Lexical Summary
Yizreel: Jezreel
Original Word:יִזְרְעֵאל
Part of Speech:proper name, of a location; proper name, masculine a.
Transliteration:Yizr`e'l
Pronunciation:yiz-reh-EL
Phonetic Spelling:(yiz-reh-ale')
KJV: Jezreel
NASB:Jezreel
Word Origin:[fromH2232 (זָרַע - sow) andH410 (אֵל - God)]
1. God will sow
2. Jizreel, the name of two places in Israel and of two Israelites
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Jezreel
Fromzara' and'el; God will sow; Jizreel, the name of two places in Palestine and of two Israelites -- Jezreel.
see HEBREWzara'
see HEBREW'el
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
zara and
elDefinition"God sows," two Isr., also two cities in Isr., also a valley in N. Isr.
NASB TranslationJezreel (36).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(
God soweth; Sabean Mordt
ZMG 1879, 489; see Lag
BN 131) —
Joshua 15:56;
2 Samuel 2:9 +;
1 Samuel 25:43;
Joshua 17:16 +;
Joshua 19:18 6t.:
Joshua 15:56;1 Samuel 25:43 (home of Ahinoam, one of David's wives), site unknown; compare proper name, masculine1 Chronicles 4:3.
Joshua 19:18 on northwest spur of Mt. Gilboa2 Samuel 4:4 (compare1 Samuel 31:1,8)1 Kings 4:12 (compare1 Samuel 31:10,12), modernZer`în (RobBR ii. 318 ff. BdPal 244), close to scene of great battle with Philistines1 Samuel 29:1 (, compare RobBR ii. 323)1 Samuel 29:11; subject to Ishbosheth2 Samuel 2:9 (yet see below), residence of Ahab and Jehoram of Israel1 Kings 18:45,46;1 Kings 21:1 (Naboth)2 Kings 8:29 (twice in verse) = 2Chronicles 22:6 (twice in verse),2 Kings 9:15 (twice in verse);2 Kings 9:16,17,30;2 Kings 10:11 compareHosea 1:4, and symbolical name of Hosea's sonHosea 1:4 (compare Che); — in2 Kings 10:1 for read so . Used by Hosea as representing Israel, with play on etymology,Hosea 2:24 (compareHosea 2:25), compare alsoHosea 1:2. Territory immediately about the city is2 Kings 9:10,36,37; compare1 Kings 21:23 (read probably , see Th Klo after ; the adjacent plain is (compare DiJoshua 17:16 BdPal 229)Joshua 17:16;Judges 6:33;Hosea 1:5 (perhaps also =2 Samuel 2:9 above, "" Gilead, Ephraim, Benjamin, etc.)
Hosea 1:4, compare above
1 Chronicles 4:3, compare above
Topical Lexicon
Geographical Setting and ScopeJezreel designates both a city and the broad fertile plain stretching roughly from Mount Carmel and the Kishon River in the west to Mount Gilboa in the east. The plain forms the northern corridor between Galilee and Samaria and serves as a strategic military route and breadbasket of Israel (Judges 6:33). A smaller village of the same name lay in the hill-country of Judah (Joshua 15:56), but the dominant biblical focus is the northern site and its surrounding valley.
Early Allocation to the Tribes
• Issachar: “Their territory included Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem…” (Joshua 19:18).
• Judah: A secondary Jezreel is listed among the southern hill towns (Joshua 15:56).
The dual listing testifies to Israel’s tendency to reuse meaningful names and hints at the theological theme of ‘sowing’—God plants His people in different parts of the land.
Period of the Judges
The valley first gains narrative prominence when the Midianite coalition settles there before Gideon’s deliverance: “All the Midianites…camped in the Valley of Jezreel” (Judges 6:33). The scene underscores the valley as an arena where God demonstrates His power despite Israel’s weakness (Judges 7).
Royal Residence and National Stage
The northern city became a royal retreat for the kings of Israel after Omri moved the capital to Samaria. Key events cluster here:
1. Elijah outruns Ahab to Jezreel following the Carmel confrontation (1 Kings 18:45-46).
2. Naboth’s vineyard, abutting Ahab’s palace at Jezreel, triggers the prophetic judgment on the Omride house (1 Kings 21:1-24).
3. Jehu drives furiously to Jezreel, slays Joram, executes Jezebel, and begins purging Ahab’s dynasty (2 Kings 9:15-37).
4. The seventy sons of Ahab are executed and their heads stacked “at the entrance of the gate of Jezreel” (2 Kings 10:7-11).
These accounts turn the city into a symbol of covenant accountability: the place where sowing in wickedness reaps harvests of judgment.
Personal Connections
• Ahinoam “of Jezreel” becomes David’s wife (1 Samuel 25:43;2 Samuel 3:2).
• Naboth the Jezreelite models covenant loyalty at the cost of his life (1 Kings 21:3).
The name thus attaches to both humble faithfulness and royal corruption, illustrating the impartiality of divine standards.
Prophetic Significance in Hosea
Hosea is commanded, “Name him Jezreel, for in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu” (Hosea 1:4). The name recurs twice more (Hosea 1:5, 11), presenting a triple layer of meaning:
1. Retribution—punishing Jehu’s excesses.
2. Breaking military might—“I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
3. Restoration—“Great will be the day of Jezreel” (Hosea 1:11), when scattered Israel is resown in mercy.
The prophet turns the geographic term into a theological cipher for both scattering and regathering, judgment and grace.
Typological and Theological Themes
Sowing and Reaping: The root zrʿ (“to sow”) in the name Jezreel anchors the consistent biblical principle that God repays according to deeds—seen vividly in Ahab, Jezebel, and Jehu.
Covenant Fidelity: Naboth’s death and Jehu’s purge reveal God’s jealous guardianship of land inheritance and royal responsibility.
Eschatological Hope: Hosea’s “great day of Jezreel” foreshadows the ultimate re-sowing of Israel under one head, a preview of Messianic reunion (cf.Romans 9:25-26).
Occurrences Summary
Approximately thirty-six Old Testament appearances divide as follows:
• Historical narrative (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles) – 29.
• Prophetic (Hosea) – 4.
• Administrative listing (1 Kings 4:12) – 1.
• Analogical reference (2 Kings 15:29;2 Kings 17:6;Hosea 2:22 differ in form and are not counted here).
The concentration in Kings emphasizes Jezreel’s role in the downfall of the northern monarchy.
Lessons for Faith and Ministry
1. Leadership Accountability: Ahab and Jehu demonstrate that even divinely authorized rulers answer to a higher King.
2. Integrity Under Pressure: Naboth’s refusal to compromise his inheritance encourages believers to prize God’s commandments over convenience.
3. Hope Beyond Judgment: Hosea’s vision assures the scattered people of God that He can replant what He has uprooted, turning fields of blood into fields of blessing.
4. Strategic Obedience: Gideon’s victory in the Valley of Jezreel reminds the Church that God often chooses improbable means and places to manifest His strength.
Awaiting Final Fulfillment
Because the valley lies adjacent to Megiddo, many students connect Jezreel with the future campaign of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16). Whether or not that specific geography is intended, the biblical record of Jezreel guarantees that the God who once repaid the blood of Jezreel will ultimately vindicate His name and people on a still-greater day of sowing and harvest.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּיִזְרְעֶ֑אל בְּיִזְרְעֶ֔אל בְּיִזְרְעֶ֖אל בְּיִזְרְעֶ֗אל בְּיִזְרְעֶֽאל׃ בְיִזְרְעֶ֗אל בִיְזְרְעֶ֗אל ביזרעאל ביזרעאל׃ וְיִזְרְעֶ֥אל ויזרעאל יִזְרְעֶ֑אל יִזְרְעֶ֑אלָה יִזְרְעֶ֔אל יִזְרְעֶ֔אלָה יִזְרְעֶ֖אל יִזְרְעֶ֥אל יִזְרְעֶ֥אלָה יִזְרְעֶֽאלָה׃ יִזְרְעֶֽאל׃ יִזְרְעֶאל֙ יזרעאל יזרעאל׃ יזרעאלה יזרעאלה׃ לְיִזְרְעֶ֗אל ליזרעאל מִֽיִּזְרְעֶ֑אל מִֽיִּזְרְעֶ֗אל מיזרעאל bə·yiz·rə·‘el ḇə·yiz·rə·‘el bəyizrə‘el ḇəyizrə‘el beyizreEl ḇiy·zə·rə·‘el ḇiyzərə‘el lə·yiz·rə·‘el ləyizrə‘el leyizreEl mî·yiz·rə·‘el mîyizrə‘el miyizreEl veyizreEl viyzereEl wə·yiz·rə·‘el wəyizrə‘el yiz·rə·‘e·lāh yiz·rə·‘el yizrə‘el yizrə‘elāh yizreEl yizreElah
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