The Bible In Paintings: ABRAHAM FINDS ISAAC A WIFE!

[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 24

Abraham was now old and the LORD had blessed him in every way. He said to his chief servant, “Go to my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac. The LORD will send his angel before you.”

Then the servant made his way to the town of Nahor. It was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.

Then he prayed, “O LORD, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. When I say to a girl, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac.”

Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”

“Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly gave him a drink. And she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking.”

When the camels had finished drinking, the man asked, “Whose daughter are you?”

She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor.” And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.”

Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD.

The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. “Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” he said.

So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. And my master made me swear an oath, and said, ‘Go to my father’s family and get a wife for my son.’”

Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has directed.”

Abraham’s servant bowed down to the ground before the LORD. The next morning he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”

So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”

“I WILL GO,” she said. So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.

Now Isaac saw camels approaching. Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”

“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

Then the servant told Isaac all he had done.

Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

New International Version ©1984, Abrdgd, EMPHASES Added

IF REBECCA DOES NOT GO,
THERE IS NO JACOB.
AND WITHOUT JACOB….

1
HAROLD COPPING
" Rebekah at the Well"

2
PEDRO ORRENTE
"Rebeca Gives a Drink to Eliezer"

3
BARTOLOMÉ ESTEBAN MURILLO
"Rebecca and Eliezer"

4
BERNARDO STROZZI
"Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well"

5
ROBERT GAVIN
"Rebekah at the Well"

6
"Eliezer and Rebecca at the Well"

7
FELIX IVO LEICHER
"Rebekah and Elieser at the Well"

8
PACECCO DE ROSA
"Rebecca at the Well"

9
JOHANN CARL LOTH
"Eliezer and Rebecca at the Well"

10
CARLO PELLICANI
"Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well"

11
OTTAVIO VANNINI
"Rebekah and Eliezer at the Fountain"

12
"Rebecca"

13
MARCELLO BACCIARELLI
"Rebecca and Eleazar"

14
ALEXANDRE CABANEL
"Rebecca et Eliézer"

15
ANTONIO DIZIANI
"Rebecca at the Well"

16
GIOVANNI BATTISTA TIEPOLO
"Meeting of Rebecca and Eleazar at the Well"

17
JEAN-BAPTISTE CAMILLE COROT
"Rebecca at the Well"

18
FRANCESCO SOLIMENA
"Rebecca and Eleazer"

19
FRANZ ANTON MAULBERTSCH
"Rebecca and Eliezer"

20
FRANZ SEBALD UNTERBERGER
"Rebekah and Eliezer at the Fountain"

21
GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIAZZETTA
"Rebecca at the Well"

22
GIOVANNI LANFRANCO
"Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well"

23
CARLO MARATTA
"Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well"

24
JOHANN GEORG PLATZER
"Rebekah at the Fountain"

25
GIOVANNI ANTONIO PELLEGRINI
"Rebecca at the Well"

26
JAMES TISSOT
"Abraham's Servant Meets Rebecca"

27
ERNANI COSTANTINI
"Rebecca"

28
GERBRAND VAN DEN EECKHOUT
"Isaac and Rebecca"

29
GUSTAVE DORÉ
"Eliezer and Rebekah at the Well"

30
BENJAMIN WEST
"Isaac's Servant Tying the Bracelet on Rebecca's Arm"

31
NICOLÒ GRASSI
"Rebecca at the Well"

32
Italian School
"Rebecca at the Well"

33
BENEDETTO LUTI
"Rebecca at the Well"

→ a n d... f i n a l l y ←

34
JAMES TISSOT
"Rebecca Meets Isaac by the Way"

35
Source

36
"Abraham Blesses the Wedding of Isaac and Rebecca"

37
Clokey & Co.
"Isaac and Rebekah"

[Hebrews 11:6]

Well, I omit artworks daily, for various reasons. Always, my top goal is to deliver the Scripture winsomely. If nudity—or anything else—interferes with that, then out they’ll go. It’s a frequent tension.

[Hebrews 11:6]

It's great to hear from you, John. Been hoping you'd post.

It's a good thing that God made women. He didn't give them facial hair to hide behind, instead giving each inherent beauty.

And it's a good thing that God made Rebecca beautiful, so that Abraham's servant would have his judgment confirmed. Isaac needed her.

[left that other site]

Yes. If your goal is to use Art to illustrate Scripture, then you have to look carefully.

That was not always the srtist’s intent. Sometimes it was a commission, sometimes a study piece, sometimes a “show-off” piece, and sometimes it is genuinely spiritual.

In the case of the Sistine Chapel, the art was to fulfil a commission that the artist didn’t even want! And yet, it is still beautiful.

I never have to worry about Tissot, though. The sincerity and spirituality of his illustrations are always apparent.

[spankalib]

Oh I know! You are much appreciated!

[left that other site]

Why Thank you, FRiend! :-)

[SisterK]

another bunch of good ones

#14 and #29 are my favorites today
I must be in a crisp edges mood or something like that.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Glad you found some you enjoy.

[Norski]

14 and 17 find attractive, especially the camels in 14. In 17, Rebecca appears as beautiful as described in the Bible. In addition, the compositions of these two are quite dissimilar from the rest. In 31 the women all appear to be depictions of Pan, or demons after examining the structure of the faces carefully. Much under the surface going on, especially with the Medieval Italian artists.

[Hebrews 11:6]

We are distanced from those Medieval Italian artists by half a millennium, an ocean, and in many cases a theological chasm. It is unsurprising, therefore, to see evidence of their differences.

It has been difficult for me, but gradually I am coming to accept that.

[Norski]

“It has been difficult for me, but gradually I am coming to accept that.”

---

Understood, no worries. Thank you for doing this. Sent links to several friends. Not trying to tell you to censor, self- or otherwise.

Theological chasm the largest.

[Red Badger]

Hope he didn’t use one of those Internet sites like Tindr...................

[Red Badger]

You find camels “attractive”?.............

[Hebrews 11:6]

Abe was old-school.

[Norski]

Heh, heh. Lol. Did not elaborate earlier, apologise.
Yes, does sound strange. Allow explanation here . . .

Style, composition, perspective and colors most attract me here - as opposed to many of the other paintings. Style more like another painter . . Boulanger? Scene is larger than most and desert rather than bucolic European countryside.

Camel head breaking up view line in background, amusing.

Regarding the camels, the saddle, saddle pad, and luggage in brighter colors and pattern contrasting and to the upper right would like to see full sized. Rebecca and Eliezer figures are enjoyable, but not what is seen by me first. Actually, would like to own a copy of this.

[Red Badger]

Re: Camels

Looking at some of these paintings, it becomes apparent that more than few of the artists never laid eyes on a real camel!.............