• Jew(ess)
    Aid to Bible Understanding

    • accepted the Jewish faith and became circumcised proselytes also declared themselves Jews. (Esther 8:17) However, in the Hebrew Scriptures the expression “alien resident” may refer to one who had adopted the religion of the Jews (Jer. 22:3), and even in the Christian Greek Scriptures such are distinguished at times by the term “proselytes.” (Acts 2:10; 6:5; 13:43) The term “Jewess” is used at Acts 24:24.

      When Jesus was a young child, the astrologers came, inquiring: “Where is the one born king of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:1, 2) On Jesus’ torture stake Pilate put the title “Jesus the Nazarene the King of the Jews.”—John 19:19.

      FIGURATIVE USE

      The apostle Paul, in arguing that the Jews were mistaken in their pride of fleshly descent as a “Jew,” and in relying on the works of the Law to find favor with God, said: “For he is not a Jew who is one on the outside, nor is circumcision that which is on the outside upon the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one on the inside, and his circumcision is that of the heart by spirit, and not by a written code. The praise of that one comes, not from men, but from God.” (Rom. 2:28, 29) Here Paul, by a play on the meaning of the name “Jew,” shows that the real basis for praise from God is being a servant of God from the heart, by spirit. This argument parallels his reasoning in Romans chapter 4, that the true seed of Abraham are those with the faith of Abraham. He further points out that in the Christian congregation nationality is of no consequence, for “there is neither Jew nor Greek [Gentile].” (Gal. 3:28) The resurrected Jesus Christ spoke to the congregation at Smyrna, comforting them with regard to the persecution they were receiving, to a great extent at the hands of the Jews, saying: “I know . . . the blasphemy by those who say they themselves are Jews, and yet they are not but are a synagogue of Satan.”—Rev. 2:9.

  • Jewels and Precious Stones
    Aid to Bible Understanding

    • JEWELS AND PRECIOUS STONES

      A jewel may be a precious stone, a gem (a cut and polished precious or semiprecious stone) or a decorative ornament made of precious metal (principally gold or silver) set with such stones. Jewels have been worn by both men and women from early Biblical days for purposes of adornment. Today the diamond, emerald, ruby and sapphire are strictly considered to be precious stones, whereas other rare and beautiful stones are viewed as semiprecious. However, the Hebrew term rendered “precious stone” has a broader application, as shown at Ezekiel 28:12, 13. These precious stones are distinguished from other minerals chiefly because they are rare, beautiful and durable.

      The first Biblical reference to any precious stone is at Genesis 2:11, 12, where Havilah is identified as a land containing good gold, “bdellium gum and the onyx stone.”

      Wealth was partially measured by one’s possession of precious stones, such kings as Solomon and Hezekiah apparently having them in great quantity. (1 Ki. 10:11; 2 Chron. 9:10; 32:27) Precious stones were given as gifts (1 Ki. 10:2, 10; 2 Chron. 9:1, 9), might constitute part of war booty (2 Sam. 12:29, 30; 1 Chron. 20:2) and were articles of trade, as among the ancient Tyrians. (Ezek. 27:16, 22) In an inspired dirge concerning the “king of Tyre” Ezekiel stated: “Every precious stone was your covering, ruby, topaz and jasper; chrysolite, onyx and jade; sapphire, turquoise and emerald; and of gold was the workmanship of your settings and your sockets in you.” (Ezek. 28:12, 13) Symbolic Babylon the Great is represented as being richly adorned with precious stones.—Rev. 17:3-5; 18:11-17.

      FASHIONING OF JEWELRY

      Since ancient times, jewelers of Biblical lands have fashioned decorative ornaments, frequently studded with precious stones. Excavations at Ur of the Chaldeans, where Abraham once lived, have yielded many jewels and ornamental objects, such as strings of beads of gold, silver, agate, cornelian, chalcedony and lapis lazuli, found in the burial site of Sumerian queen Shub-ad. The many jewels and ornaments found in the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen included jeweled breastplates and bracelets. On the king’s mummy there were thirteen bracelets made of gold, glass beads and semiprecious stones. Among the items discovered in the tomb was a throne covered with gold and silver and studded with jewels.

      While the ancients rounded and polished precious stones, generally they do not seem to have angled or faceted them, as do craftsmen of modern times. The emery stone (corundum) or emery powder was employed by the Hebrews and Egyptians to polish precious stones. Often these were sculptured and engraved. The Hebrews apparently knew how to engrave precious stones long before their bondage in Egypt, where engraving was also an art. Judah’s seal ring had evidently been engraved. (Gen. 38:18) For further discussions of ancient jewelry and ornaments, see ORNAMENTS; ANKLET; BEADS; BRACELET; BROOCH; EARRING; NECKLACE; NOSE RING; RING.

      USES ASSOCIATED WITH WORSHIP

      The Israelites, in the wilderness, were privileged to contribute various valuable things for the tabernacle and the high priest’s ephod and breastpiece, no doubt using for such contributions articles given to them by the Egyptians when urging them to depart. (Ex. 12:35, 36) These included “onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.” (Ex. 25:1-7; 35:5, 9, 27) His ephod had two onyx stones on the shoulder pieces, with the names of six of the twelve tribes of Israel inscribed on each stone. The “breastpiece of judgment” was embellished with four rows of precious stones, the account stating: “A row of ruby, topaz and emerald was the first row. And the second row was turquoise, sapphire and jasper. And the third row was leshʹem stone, agate and amethyst. And the fourth row was chrysolite and onyx and jade. They were set with settings of gold in their fillings.” The name of one of Israel’s twelve tribes was inscribed on each of these stones.—Ex. 39:6-14; 28:9-21; see BREASTPIECE.

      Though Jehovah would not permit David to build the temple in Jerusalem (1 Chron. 22:6-10), the aged king joyfully prepared valuable materials for its construction, including “onyx stones, and stones to be set with hard mortar, and mosaic pebbles, and every precious stone, and alabaster stones in great quantity.” He made substantial contributions of materials, and the people in general also contributed. (1 Chron. 29:2-9) When Solomon built the temple he “overlaid the house with precious stone for beauty,” or studded it with precious stones.—2 Chron. 3:6.

      FIGURATIVE USE

      In connection with the Christian ministry, the apostle Paul, after identifying Jesus Christ as the foundation on which Christians should build, mentioned building materials of various kinds. He indicated that the choice materials would include figurative “precious stones” capable of withstanding the force of “fire.”—1 Cor. 3:10-15.

      Precious stones are sometimes used Scripturally to symbolize qualities of heavenly or spiritual things or persons. The heavens were opened for Ezekiel and in two visions he beheld four winged living creatures accompanied by four wheels, the appearance of each wheel being likened to “the glow of chrysolite,” that is, having a hue of yellow, or possibly green. (Ezek. 1:1-6, 15, 16; 10:9) Later, Daniel saw an angel, “a certain man clothed in linen,” whose “body was like chrysolite.”—Dan. 10:1, 4-6.

      Ezekiel also, when beholding a vision of Jehovah’s glory, saw “something in appearance like sapphire stone [a deep blue], the likeness of a throne.” (Ezek. 1:25-28; 10:1) The glory of Jehovah God himself is likened to the dazzling beauty of gem stones, for when the apostle John beheld God’s heavenly throne, he said: “The one seated is, in appearance, like a jasper stone and a precious red-colored stone, and round about the throne there is a rainbow like an emerald in appearance.”—Rev. 4:1-3, 9-11.

      “The holy city, New Jerusalem,” that is, “the Lamb’s wife,” is represented as having a radiance “like a most precious stone, as a jasper stone shining crystal-clear.” The twelve foundations of its wall “were adorned with every sort of precious stone,” a different stone for each foundation: jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, hyacinth and amethyst. The city’s twelve gates were twelve pearls.—Rev. 21:2, 9-21; see CORAL and separate articles on individual types of precious stones.

  • Jezebel
    Aid to Bible Understanding

    • JEZEBEL

      (Jezʹe·bel).

      Some scholars think the original Phoenician name meant “Baal is exalted” or “Baal is a husband,” and that it was deliberately altered to a form less offensive to Hebrews, meaning “unexalted” or “unhusbanded.”

      1. Wife of Ahab, the king of Israel in the latter half of the tenth century B.C.E. She was a domineering queen who proved to be a strong advocate of Baalism at the expense of Jehovah’s worship. In this she was like her father Ethbaal, the king of Sidon, evidently the one identified by the ancient historian Menander (according to Josephus’ Against Apion, i, 18) as a priest of Astarte (Ashtoreth) who gained the throne by murdering his own king.—1 Ki. 16:30, 31.

      Quite likely Ahab’s marriage to this pagan princess Jezebel was for political reasons, without regard for the disastrous religious consequences. And after his having made such an alliance it was only the next logical step in pleasing his devout Baal-worshiping wife to build a temple and altar for Baal, erect a phallic “sacred pole,” and then join her in this idolatrous worship. In all of this Ahab did more to offend Jehovah than all the kings of Israel prior to him.—1 Ki. 16:32, 33.

      Jezebel, not satisfied that Baal worship was officially approved by the throne, endeavored to exterminate the worship of Jehovah from the land. To that end she ordered all the prophets of Jehovah killed, but God warned Elijah to escape across the Jordan, and Obadiah, the palace steward, hid a hundred others in caves. (1 Ki. 17:1-3; 18:4, 13) Some time later Elijah again fled for his life when Jezebel, by personal messenger, vowed to kill him.—1 Ki. 19:1-4, 14.

      There came to be 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the sacred pole, all of whom Jezebel cared for and fed from her own royal table at the State’s expense. (1 Ki. 18:19) But in spite of her fanatical efforts to obliterate the worship of Jehovah, in the end ‘all the knees that had not bent down to Baal, and every mouth that had not kissed him,’ Jehovah revealed, amounted to seven thousand persons.—1 Ki. 19:18.

      In Jezebel’s treatment of Naboth we are given another view of this woman’s wicked character, a character that was extremely selfish, unscrupulous, arrogant, cruel. When Ahab began to sulk and pout because Naboth refused to sell him his hereditary vineyard, this unscrupulous woman shamelessly overstepped her husband’s headship and arrogantly declared: “I myself shall give you the vineyard of Naboth.” (1 Ki. 21:1-7) With that she wrote letters, signed and sealed in the name of Ahab, ordering the older men and nobles of Naboth’s hometown to arrange for good-for-nothing fellows falsely to accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king, and then to take Naboth out and stone him to death. In this way Naboth was put to death by a perversion of justice. Ahab then seized the vineyard and prepared to turn it into a vegetable garden.—1 Ki. 21:8-16.

      For such wanton disregard for righteousness Jehovah decreed that Ahab and his line of descent would be removed in a clean sweep of destruction. “Without exception no one has proved to be like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah, whom Jezebel his wife egged on.” Hence, Jehovah’s judgment against Jezebel: “The very dogs will eat up Jezebel.”—1 Ki. 21:17-26.

      In the course of time Ahab died and was succeeded first by Jezebel’s son Ahaziah, who ruled for two years, and then by another of her sons, Jehoram, who ruled for the next twelve years before Ahab’s dynasty finally ended. (1 Ki. 22:40, 51-53; 2 Ki. 1:17; 3:1) During the reigns of these sons, Jezebel, now in the role of queen mother, continued to influence the land with her fornications and sorceries. (2 Ki. 9:22) Her influence was even felt in Judah to the S, where her wicked daughter Athaliah, who had married Judah’s king, perpetuated the Jezebel spirit in that southern kingdom for another seven years after her mother’s death.—2 Ki. 8:16-18, 25-27; 2 Chron. 22:2, 3; 24:7.

      When the news reached Jezebel that Jehu had killed her reigning son Jehoram and was on his way to Jezreel, she artfully painted her eyes, adorned her hair and framed herself in an upper window overlooking the palace square. There she greeted the conqueror upon his triumphal entry, saying: “Did it go all right with Zimri the killer of his lord?” This sarcastic greeting was probably a veiled threat, for Zimri, after killing his king and usurping the throne, committed suicide seven days later when his life was threatened.—2 Ki. 9:30, 31; 1 Ki. 16:10, 15, 18.

      Jehu’s response to this hostile reception was: “Who is with me? Who?” When two or three court officials looked out, he commanded, “Let her drop!” In the violence of the fall her blood splattered the wall and the horses, and she was trodden underfoot, presumably by the horses. Shortly thereafter when men came to bury this “daughter of a king,” why, they found the scavenger dogs had already practically disposed of her, just as “the word of Jehovah that he spoke by means of his servant Elijah” had foretold, leaving only the skull, feet and the palms of her hands as evidence that all that Jehovah says comes true.—2 Ki. 9:32-37.

      2. That “woman” in the congregation of Thyatira “who calls herself a prophetess.” This “woman” no doubt was given the name Jezebel because her wicked conduct resembled that of Ahab’s wife. Not only did this “woman” teach false religion and mislead many to commit fornication and idolatry; she also callously refused to repent. For this reason “the Son of God” declared she would be thrown into a sickbed and her children would be killed, to show that each one receives according to one’s deeds.—Rev. 2:18-23.