מלכים ב, פרק ט׳, פסוק ל׳

The great rebellion reaches its climax as the new ruler enters the fortified city completely unopposed. Knowing her end is near, the Queen Mother chooses to meet him with a highly unexpected appearance. She prepares herself by painting her eyes with dark makeup [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. She carefully arranges her hair, her veil, and her royal headwear [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון], and then looks out the window to await his arrival [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This sudden focus on beauty is puzzling, especially for a widow whose son, the king, has just been murdered. The primary approach among commentators is that she was desperately trying to save her own life. By dressing up and painting herself in the manner of a prostitute [אברבנאל], she hoped to win his favor so he would spare her [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג, רד״ק], perhaps even with the thought that he might marry her [רש״י].

Conversely, another perspective views her actions not as submission, but as a bold display of power and pride. In this view, she completely refused to be humiliated and insisted on presenting herself as the absolute ruling queen [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Her royal adornment was a calculated effort to maintain her grip on the kingdom [רלב״ג]. She hoped that projecting such an impressive and commanding image would inspire the army officers to rally behind her and turn against the rebellious servant [מלבי״ם].

This attitude of arrogant defiance also explains her sharp greeting, where she addresses him as "Zimri." She purposefully reminded him, and everyone listening, of a past rebel named Zimri who assassinated his master but was killed shortly after because the people refused to accept his rule. Through this insult, she arrogantly warned him that he was destined for the exact same fate [מלבי״ם, רלב״ג, אברבנאל].