The Bible In Paintings, #90: SAMUEL IN THE LORD’S HOUSE WITH ELI

Bing Images ^ | by the Father, Son & Holy Spirit | by the Father, Son & Holy Spirit

[Hebrews 11:6]

. .

. .

SAMUEL IN
THE LORD’S HOUSE
WITH ELI

. .

. .

1^st. SAMUEL. 2 – 3
New International Version, emphases added
Abrdgd – the complete text is in your Bible, OR:
TO READ 1st SAMUEL 2-3 IN FULL, Click Here
TO HEAR MAX McLEAN READING IT, Click Here
TO HEAR A DRAMATIZATION OF IT, Click Here
TO WATCH AN OVERVIEW OF 1st SAMUEL, Click Here

. .

1 1 0 0 . . B. C.

18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home. 21 And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.

CHAPTER 3

The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”

15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

17 “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”

19 The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

. .

1

. .

2

. .

3

. .

4
by JOHN SINGLETON COPLEY
“Eli and Samuel”

. .

5

. .

6

. .

7

. .

8

. .

9

. .

10

. .

11
by RUTH COLLET
“The Lord called him and Samuel answered 'Here I am' and ran to Eli”

. .

12
by RUTH COLLET
“The Lord called him and Samuel answered 'Here I am' and ran to Eli”

. .

13

. .

14

. .

15

. .

16

. .

17

. .

18

. .

19

. .

20
by HAROLD COPPING
“Samuel and Eli”

. .

21

. .

22

. .

23

. .

24

. .

25
“Samuel and Eli”
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, England

. .

26
Left: “Eli and Samuel”(see Copley's painting, #4 above)
Right: "Jesus and the Children"
St Andrew's Church, Nuthurst, West Sussex, England

. .

---

. .

SNEAK PEEK: Next time,

MISCELLANY #4

. .

---

. .

R E S O U R C E S

. .

If you'd like to see for yourself the Bing page
which yielded most of the works above, here is the link:

"Eli & Samuel"

Where no attribution appears below a work,
the artist's name is unknown
Works are numbered to facilitate your commenting

. .

Links to three masters who painted Biblical scenes prolifically:

REMBRANDT HARMENSZOON van RIJN

GUSTAV DORÉ
241 wood engravings for
La Grande Bible de Tours

JAMES TISSOT
180 watercolors depicting Bible scenes

. .

This series keeps moving from one Bible passage to another,
so here is a fascinating and enjoyable link to assist in following along:
BIBLE TIMELINE

. .

Finally, here are links to the
PREVIOUS 89 POSTS IN THIS SERIES
, with descriptive titles to assist you in finding those which interest you

. .

---

. .

SPECIAL THANKS
to FReeper left that other site,
who allowed God to make her His conduit
for incomparable enthusiasm, encouragement,
education, advice and technical assistance!

. .

---

. .

NOTES ON MY SELECTION CRITERIA

Q u a l i t y The Bible and its Author are my focus, not the art:
this is The Bible in Paintings, not “Great Paintings” nor even “Good Paintings.” So, works need not be masterpieces to qualify for inclusion here—they don’t need to be housed at the Louvre nor auctioned by Sotheby’s. They only need to illustrate successfully some aspect of the Biblical text or, frankly, just tickle my fancy, which I'm asking the Holy Spirit to guide. Often, artists misrepresent the Scripture, but unless the error is material, licentious or heretical I usually include the artwork, trusting that the Spirit is perfectly capable of defending Himself. So, with such forgiving filters, it means that you're seeing practically everything I'm finding.

P a c i n gThe pace may seem glacial to those eager to see their favorite events. My commission is to search for art on each Bible passage in sequence; if I find enough, then it becomes the next installment, even if undramatic. But where there is no art, that Bible passage goes untold here. The Bible is a thick book, as you know; but we'll get there eventually, Lord willing. Always remember:
love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control is a fruit of the Spirit!

Art is merely the Toy Department of Bible study,
so I’m just having fun here—I hope you are, too!
Thank you for your understanding.

. .

. .

---

. .

. .

YES, WE DO HAVE A

P I N G… .L I S T

for "The Bible In Paintings" series

… .

To be alerted to each new posting,
either reply here or FRmail me.

No contracts, startup charges or monthly fees;
no hazing or initiation rituals; cancel anytime.

[Hebrews 11:6]

At the Holy Spirit's prompting, I am surveying "Bible art" to give God glory, as many of these artists have done, and for my own amusement and learning; and I thought others might enjoy it and be blessed by it, too. My plan is to proceed methodically from left-to right, Genesis to Revelation, as the Lord wills. Back soon with another.

The Bible encourages us to meditate on it (Ps. 1:1-3, 119:11-16, etc.); these artists have done so, and their works can assist us and enrich our own thoughts about biblical characters, incidents and concepts, and increase our faith in He who is behind it all. As you encounter and consider these images and the related Scriptures and the Spirit enlightens your understanding, please share it with us!

But it is not only oil-on-canvas that can so help us; I refer to the astonishing video series The Chosen, which strolls through the four Gospels at the most leisurely pace. The eight episodes of Season 1 are finished, and the second of a planned seven seasons is coming soon. I say "leisurely" because after an entire year’s viewing Jesus still has only seven of the apostles (although He's preparing to call up Thomas from the minor leagues--but Thomas is skeptical, of course). Anticipating a canvas of fifty-plus hours instead of a movie's paltry two hours, The Chosen turns the characters (especially including Jesus!) into three-dimensional humans and brings the Gospels alive--you have never seen anything even remotely like it! Here is the Official Trailer.

Here is a link for free viewing of The Chosen: “Works with your phone, tablet, and you can cast to your Roku or Chromecast.” Last fall I paid $34.98 for DVDs and ongoing internet access—best 35 bucks I’ve ever spent (I don’t recall how much our marriage license cost, but then it was 42 years ago).

[Hebrews 11:6]

……... .

F o r . . y o u r

CONSIDERATION

ENJOYMENT

& BLESSING

……... .

[spankalib]

"...he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground."

Beautiful, powerful, and deep!

[left that other site]

Samuel had his little bed right next to the Ark of the Covenant.

And he did NOT get ZOTTED.

Even as a child, he was anointed for service.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Struck me also. Israel listened to Samuel’s words for a long time—but when he aged, they demanded a king, as we shall see next week.

[Hebrews 11:6]

A unique life, from conception through adoption, training, and centrality within God’s processes, right up through Saul. Got books of the Bible named for him!

[Maudeen]

Enjoying little Samuel’s pics with everyone else.

[EliRoom8]

Thanks so much. They’re all so very good, especially the stained glass ones.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Apparently, little Sammy made the best of Hannah's horrendous decision to abandon him to the care of an old man who was a failed father--although Samuel's own sons were no bargain, either.

Because you like paintings of children, here's one I stumbled upon the other day, from Pietro Rotari, 1762:

It has no relevance to this series, but "Thank heaven for little girls!" Can't help noticing the resemblance to Juliet, my six-year-old granddaughter. I shared it with all the females in and around our family.

[Hebrews 11:6]

And on the last window, #26, did you notice that the scene copied Copley’s painting, #4?

[Forgiven_Sinner]

My favorites are Copley, for his depiction of Eli and Samuel, and Ruth Collette for her setting, She is one of the few that show Eli in bed.

I picture Eli as balding. Later, when he dies, he’s described as heavy and 98 years old. I guess Samuel would be about 20-30 at that time.

Eli actually comes out looking good in this scene, although the Lord will punish him for his negligence as a judge. He is patient with Samuel and teaches him how to listen to God and speak to Him.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Like everyone, Eli had strengths and weaknesses. It’s reasonable to suppose, I think, that Hannah’s horrendous decision to abandon her young son into the care of an old man must have been ameliorated by an understanding that Mrs. Eli would play a central role in raising Sammy.

[EliRoom8]

Are you sure? Imo, oo many differences. In 26 he Eli looks disbelieving and his hands are saying “Me?” In 4 there’s far more love in the face and his hands seem to be saying “Calm down.” Eli in 4 seems to be very approachable but Eli in 26 seems disconcerted.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Copley's was my favorite, too--and was also a favorite of the "artists" of the two comedic knockoffs directly below it, not to mention the stained-glass maker of #26.

I liked Collett's because she showed the scene from both vantages. Her technique is crayon-crude, but her composition is worth noticing.

[EliRoom8]

In Series #89 on Hannah’s Miracle Son I think some of the illustrations depicted something of early mature acceptance of his delegated role— far less heartbreaking than a routine separation of mother and child. This is where these paintings can give us a fresh (more accurate??) perspective of the narrative.(eg. #6, 9, 21, 22, 28)

[Hebrews 11:6]

Yep. Not identical, but only minor, unimportant differences. Note the similarities: carafe & jug upper-left; Eli’s footstool, beard, raised left hand; Samuel’s left hand on Eli’s knee, right hand pointing up.

[Maudeen]

On my computer I don’t see a pic.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Well, artists can try to persuade us that brave young Samuel warmed immediately to the old man—I noticed their efforts, too—but I don’t have to buy the second-rate junk they’re trying to push. The Bible itself is entirely silent on any emotional trauma Samuel may have—must have!—suffered, a silence I find both notable and ominous.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Disappeared on mine, too. Trying again:

[EliRoom8]

You’re right. The footstool finally sealed the deal for me. Art plagiarism. So . . . the second artist was in the family line of Joe Biden!