Jezreel, Ditch of

The ditch (or moat) of Jezreel is mentioned in 1 Kings 21:23 in the fulfillment of Elijah's prophecy against Jezebel: "Dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel" (or in some manuscripts, "in the plot of ground at Jezreel"). The precise meaning of the Hebrew term (chel) rendered "ditch" or "rampart" is disputed — some translations render it as "moat," others as "in the portion of Jezreel."

The prophecy's fulfillment is recorded in 2 Kings 9:36: when Jehu's servants went to bury Jezebel, they found only her skull, feet, and the palms of her hands, and Jehu recognized this as the fulfillment of Elijah's word. The ditch or wall thus marks the precise location at Jezreel where divine judgment on Jezebel was executed, tying the prophecy to a specific topographic feature of the city.