SEV Biblia, Chapter 9:30
¶ Y vino Jehú a Jezreel; y cuando Jezabel lo oyó, adornó sus ojos con antimonio, y atavió su cabeza, y se asomó por una ventana.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 9:30
Verse 30. She painted her face, and tired her head] She endeavoured to improve the appearance of her complexion by paint, and the general effect of her countenance by a tiara or turban head-dress. Jonathan, the Chaldee Targumist, so often quoted, translates this tljkw adydxb ahny[ vechachalath bitsdida eynaha: "She stained her eyes with stibium or antimony." This is a custom in Astatic countries to the present day. From a late traveler in Persia, I borrow the following account:- "The Persians differ as much from us in their notions of beauty as they do in those of taste. A large soft, and languishing black eye, with them constitutes the perfection of beauty. It is chiefly on this account that the women use the powder of antimony, which, although it adds to the vivacity of the eye, throws a kind of voluptuous languor over it, which makes it appear, (if I may use the expression,) dissolving in bliss. The Persian women have a curious custom of making their eye-brows meet; and if this charm be denied them, they paint the forehead with a kind of preparation made for that purpose." E. S. Waring's Tour to Sheeraz, 4to., 1807, page 62. This casts light enough on Jezebel's painting, &c., and shows sufficiently with what design she did it, to conquer and disarm Jehu, and induce him to take her for wife, as Jarchi supposes. This staining of the eye with stibium and painting was a universal custom, not only in Asiatic countries, but also in all those that bordered on them, or had connections with them. The Prophet Ezekiel mentions the painting of the eyes, Ezek. xxiii. 40.
That the Romans painted their eyes we have the most positive evidence.
Pliny says, Tanta est decoris affectatio, ut tinguantur oculi quoque. Hist. Nat. lib. xi., cap. 37. "Such is their affection of ornament, that they paint their eyes also." That this painting was with stibium or antimony, is plain from these words of St. Cyprian, Deuteronomy Opere et Eleemosynis, Inunge aculos tuos non stibio diaboli, sed collyrio Christi, "Anoint your eyes, not with the devil's antimony, but with the eye-salve of Christ." Juvenal is plain on the same subject. Men as well as women in Rome practiced it:- Ille supercilium madida fuligine tactum Obliqua producit acu pingitque trementes Attollens oculos. SAT. ii., ver. 93.
"With sooty moisture one his eye-brows dyes, And with a bodkin paints his trembling eyes." The manner in which the women in Barbary do it Dr. Russel particularly describes:- "Upon the principle of strengthening the sight, as well as an ornament, it is become a general practice among the women to black the middle of their eye-lids by applying a powder called ismed. Their method of doing it is by a cylindrical piece of silver, steel, or ivory, about two inches long, made very smooth, and about the size of a common probe.
This they wet with water, in order that the powder may stick to it, and applying the middle part horizontally to the eye, they shut the eye-lids upon it, and so drawing it through between them, it blacks the inside, leaving a narrow black rim all round the edge. This is sometimes practiced by the men, but is then regarded as foppish." RUSSEL'S Nat. Hist. of Aleppo, page 102. See Parkhurst, sub voc. ûp
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 30. And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it , etc.] And of what he had done to Joram: and she painted her face ; or put “stibium” on her eyes; a sort of paint, to make them look beautiful perhaps the same with powder of lead ore, the Moors now use to tinge their eyebrows with, and make them look black, which they reckon graceful, (see Gill on “ Ezekiel 23:40”), this custom now obtains among the white Indians, who, to heighten the lustre of their complexion, and render their eyes more languishing, put a little black about them f112 : and tired her head ; dressed her head in the most elegant manner; not with a view to tempt Jehu, which she could not expect, being an aged woman; but for grandeur and majesty, and in the pride and haughtiness of her spirit, which she retained to the last, and resolved to keep up and show in her extremity and calamity: and looked out at a window ; in a bravado, as fearless of Jehu, and to dash him out of countenance if she could; or she might hope, by such a graceful and majestic appearance she made, that he would be moved to spare her life; though this does not so well agree with what follows as the former.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 30-37 - Instead of hiding herself, as one afraid of Divine vengeance, Jezebe mocked at fear. See how a heart, hardened against God, will brave it out to the last. There is not a surer presage of ruin, than a unhumbled heart under humbling providences. Let those look at Jezebel' conduct and fate, who use arts to seduce others to commit wickedness and to draw them aside from the ways of truth and righteousness. Jeh called for aid against Jezebel. When reformation-work is on foot, it is time to ask, Who sides with it? Her attendants delivered her up. Thu she was put to death. See the end of pride and cruelty, and say, The Lord is righteous. When we pamper our bodies, let us think how vil they are; shortly they will be a feast for worms under ground, or beasts above ground. May we all flee from that wrath which is reveale from heaven, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ויבוא 935 יהוא 3058 יזרעאלה 3157 ואיזבל 348 שׁמעה 8085 ותשׂם 7760 בפוך 6320 עיניה 5869 ותיטב 3190 את 853 ראשׁה 7218 ותשׁקף 8259 בעד 1157 החלון׃ 2474
