JEZEBEL AND HER HUSBAND

Mt Benger Mail, 14 March 1934, Page 2

JEZEBEL AND HER HUSBAND

The might of wicked Queen Jezebel, she who painted her face, as told in the Old Testament, is verified by announcement from Harvard University of a massive granite tower in her capital city, Samaria (says the New York

Times). The tower, buried more than 2UOO years ago, was excavated to its foundations by an expedition headed by Dr Kirsopp Lake, ProiVssor of history at Harvard. It ['■ made of blocks nearly as long as a man, a foot and a-half wide, and a yard thick. These blocks are set in three concentric rings, forming a wall about 12ft thick.

As uncovered, the wall stands between 25ft and 35ft high, indicating that it was originally much tidier. Its upper portion had been carried a way and the section now uncovered was hidden under earth which buried the hillside where it stood. The discovery was made through calculations of the expedition’s architect that one of the four corners of the ancient citadel wall should lie in that place on tin hillside. The tower gives an impressive idea of the strength of Jezebel’s city.

Studies of Professor Lake show that Jezebel’s husband, Aliab, King of Northern Israel, maintained a trade route via his capital bd ween India and the .Mediterranean, then the world’s great marts.

He “chiselled” this route, Profesor Lake says, away from the competition of Egypt on one side and Assyria on the other. Tyre was the important Mediterranean seaport and Jezebel was one of the pricessses. “Ahab took to wife,” says I Kings, 16-31, “Jezebel, the daughter of Ethball, King of the Zidonions, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him. And Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the Kings of Israel before him.” Jezebel brought with her to Samaria 450 priests of Baal. They were slain by the prophet Elijah, as told in I. Kings, 19:40. For this Jezebel notified Elijah that she would kill him by “to-morrow about this time.”

But Elizah Hod and prophesied Ji-zobel’s death at the hands of Jehu. Yet so mighty was Jezebel that Elijah was gone before her, and his successor, Elisha, acted in fulfilment of the prophecy. Jezebel outlived Ahab, and Ahab’s son, Joram, was king when Jehu, a captain of the host, rebelled. Jezebel and Joram were at their summer capital, far from the massive citadel’s protection. In 11 Kings 9:20 is told how the oncoming Jehu was recognised by his style of driving. He killed Joram. 'The Bible then tells how Jezebtl “painted her face and tied her head” and looked out of the window at Jehu and called him names. Jehu shouted back: ‘ ‘Who is on my side?’ and there [coked out to him two or three

eunuchs. And be said ‘Throw her down.” And they threw her down. ’' Then Jehu trod her to death under his horses.