Carmarthen, Oct. 29. 1850.
_Jezebel._--W.G.H. has been misled by the ending _bel_. The Phoenician god
_Bel_ or _Baal_ has nothing to do with this name,--the component words
being _Je-zebel_, not _Jeze-bel_. Of the various explanations given, that
of Gesenius (_Heb. Lex._, s. voc.) appears, as usual, the simplest and most
rational. The name [Hebrew: 'iyzebel] (Jezebel) he derives from [Hebrew:
'iy] (_i_) "not" (comp. I-chabod, "In-glorious") and [Hebrew: zabal]
(zábal), "to dwell, cohabit with."
The name will then mean "without cohabitation," _i.e._ [Greek: alochos]
(Plat. _Theæt._) "chaste, modest." Comp. _Agnes_, _Katherine_, &c.
Less satisfactory explanations may be found in Calmet's _Dictionary_, and
the _Cyclopædia of Biblical Literature_, edited by Dr. Kitlo.