Jezebel
    n 1: wife of Ahab who was king of Israel; according to the Old
         Testament she was a cruel immoral queen who fostered the
         worship of Baal and tried to kill Elijah and other prophets
         of Israel (9th century BC)
    2: a shameless impudent scheming woman

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]

Jezebel
   chaste, the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of the Zidonians, and
   the wife of Ahab, the king of Israel (1 Kings 16:31). This was
   the "first time that a king of Israel had allied himself by
   marriage with a heathen princess; and the alliance was in this
   case of a peculiarly disastrous kind. Jezebel has stamped her
   name on history as the representative of all that is designing,
   crafty, malicious, revengeful, and cruel. She is the first great
   instigator of persecution against the saints of God. Guided by
   no principle, restrained by no fear of either God or man,
   passionate in her attachment to her heathen worship, she spared
   no pains to maintain idolatry around her in all its splendour.
   Four hundred and fifty prophets ministered under her care to
   Baal, besides four hundred prophets of the groves [R.V.,
   'prophets of the Asherah'], which ate at her table (1 Kings
   18:19). The idolatry, too, was of the most debased and sensual
   kind." Her conduct was in many respects very disastrous to the
   kingdom both of Israel and Judah (21:1-29). At length she came
   to an untimely end. As Jehu rode into the gates of Jezreel, she
   looked out at the window of the palace, and said, "Had Zimri
   peace, who slew his master?" He looked up and called to her
   chamberlains, who instantly threw her from the window, so that
   she was dashed in pieces on the street, and his horses trod her
   under their feet. She was immediately consumed by the dogs of
   the street (2 Kings 9:7-37), according to the word of Elijah the
   Tishbite (1 Kings 21:19).
   
     Her name afterwards came to be used as the synonym for a
   wicked woman (Rev. 2: 20).
   
     It may be noted that she is said to have been the grand-aunt
   of Dido, the founder of Carthage.
   

Jezebel, chaste