Bad Girls of the Bible: Jezebel - The Bible’s Original Bad Girl, or Just Another Woman Men Couldn’t Handle?

Say the name Jezebel, and most people immediately picture the ultimate bad girl of the Bible—the woman so scandalous she got her own eternal insult.

She’s the gold standard of don’t be that girl.

But let’s look a little closer at her story and ask: was Jezebel truly evil, or was she just guilty of existing in a man’s world without apologizing for it? Spoiler: history doesn’t look kindly on women who refuse to stay in their lane.

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The Story They Tell (With Extra Drama for the Sunday School Crowd)

Here’s the “official” version: Jezebel, a Phoenician princess, marries King Ahab of Israel (1 Kings 16:31). Cue ominous organ music.

Her first crime? She worships her own gods, Baal and Asherah, instead of Yahweh (1 Kings 16:31–33). A foreign woman daring to bring her own traditions with her—how shocking! Her second offense? She dares to influence her husband, as if the King of Israel had no will of his own until Jezebel walked in with her eyeliner (1 Kings 21:25). And the third? She actually gets involved in politics. When Ahab sulks like a child after Naboth refuses to sell his vineyard, Jezebel arranges Naboth’s downfall (1 Kings 21:7–15). Was it ruthless? Absolutely. But let’s not pretend that men in the Bible weren’t constantly waging wars, grabbing land, and slaughtering people for far less.

From there, the smear campaign writes itself. She’s a harlot, a schemer, the evil genius behind every bad decision her husband makes. And, naturally, the story doesn’t rest until she dies the most cinematic “bad girl” death imaginable: thrown out a window, trampled by horses, and eaten by dogs (2 Kings 9:30–37). Very subtle, guys.

The Story Behind the Hysteria

But if you strip away the divine drama, Jezebel’s real “sins” are far more ordinary. She was a foreign woman with her own gods. She refused to play the role of silent trophy wife. She had political power and the nerve to use it. That was the scandal. The prophets didn’t despise her because she wore too much eyeliner—they despised her because she challenged their monopoly on power. Elijah versus Jezebel wasn’t really a morality tale; it was a turf war over who gets to define the sacred.

The Jezebel Playbook Lives On

Sound familiar? It should. Centuries later, “Jezebel” is still being weaponized. In the United States, it became a racist stereotype used to justify the sexual violence and exploitation of Black women. It still shows up in courtrooms where sex workers and survivors are blamed for their own victimization. And it echoes in boardrooms, pulpits, and comment sections, where ambitious women are still called schemers, and women with boundaries are still called sluts. Society has always preferred a devoured Jezebel to a living, breathing, powerful one.

Jezebel Wasn’t the Problem—Patriarchy Was

So maybe the real question isn’t, Why was Jezebel so evil? Maybe it’s, Why do men keep recycling the same tired script every time a woman refuses to apologize for her life? Because let’s be honest: if Jezebel lived today, she wouldn’t be eaten by dogs. She’d be trending on Twitter, subtweeting Elijah, and running a podcast called “Not Your Trophy Wife.”

And here’s where it matters for us: the Jezebel stereotype didn’t die with her. It’s still being dragged into courtrooms, workplaces, churches, and legislatures as a weapon against women—especially Black women, sex workers, and survivors—whose only real “crime” is refusing to shrink themselves.

So if we’re going to talk about Jezebel, let’s stop repeating the smear campaign and start naming what it really is: patriarchy’s oldest trick.

Don’t let them write the ending for us. Refuse the script. Call out the smear. And when you see someone get labeled a “Jezebel” today, remember: the problem isn’t her. It never was.

✍️ This post is part of SWOP Behind Bars’ series “Bad Girls of the Bible,” exploring how women’s reputations have been shaped by stigma, and what that means for sex workers and criminalized women today.

Learn more at www.swopbehindbars.org