Jezebel

Jezebel
   ,JEZEBELIAN, JEHU
   The adjective form Jezebelian characterizes a woman who is wicked and shameless. Jezebel was a Phoenician princess who became the wife of Ahab, king of Israel, and attempted to convert Ahab to worship Baal, the god of the Phoenicians, above Jehovah. Jezebel was not a character to be admired. She arranged for the wholesale slaughter of the Lord's prophets. Indeed, she was known as "the wanton woman of the painted face." But the rebel general Jehu, a politically ambitious follower of the Lord, destroyed the Baal devotees, and proclaimed himself king of Israel. Jezebel put on makeup ("painted her face," Kings II, ix, 30) and was then trampled by horses and eaten by dogs—a quite vengeful ending to ". . . the whoredom of Jezebel and her witchcraft" (Kings II, ix, 22). Today, a woman who flaunts her bold spirits and loose morals may be called a Jezebel.
   Jehu, King of Israel (845-816), was renowned for driving his chariot at high speeds. According to the Bible, when he went to war, he rode in. a chariot which he drove furiously.
   Any fast, reckless driver today may be called a Jehu, but formerly a Jehu was a coachman who drove at a rattling pace.

Dictionary of eponyms. . 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Jezebel — may refer to:* Jezebel (Bible), wife of King Ahab * Jezebel (film) * Jezebel (website), a blog aimed at women * Common Jezebel, a species of butterfly * Jezebel Baley, the wife of the character Elijah Baley in Isaac Asimov s Robot novels *… …   Wikipedia

  • JEZEBEL — (Heb. אִיזֶבֶל, perhaps from זבל, the exalted one with the prefix (i;) meaning Where is the Exalted One / Prince? (cf. Ichabod, Where is the Divine Presence?). Another possibility is The Prince Lives, by assimilation from ʾš zbl > yzbl >… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Jezebel — Jez e*bel, n. [From Jezebel, Heb. Izebel, the wife of Ahab king of Israel.] A bold, vicious woman; a termagant. Spectator. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Jezebel — steht für: die englische Variante des weiblichen Vornamens Isabel den Originaltitel von William Wylers Spielfilm Jezebel – Die boshafte Lady aus dem Jahr 1938 Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • jezebel — impudent woman, 1550s, after Jezebel, the wicked Tyrean princess who married Ahab, king of Israel (Kings xxi:5 23), from Heb. Izebhel, a name of uncertain origin and meaning [Klein] …   Etymology dictionary

  • Jezebel — [n] prostitute broad, fallen woman*, femme fatale, floozy*, harlot, hooker, hussy, jade, loose woman, scarlet, slut, strumpet, tart, trollop, vamp, whore; concepts 348,412,415,419 …   New thesaurus

  • Jezebel — ► NOUN ▪ a shameless or immoral woman. ORIGIN the name of the wife of King Ahab in the Bible …   English terms dictionary

  • Jezebel — [jez′ə bel΄, jez′əbəl] n. [Heb Īzebhel] 1. Bible the wicked woman who married Ahab, king of Israel: 1 Kings 21:5 23; 2 Kings 9:30 37 2. [also j ] any woman regarded as wicked, shameless, licentious, etc …   English World dictionary

  • Jezebel — Jezebelian /jez euh bee lee euhn, beel yeuhn/, Jezebelish /jez euh bel ish/, adj. /jez euh bel , beuhl/, n. 1. Also, Douay Bible, Jezabel. the wife of Ahab, king of Israel. I Kings 16:31. 2. (often l.c.) a wicked, shameless woman. * * * died с… …   Universalium

  • Jezebel — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Jezebel peut désigner : Jezebel ou Jézabel, femme du roi Ahab Cinéma L Insoumise (Jezebel), film américain de William Wyler sorti en 1938 Jezebel… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jezebel —    A substitute name used fairly frequently as a vocative in former times. Most people today would probably still know that to call a woman ‘Jezebel’ would be to accuse her of wickedness and abandonment, though they might not have read her story… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”