2 Kings 9:30-37
SUMMARY
Queen JezebelQueen who promoted worship of Baal and who opposed Elijah. More died as she lived: unabashed in her idolatry, and unafraid of her enemies.
ANALYSIS
Jezebel’s death occurs immediately after the deaths of her son, King Joram of Israel, and his ally, King Ahaziah of JudahJudah was the name of Jacob's fourth son and one of the 12 tribes. More. The text notes that Jezebel hears of Jehu’s arrival in Jezreel, which means that she has also learned that he killed her son. An appropriate response to such news, according to the biblical text, would be a sign of mourning, typically signified by the tearing of clothes or wailing. Consistent with the rest of her life, Jezebel bucks the Deuteronomistic norms of the culture into which she married. In response to the arrival of her son’s murderer – and in spite of the fact that he is certainly seeking her own death as well – Jezebel paints her eyes and slips on her crown.
Jezebel’s perplexing actions have been interpreted as attempts at seduction. Instead, they should be understood as Jezebel putting on the symbols of her royalty. In her last stand against JehuAnointed king by Elisha, Jehu overthrew the dynasty of Ahab and Jezebel. More, she refuses to hide and cower. Rather, she meets him, her “game face” on and adorned with all the authority that she can muster. Her acts of defiance, of course, are not enough to protect her. Her own servants recognize that the time for her reign has come to an end. Siding with Jehu, they seal her death, one that is unusually graphic in the biblical text.
Even in death, however, Jezebel remains a powerful figure. Though she is trampled on by horses and gnawed by wild dogs, her skull, feet, and hands are left untouched. Such remains could be interpreted as a sign of dishonor, but the head, hands, and feet were symbols of power and agency in the ancient world. Even as the text glories in her gory end, it also seems to recognize that her influence will not be so easily destroyed.
