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אִיזֶבֶל

𐤀𐤉𐤆𐤁𐤋

Izevel

H348 noun

SILEX Entry

Root א-י-ז-ב-ל uncertain; personal name, possible reference to nobility, exaltation, or the Baal cult

Definition

Personal name: Jezebel, a Phoenician princess who became queen in Israel by marriage to King Ahab. The name refers specifically to this historical figure and, by extension, her characterization in the biblical narrative. In later texts and tradition, the name can also carry connotations of her perceived traits: opposition to Yahwistic worship, political influence, and moral transgression.

Semantic Range

personal name (Phoenician queen, wife of Ahab); later, by extension, a symbol for apostasy, immorality, or opposition to Israelite religious norms

Root / Etymology

Uncertain. Traditionally derived from the roots אי ('island', 'coast', or possibly a theophoric element) and זבל ('exalted,' 'noble,' or 'prince'), but this derivation is not securely established. Some scholars suggest a Phoenician origin, possibly involving the divine name Baal, though the Hebrew text does not transparently support this. The etymology is debated, with proposals ranging from 'Where is the prince?' (paralleling Phoenician ritual cries) to 'Baal exalts.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

The name אִיזֶבֶל appears exclusively in the context of the narrative surrounding the wife of Ahab, a king of the northern kingdom of Israel in the ninth century BCE (see 1 Kings 16-2 Kings 9). Jezebel was a Phoenician (Tyrian) princess, daughter of Ethbaal; her marriage symbolizes the political and cultural interconnections between Israel and Phoenicia. In the biblical narrative, Jezebel is noted for her support of Baal worship and her opposition to Yahwistic prophets. Later biblical and postbiblical traditions use her name typologically for figures seen as morally or religiously transgressive. While English translations often render the name as 'Jezebel' and sometimes use it generically for a 'wicked woman,' this usage reflects later interpretive tradition, not the original lexical meaning. The name is not used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible for other individuals or groups.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from אִיlemma אי missing vowel, corrected to אִי and זְבֻל; Izebel, the wife of king Ahab; Jezebel.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

א-י-ז-ב-ל (ʾ-y-z-b-l) — uncertain; personal name, possible nobility, exaltation, Baal association

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H348-02 אִיזֶ֗בֶל izevel HNp Jezebel Izevel 14
H348-01 אִיזָֽבֶל izavel HNp Jezebel Izevel 5
H348-03 לְ/אִיזֶ֔בֶל leizevel HR/Np concerning Jezebel to Jezebel 2
H348-04 וְ/אִיזֶ֣בֶל veizevel HC/Np and Jezebel and Jezebel 1

Occurrences in Scripture

22 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H348-02 1 Kings 16:31 אִיזֶ֗בֶל izevel HNp Jezebel Izevel
H348-02 1 Kings 18:4 אִיזֶ֔בֶל izevel HNp Jezebel Izevel
H348-02 1 Kings 18:13 אִיזֶ֔בֶל izevel HNp Jezebel Izevel
H348-01 1 Kings 18:19 אִיזָֽבֶל izavel HNp Jezebel's Izevel
H348-03 1 Kings 19:1 לְ/אִיזֶ֔בֶל leizevel HR/Np to Jezebel to Jezebel
H348-02 1 Kings 19:2 אִיזֶ֨בֶל֙ izevel HNp Jezebel Izevel
H348-02 1 Kings 21:5 אִיזֶ֣בֶל izevel HNp Jezebel Izevel
H348-02 1 Kings 21:7 אִיזֶ֣בֶל izevel HNp Jezebel Izevel
H348-01 1 Kings 21:11 אִיזָ֑בֶל izavel HNp Jezebel Izevel
H348-02 1 Kings 21:14 אִיזֶ֣בֶל izevel HNp Jezebel Izevel
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