The Bible In Paintings: GOD TESTS ABRAHAM

[Hebrews 11:6]

The Bible In Paintings 2
Engravings•Facades•Frescoes•Illuminations•Miniatures•Mosaics•Photographs•Reliefs•Sculptures•Tapestries•Windows

G E N E S I S
CHAPTER 22 VERSES 1-18

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. NOW I KNOW THAT YOU FEAR GOD, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and THROUGH YOUR OFFSPRING ALL NATIONS ON EARTH WILL BE BLESSED, because you have obeyed me.”

H E B R E W S
CHAPTER 11 VERSES 17-19

BY FAITH Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” ABRAHAM REASONED THAT GOD COULD RAISE THE DEAD, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

New International Version ©1984, Abrdgd, EMPHASES Added

1
CORNELIS DE VOS
"Abraham Taking Isaac to be Sacrificed"

2
Brunswick Monogrammist
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

3
PEDRO ORRENTE
"Abraham and Isaac on the Way to Sacrifice"

4
COSME DE ACUÑA
"Abraham and Isaac on the Way to Sacrifice"

5
DOMENICHINO
"Abraham Leading Isaac to Sacrifice"

6
GUSTAVE DORÉ
"The Testing of Abraham's Faith"

7
JAMES TISSOT
"Isaac Bears the Wood for His Sacrifice"

8
JAN VICTORS
"Abraham and Isaac before the Sacrifice"

9
JAN VICTORS
"Abraham and Isaac before the Sacrifice"

10
ADI HOLZER
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

11
BERNWARD SCHMID
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

12
SIMON TROGER
"Binding of Isaac"

13
"Binding of Isaac"

14
GIAMBATTISTA PITTONI
"Sacrificio d'Isacco"

15
"Abraham's Sacrifice"

16
ORAZIO RIMINALDI
"Sacrifice of Isaac"

17
REMBRANDT
"Sacrifice of Isaac"

18
CARAVAGGIO
"Sacrifice of Isaac"

19
CARAVAGGIO
"Sacrifice of Isaac"

20
PEDRO ORRENTE
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

21
CORNELIS DE VOS & JAN WILDENS
"The Sacrifice of Abraham"

22
PIETER THIJS
"Sacrifice of Isaac"

23
JACOB FRANQUART
"The Angel Restrains Abraham from Sacrificing Isaac"

24
CELESTIN MEDOVIĆ
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

25
Detail
Source

26
DOMENICHINO
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

27
KÁROLY FERENCZY
"The Sacrifice of Abraham"

28
GERARD TER BORCH the Elder
"The Sacrifice of Abraham"

29
JUAN DE VALDÉS LEAL
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

30
PHILIPPE DE CHAMPAIGNE
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

31
POMPEO BATONI
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

32
GERHARDT WILHELM VON REUTERN
"Abraham Sacrificing Isaac"

33
PETER PAUL RUBENS
"Abraham's Sacrifice of Isaac"

34
ANTONIO GONZÁLEZ VELÁZQUEZ
"Sacrificio de Isaac"

35
SANTIAGO REBULL
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

36
ANDREA MANTEGNA
"Sacrifice of Isaac"

37
TITIAN
"Sacrifice of Isaac"

38
CIGOLI
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

39
ANDREA LANZANI
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

40
GIUSEPPE VERMIGLIO
"Sacrifice of Isaac"

41
LAURENT DE LA HYRE
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

42
HAROLD COPPING
"Abraham and Isaac"

→ a n d... f i n a l l y ←

43
JAN LIEVENS
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

44
"Abraham Embraces His Son Isaac
after Receiving Him Back from God"

45
Source

46
Source

47
DAVID TENIERS the Younger
"Abraham's Sacrifice"

[Hebrews 11:6]

R E S O U R C E S
Read GENESIS 22 in full
Hear MAX McLEAN reading it
Hear a DRAMATIZATION of it
Read J-F-B's COMMENTARY
BIBLE TIMELINE

Click for 26 prior episodes in THIS series:
The Bible In Paintings 2
Click for 434 links in the FIRST series:
The Bible In Paintings 1


HOW GOD PROMPTED
THIS BIBLE-ART SERIES

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GENESIS 12-50

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[Hebrews 11:6]

C A L L I N G
GOD CALLS ABRAM
ABRAM, LOT, MELCHIZIDEK—and JESUS!
"SO SHALL YOUR OFFSPRING BE"
ABRAM, SARAI & HAGAR
ABRAHAM'S THREE VISITORS
SODOM, GOMORRAH and LOT

I N H E R I T I N G
ABRAHAM EXPELS HAGAR AND ISHMAEL
GOD TESTS ABRAHAM
ABRAHAM FINDS ISAAC A WIFE!

J A C O B
ESAU'S BIRTHRIGHT, JACOB'S BLESSING
JACOB'S STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
JACOB FLEES FROM LABAN
JACOB WRESTLES WITH GOD
JACOB RECONCILES WITH ESAU

[left that other site]

Good Morning, Dan! :-)

Once again, I like the Tissot Paintings the best.

[etabeta]

Many, many beautiful paintings. In #22 and #32, the artists give us the realism of Abraham’s action and anguish, all expressed in the eyes. Caravaggio always excels. We recognize in his Isaac the same boy he used for his Amor Vincit Omnia. Great page.

[Hebrews 11:6]

He is the king.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I believe I found more wonderful and varied art on this subject than on any other so far.

[left that other site]

lower case “k”, as you properly typed.

There is only One “Upper-Case King”. :-)

[Hebrews 11:6]

Cannot wait until His throne is on whatever is left of the earth after the Great Tribulation. I know patience/longsuffering is a fruit of the Spirit, but still....

[left that other site]

Amen.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

What a great collection on this topic. Too many great ones to have a favorite - Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Titian and Tissot and Copping. Quite a treat today. Part of the fun is looking to find the ram/sheep in the painting.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Part of the fun is looking to find the ram/sheep in the painting.

Well said. I was disappointed there weren't more paintings containing the ram, but it just makes me appreciate all the more the artists who did include it. After all, it does represent Jesus.

[Bob434]

22 31,40,and 43 nicely depicted the intensity of the scene and conflicting emotions. Carravagio nails the scene per usual too- I liked the circular composition and of course the lighting and rendering of skin and clothes. Suchma great artist he was

[rusureitflies?]

Agreed in 22 Abrahams eyes brings me closer to our father God in the personality of Abraham and the love we have from Jesus Christ our Lord.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I’ve finally developed an ability to recognize Caravaggios at a glance, sometimes. He stands out.

[Bob434]

He sure did. There were some other artists that painted similarly, but he was quite something

[Hebrews 11:6]

Heartbroken obedience.

[rusureitflies?]

YES, I carry that “Heartbroken Obedience.” in my Soul. Our God is an Awesome God.

[InkStone]

Thank you once more Dan. You posting the Word at the beginning is so important; it really sets the tone for what follows.

Great choices; it’s humbling to see such talent displayed. I hope all of these artists came to know personally the Lamb of God...

[Hebrews 11:6]

Just today, Leon, I discovered a way to better integrate the pictures with the text when the story is lengthy and complex. I'm very excited about it and wish I'd figured it out long ago.

Always, my primary goal is to present and to illustrate the Word. It's not about the art, it's about God's message.

---

We can be encouraged about the salvation prospects for these artists, at least to this extent: in order to create their works, they had to grapple with the text.

[delchiante]

Great selections. Is 45 a photograph? I clicked and the source took me to the page..
So real..

It seems to show the ‘oldest’ Isaac..