Who was Athaliah

Athaliah, Queen of Judah

Athaliah was Queen of Judah from 842-836 BC. She was the daughter of Israel's King Ahab and of Jezebel, who was the wife of Jehoram King of Judah, and the mother of King Ahaziah. Following Ahaziah's death at the hands of Jehu, Athaliah seized power and killed all members of the royal family who were possible rivals for the throne, except for Joash, the infant son of Ahaziah, who had been rescued by his Aunt Jehosheba.

When Joash was seven years old, Jehoiada the priest conspired to have the young boy crowned in the Temple as king. When Queen Athaliah heard the commotion, she rushed to the Temple to see what was going on, and found the new king surrounded by army officers and people from all over the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets.

Athaliah ripped her clothes in distress and yelled "Treason! Treason!" Jehoiada the priest told the army officers to take her out of the Temple and to kill her. She was killed at the Palace stables. Then, Jehoiada and others destroyed a pagan temple of Baal and destroyed pagan idols. Athaliah's story is found in 2 Chronicles 22:10-12, and in chapter 23.

 
Who was Jezebel

Jezebel

Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, who was king of Israel from about 871 BC to about 852 BC. She was the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Sidon. Jezebel worshiped a pagan god called Baal and she helped to corrupt Israel with idol worship.

Jezebel was evil and influential. The prophets Elijah and Elisha blamed Jezebel more than Ahab for the persecution of God's prophets during that era. Jezebel's daughter, Athaliah, became Queen of Judah, and she too was evil.

Elijah prophesized that Jezebel would be torn apart by the dogs of Jezreel (1 Kings 21:23). After God performed a miracle on Mount Carmel, and the prophets of the false god, Baal, were killed, Jezebel vows to kill Elijah, and Elijah flees for his life.

Jehu is anointed to become a future King of Israel. He is told to destroy the family of Ahab, to avenge the murder of the Lord's prophets, and to avenge the deaths of other people killed by Jezebel. When Jehu sees Jezebel in a palace window, he called upon people in the palace to throw her down, and they threw her out of the window. And, as Elijah had prophesized, dogs then tore her body apart.

In the New Testament, Jezebel's name is used symbolically as a false prophetess who seeks to lure Christians into idolatrous practices. The story of Jezebel is found in 1 Kings, chapters 16, 18, 19, 21, and 2 Kings chapter 9.