The Bible In Paintings, #135: GOD DIRECTS RAVENS TO FEED ELIJAH, Part 1

Bing Images ^ | c.2200 BC - c.95 AD | by the Father, Son & Holy Spirit

[Hebrews 11:6]

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GOD DIRECTS RAVENS
TO FEED ELIJAH

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1^st. K I N G S . 1 6 – 1 7
New International Version, emphases added
Abrdgd: the complete text is in your Bible
or Click:
TO READ 1^ST KINGS 16-17 IN FULL
TO HEAR MAX McLEAN READING IT
TO HEAR A DRAMATIZATION OF IT
TO WATCH A BRIEF ANIMATION OF 1^ST KINGS

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8 6 3 . B. C.

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29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.

CHAPTER 17

1 Now Elijah the Tishbite said to Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."

2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there."

5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

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1 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by JULIUS SCHNORR VON CAROLSFELD
"Elijah Is Fed by the Ravens"

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2 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by GIOVANNI GIROLAMO SAVOLDO
"Elijah Fed by the Raven"

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3mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by ROBERT PRANKER
"Elijah Fed by Ravens"

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4mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by ALBERT HERBERT
"Elijah Fed by Ravens in the Desert"

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5 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by HE QI
"Elijah & The Ravens"

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6mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by PIETER SYMONSZ. POTTER
"Elijah Fed by Ravens"

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7 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by LAZZARO BALDI
"Saint Elijah Fed by the Raven"

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8 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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11 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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12 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by CLIVE HICKS-JENKINS
"Elijah and the Raven"

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13 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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14 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by GILLIS VAN CONINXLOO
"Elijah Fed by Ravens"

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15 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
"Elijah Fed by Ravens"
Lincolnshire Cathedral, Lincoln, England

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16 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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17 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by RICHARD ANDRE
"Ravens Brought Food To Elijah"

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18 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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19 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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20 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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21 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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22 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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23 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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24 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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25 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
"Elijah Fed by Ravens"

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26 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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27 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by ANTHONIE WATERLOO
"Elijah Fed by the Ravens"

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28 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by OTTO ELLIGER
"Ravens Feed Elijah"

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29 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by HERBERT MANDEL
"Elijah Being Fed by the Ravens"

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→ a n d…. f i n a l l y ←

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T H E ... .R A V E N
Edgar Allan Poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door—
…... Only this and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
…... Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
"'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;—
…... This it is and nothing more."

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you"—here I opened wide the door;—
…... Darkness there and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?"
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!"—
…... Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
"Surely," said I, "surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore—
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
…... 'Tis the wind and nothing more!"

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door—
…... Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"
…... Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door—
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
…... With such name as "Nevermore."

But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing farther then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered—
Till I scarcely more than muttered "Other friends have flown before—
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before."
…... Then the bird said "Nevermore."

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore—
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
…... Of 'Never—nevermore'."

But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore—
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
…... Meant in croaking "Nevermore."

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,
But whose velvet-violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,
…... She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore;
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!"
…... Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—
On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—
Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!"
…... Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."
…... Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

"Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting—
"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"
…... Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
…... Shall be lifted—nevermore!

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"The Raven" read by Vincent Price

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֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎
֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎

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SNEAK PEEK: Next time,

Part 2!

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֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎
֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎

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R E S O U R C E S

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

Ravens Feeding Elijah

Image Sources are provided for most individual works.
Where no attribution appears below a work,
the source did not provide the artist's name.
Works are numbered to facilitate your commenting.

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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

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Links to two Bibles with comprehensive illustrations:

The Art Bible (1896)

The Maciejowski-Morgan Bible (c.1245)

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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

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Here are links to the
PREVIOUS 134 POSTS IN THIS SERIES
with descriptive titles to assist you in finding those which interest you

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Finally, what God did to initiate The Bible In Paintings:
HOW GOD STARTED THIS SERIES
BY SHOWING ME JUST ONE PICTURE

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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!

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NOTES ON MY SELECTION CRITERIA

A r t 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 always 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.

T e x t S e q u e n c i n g

The Protestant Canon does not (for several reasons) follow a strictly chronological sequence. There are many examples where, for God's good purposes, stories are told out-of-order. Nevertheless, for the sake of simplicity, clarity, and my sanity, I have chosen to proceed linearly and methodically from Genesis onward, illustrating each Bible passage as we come to it. Where two passages cover the same incident I omit the second telling, excepting the four Gospels which I will treat synoptically. Now, onward!

P a c i n g

The pace here may seem appallingly snail-like to those eager to see their favorite events illustrated. 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 little or no art, that Bible passage goes untold here).

Then, there is the human element: this is not actually a daily series, because I can only research, compose, edit and post five or six of these installments weekly. And because I only get to do this series once, I'm taking my time, chiefly by posting everything; if I find lots of art, I don't cherry-pick some and discard the rest. Rather, I line up all of them and then sort them into manageable bunches, often resulting in multiple days' episodes of the same story. Obviously, I like being thorough. Were you in a big hurry?

The Bible is a thick book, as you know; but we'll get there eventually, Lord willing—this is His project, after all. And always remember:
love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control is a fruit of the Spirit!

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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.

Hebrews 11:6
Dan Lewis
DodgerDan

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YES, WE DO HAVE A

P I N G… .L I S T

for "The Bible In Paintings" series

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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 being filmed right now. 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 43 years ago).

[Hebrews 11:6]

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F o r . . y o u r

CONSIDERATION

ENJOYMENT

& BLESSING

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[left that other site]

Aw...ya beat me to it with the Poe thing!

[Hebrews 11:6]

I didn’t wait for December....

[ConorMacNessa]

Thanks very much, Dan, for the plethora of Biblical Art depicting the ravens' feeding of Prophet Elijah!

"Dia shábháil ar fad anseo!"

"God save all here!"

[Hebrews 11:6]

Tom, if it’s plethoræ you’re after, you’re in the right place.

[etabeta]

Thanks for the poem, it brought back some sweet memories of the children wanting me to read The Raven..”Knock..knock..who is there? Who knocks at the window of my chamber?” And then I would invent a story about these birds, their intelligence and beauty..and they talked! Precious moments with my babies!

The painting by Clive Hicks-Jenkins fascinates me, it expresses a wonderful reflective mood.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Yes, who knew they had coffee mugs in Israel three millennia ago?

[Hebrews 11:6]

Precious moments with my babies!

God is having many such precious moments with you, His baby.

[Albion Wilde]

"God save all here!"

Thanks, Conor! Agus leat féin!

[Forgiven_Sinner]

Examining the pictures made me realize: 1) Obeying God’s direction, to go to the wilderness and be fed by wild (unclean) bird required faith by Elijah.

2) God used the intelligent birds, training them to gather food and bring it to Elijah. Very likely He guided them also to get enough for themselves and their chicks.

3) The lessons Elijah learned in faith were enormous. He had no control over what they would bring him. Bread? Fruit? Bits of meat? Who knows?

Very inspirational today! Thanks Dan.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Well-gleaned, Jeff. Your point is timeless and universal: it requires faith to obey God, and then once you do He requires still more faith moment-by-moment as we continue living through His plan. God constantly challenges every believer to stretch and further stretch his belief, like blowing up a balloon.

[fishtank]

The contrast is the raven is an unclean bird.... yet God used them to feed a prophet.

[Hebrews 11:6]

That is quite an irony, but as long as the ravens weren’t actually bringing raven-meat to Elijah....