Ethbaal(ithobaal_i)
“With Baal, i.e., enjoying Baal's favor”
Summary
King of Sidon and father of Jezebel, who was originally a priest of Astarte before usurping the throne of Tyre and Sidon.
☩Identity and Background
Ethbaal was king of Sidon and father of Jezebel, who became wife of King Ahab of Israel. According to the historian Menander (preserved by Josephus), Ethbaal was originally a priest of Astarte who murdered King Pheles and usurped the throne of both Tyre and Sidon, reigning for thirty-two years (approximately 940-908 BC). As a priest of Astarte, a deity closely associated with Baal worship, his daughter Jezebel inherited her fanatical zeal for promoting idolatry in Israel.
☩Legacy
Through his daughter Jezebel, Ethbaal's influence extended disastrously over both Israel and Judah. Jezebel promoted Baal worship and persecuted the prophets of the Lord. Her daughter Athaliah married into the royal house of Judah, bringing the same idolatrous spirit there. According to Josephus, Ethbaal's granddaughter Dido founded Carthage twenty-one years after his death, showing what kind of ambitious spirit animated the females of this royal family.
Related Verses1 mention
1 Kings· 1 verse
References
- 1.James Orr (ed.), "Ethbaal," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 2.John McClintock and James Strong, "Ethbaal," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. III (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Ethbaal," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).