Ἰεζάβελ
Jezebel
Definition
Ἰεζάβελ (Jezebel) is used in the New Testament as a symbolic name for a false prophetess in the church of Thyatira (Revelation 2:20). It refers to a woman who, like the Old Testament Queen Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31), led God's people into idolatry and sexual immorality. In Revelation, this 'Jezebel' is condemned for teaching and seducing Christians to practice spiritual adultery by eating food sacrificed to idols. The name thus functions as a powerful metaphor for persistent, seductive false teaching within the Christian community.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the New Testament, in Revelation 2:20. It is employed metaphorically, not as a personal name, to label a specific false teacher in the church of Thyatira. The usage directly parallels the actions and influence of the historical Jezebel from 1 Kings, applying her legacy of promoting idolatry to a New Testament context of corrupting the church.
Etymology
The Greek Ἰεζάβελ (Iezabel) is a direct transliteration of the Hebrew name אִיזֶבֶל (Izevel), meaning 'Where is the Prince?' or possibly 'unexalted.' It entered Greek usage through the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), where it refers to the Phoenician wife of King Ahab. The New Testament usage borrows this established, infamous name from biblical history to serve as a symbolic label.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it connects the Old Testament pattern of covenant unfaithfulness (idolatry as adultery) to threats facing the New Testament church. It warns that internal, persuasive false teaching is a grave danger to Christian purity and doctrine. Understanding this Greek name enriches reading by showing how Revelation uses a potent historical archetype to confront spiritual compromise.
To a first-century reader familiar with the Jewish Scriptures (the Septuagint), the name 'Jezebel' immediately evoked the archetypal wicked queen: a foreign idol-worshipper who murdered prophets (1 Kings 18:4), opposed Elijah, and systematically led Israel into Baal worship. Using this name was not a casual insult but a direct, shocking comparison that framed the Thyatiran prophetess's actions as a direct assault on the worship of the true God.
ψευδοπροφήτης (pseudoprophētēs, G5578) — A general term for a false prophet, whereas Ἰεζάβελ is a specific, symbolic archetype of seductive and idolatrous false teaching.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, a concise public-domain resource suitable for introductory word study. Brief glosses are supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). For advanced research, standard scholarly references include BDAG (Danker, 3rd ed.) and LSJ.
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