Bible Person

Ethbaal

Meaning: toward the idol · Male · 1 cross reference

Ethbaal is the king of Sidon and the father of Jezebel. He belongs to the foreign royal setting through which idolatrous influence enters the house of Ahab. First appears in 1 Kgs 16:31.1

AI summary: Ethbaal matters because his single cross reference helps explain the political and religious background behind Jezebel's role in Israel. The entry shows how marriage alliances could carry deep spiritual consequences for the covenant people. Taken together, the material presents Ethbaal as a foreign king whose house becomes a source of destructive influence in Israel.1

Central Figure

Ethbaal

Meaning: toward the idol

With Baal, a king of Sidon (B.C.