Meaning of Name
Jezebel is the Anglicized transliteration of the Hebrew אִיזָבֶל ('Izevel/'Izavel). Attempts to trace the meaning of the name are speculative, since its origin can only be conjectured.
The biblical Hebrew 'Izebel may be rooted in a Hebrew word for "prince/nobility" or "husband" (בעל bul/ba'al) combined with the word for "naught/none" (יי 'iy), "there is no prince/nobility/husband," suggesting a lack of character (i.e. implying lack of royal sensibilities) or of morality (i.e. unmarried, implying adultery or fornication). It may also find its root in a Hebrew word for "dung" (from זבל gbl; note here Ba'al-zebul/Ba'al-zebub, "Lord of dung") combined with the word for either "naught/none" ('iy) or "island" ('iyz), thus "no dung" or "island of dung."
Other sources find meaning from the character's native Syro-Phoenician language. It may be rooted in the word ba'al (lord), referring either to the Syro-Phoenician god, the "King of Heaven," or simply the royal title "lord." Thus, Iz-ba'al may mean "the Lord (Ba'al) exists/exalts" or "where is the prince," a name known from liturgies of the Syro-Phoenician Ba'al cults.
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Famous quotes containing the word meaning:
“A: What is the meaning of life? B: I know, but I won’t tell you.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)