The Bible In Paintings, #137: GOD DIRECTS A GENTILE WIDOW TO FEED ELIJAH

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

[Hebrews 11:6]

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GOD DIRECTS
A GENTILE WIDOW
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.

7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

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1 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by BERNARDO STROZZI
“Prophet Elijah and the Widow of Sarepta”

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2 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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3mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by GIOVANNI LANFRANCO
“Elijah Receiving Bread from the Widow of Zarephath”

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4mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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5 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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6mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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7mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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8 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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9mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by JAN VICTORS
“Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath”

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10 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
“Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath”
Mother Of God Church, Covington, Kentucky

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11 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by “The Widow's Charity”
St Mary de Castro, Leicester,England

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12 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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13 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by BARENT FABRITIUS
“Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath”

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14 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by BARTHOLOMEUS BREENBERGH
“Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath”

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15 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by LOUIS CHERON
“The Prophet Elijah and the Widow of Sarepta”

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16 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by ABRAHAM VAN DIJCK
“The Prophet Elijah
with the Widow of Zarephath and Her Son”

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17 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by CORNELIS VAN POELENBURCH
“The Prophet Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath”

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18 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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19 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by HENDRIK HEERSCHOP
“Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath”

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20 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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21 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by JAN PYNAS
“Elijah and the widow of Zarephath”

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22 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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23 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source
by SIEGFRIED DETLER BENDIXEN
“Elijah And The Widow Of Zarephath”

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→ a n d…. f i n a l l y ←

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24 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Image Source

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֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎
֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎

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SNEAK PEEK: Next time,

ELIJAH RAISES
THE DEAD!

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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:

Elijah & the Widow

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 136 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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[Forgiven_Sinner]

Hi Dan! Thanks for making me ‘featured’ in your excellent series on the Bible.

For this edition, I like picture #1 the best. It shows the widow as a young woman and draws in the viewer’s sympathy for her youth, beauty, and the young child with her.

I often fall into the fallacy of imagining the widow as old or middle-aged, but with the death rate in the ancient world, youthful widows were not unusual. The young child implies her youth.

[jjotto]

Interesting, but the widow’s comment about Elijah calling her sin to remembrance is very puzzling unless she’s an Israelite refugee with an unspoken backstory.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I am perfectly happy to hear which pictures posters like the most, especially when they force themselves to articulate exactly why, as you just did. In this instance I’m especially glad, because Strozzi’s is my favorite too—indeed, that’s why it appears at the top. As editor and OP it’s not my role to poison the well by spouting off my preference, but I can certainly shout “Amen!”

[Hebrews 11:6]

I have noticed and am expressing here--as your Christian brother--my appreciation for your respectful manner when challenging others' claims. It tells me you are allowing the Holy Spirit free rein. Thanks for setting all of us such an admirable example.

Dan

[jjotto]

Certainly the Old Testament, especially in the original Hebrew, has a lot of cryptic or ambiguous content that makes varying interpretations inevitable.

[Forgiven_Sinner]

“Interesting, but the widow’s comment about Elijah calling her sin to remembrance is very puzzling unless she’s an Israelite refugee with an unspoken backstory.”

A good point which I hadn’t considered. Certainly, Gentiles knew about sin and the widow, in particular, living with Elijah would know a great deal about God. So she could be an Israelite widow or a Gentil widow on the brink of conversion.

[Maudeen]

Little is much when God is in it!

[Red Badger]

The Phoenicians weren’t really bad people, although the Romans might take issue with that statement................Carthago delenda est..............

[Red Badger]

https://truthsaves.org/was-jonah-the-son-of-the-widow-at-zarephath/

[Hebrews 11:6]

I enjoyed Tim's answer, especially his ending:

I do not, however, suspect that you will be able to convince the rabbi. People must have open minds in order to be convinced. And as we know from 2 Timothy 2:24-26, our role is to be gentle with all. Ultimately, we win people to Jesus by love, not by convincing arguments. Vigorous arguments done in loving ways help keep us grounded in truth, but for those outside of Christ, such arguments can seem like attacks and arrogance. Accordingly, I would urge you not to use the information to take on the rabbi, but rather to guide your own thinking in truth. As for the rabbi, if you can show him the love of Christ, you will be doing what Jesus has called us to do.

Dr. Gary Habermas has an excellent video series making that point.

[Red Badger]

I am reminded that Paul in his travels used logic and reason in the synagogues to win over Jews to Christ...............

[Hebrews 11:6]

Habermas finds a substantial majority is impervious to logical and factual arguments, because emotional issues interfere.

[Red Badger]

That explains Democrats..................