. When Ahab dies, the Deuteronomist is determined to show that ‘there never was anyone like Ahab, who committed himself to doing what was displeasing to the Lord, at the instigation of his wife Jezebel’ (1 Kings 21:25). Jezebel encourages the townsmen to publicly (and falsely) accuse Naboth of blaspheming God and king. ‘Then take him out and stone him to death,’ she commands (1 Kings 21:10).10
Elijah beseeches the Lord and fire descends from heaven consuming the meal offering and even the water (1 Kings 18:23–38). Instead, Jezebel is thrown down from the window. “Her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her” (2 Kings 9:33). And he said, ‘It is just as the Lord spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: The dogs shall devour the flesh of Jezebel in the field of Jezreel; and the carcass of Jezebel shall be like dung on the ground’” (2 Kings 9:35–37).15
He was depressed, refused to eat and mopped around the palace like a little child. When Jezebel eventually found Ahab, he was lying on his bed facing the wall (v 9). This was largely due to the fact that Ahab had abdicated his God-given role as leader of the family. As Ahab lay on his head pouting, facing the wall like a five-year old child, Jezebel stepped in like his mother vowing to make things better. Eventually, Jezebel came to a bad end. The prophets of Israel accused her of prostitution, murder, idolatry and sorcery.21
However, because the spelling of the name was erroneous and the personal seal could just as easily have belonged to another women of the same name, there was uncertainty regarding the original owner.9
The Holly Book does not mention anything about her own seal, but this stone seems to have been exactly her seal. The symbols, name and above-average size point to this fact.27
While it is often negative in connotation, some embrace the image, as is evidenced by various lingerie designs named after Jezebel. Read with different vowels it can be understood as meaning “Where is the Prince?” (‘ay zebul in Hebrew). In fact, early Syrian inscriptions from Ugarit demonstrate that “the Prince” (equivalent of Hebrew “Zebul”) was a popular title for the storm god of the Phoenicians. Only Jezebel’s skull, feet, and hands remained. Her ignominious end thus fulfills Elijah’s prophecy 1Kings 21:22-26.19
Jezebel was no doubt the wickedest woman in the Bible. In the book of Revelation her name was invoked in condemning a false prophetess in Thyatira who promoted sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols (Rv 2:20).22
The putative chronological horizon for this royal couple of the Northern Kingdom of Israel is the mid-9th century BCE. According to the biblical account (1 Kgs 16:31), Jezebel (whose name is arguably a rhetorical question meaning “Where is the royal one?”) was the daughter of a king of Sidon named Ethba’al. Furthermore, the root is also attested in biblical Hebrew multiple times (e.g., Hab 3:11; 1 Kgs 8:13; 2 Chr 6:2) and it is even the root for the personal name of the eponymous founder of the tribe of Zebulun (e.g., Gen 30:20).12
Many fascinating finds have been made in the world of archaeology concerning King Ahab and the events surrounding his life. First of all, Ahab is mentioned in Assyrian records. In an inscription that accounts a battle known as Qarqar, between Ahab and his enemy King Shalmaneser III of Assyria, Shalmaneser records the size of Ahab’s army that fought against him.14
