But I have against thee a few things: because thou sufferest the woman Jezabel, who calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants, to commit fornication and to eat of things sacrificed to idols.
αλλ αλλα εχω κατα σου οτι αφεις την γυναικα σου ιεζαβελ η λεγει εαυτην προφητιν και διδασκει και πλανα τους εμους δουλους πορνευσαι και φαγειν ειδωλοθυτα
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Even if He praises them for faith, service, good courage, and patience, He rightly reproaches them for permitting the heresy of the Nicolaitans. Because of its impiety and vices it is figuratively called Jezebel. It gives the faithful occasion for stumbling and draws them into idolatry, which they had formerly renounced well. It must be destroyed, because with the aid of an evil spirit it falsely claims to possess prophecies.
He is speaking about the heads of churches who do not apply the strictness of ecclesiastical order to those who live in luxury and fornication, and to those who do any other evil. This may also be understood in relation to heretics. "Who calls herself a prophetess," that is, a Christian. For even many heresies flatter themselves with this name.
Almost nine hundred years before Christ, the impious Ahab reigned in Israel. In his days idolatry reached an extreme degree. He was married to Jezebel, daughter of the king of Sidon, a corrupt woman with a malicious heart. She slew all the prophets of God in the kingdom of Israel.
She introduced public acts of fornication among the people and deceived them with various forms of sorcery. To establish seductive groves and pagan abominations, she maintained five hundred false prophets at her own expense.
In the Apocalypse, under the name Jezebel, there is depicted a heresy that corrupted the minds of the simple people and pretended to have the gift of prophecy. But Jezebel was thrown from the window of her palace, trampled by horses, and eaten by dogs.
Heretics who distort the truth of Christ's teaching should expect a similar misfortune. As the children of the ancient Jezebel were all slain by the sword, so the children of the heretical flock will perish together with their lawless shepherds. After the threat comes the promise.
"You allow the woman Jezebel." It is thought that the name Jezebel is used here in the same figurative sense as the name Balaam above. It is known that Jezebel, daughter of the king of Sidon, married Ahab, king of Israel. She drew him into worship of all the abominations of Sidon and Tyre, and caused the Israelites to be drawn into idolatry. The Apostle compares the heretics of Thyatira with this Jezebel. They are the same Nicolaitans.
Yet it is not good that the Church of Thyatira submitted to the influence of some false prophetess. The Lord calls her Jezebel, probably because this prophetess also drew Christians into fornication and the eating of meat sacrificed to idols. In the same way Queen Jezebel had formerly drawn the kingdom of Israel into these things.
Let this prophetess and her followers not think that God approves her actions because He does not punish her. He does this only to give her time to repent.
Since she still will not repent, the Lord will cast her sick upon the very bed on which she committed fornication. Those who committed fornication with her He will cast into great tribulation.
The children of these adulterers will die by death. That is, the corrupting and destructive power of Jezebel's false teaching will already appear in the second generation of heretics. Then all the Churches will know that the Lord, who foretold this outcome of proud Jezebel's undertaking, truly penetrates the human heart.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 24 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS