The Bible In Paintings: SAMSON KILLS A THOUSAND PHILISTINES

[Hebrews 11:6]

The Bible In Paintings 2
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR APPRECIATING AND APPLYING GOD'S MESSAGE

J U D G E S
CHAPTER 15

Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.

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2

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When the Philistines asked, “Who did this?” they were told, “Samson, because his wife was given to his friend.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.

Samson said to them, “Since you’ve acted like this, I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.” He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

5
PIETRO DELLA VECCHIA
"Samson"

6
SALOMON DE BRAY
"Samson with the Jawbone"

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DOUGLAS RAMSEY
"Jawbone"

8
GUSTAVE DORÉ
"Samson Destroys the Philistines with an Ass' Jawbone"

9
HILAIRE PADER
"Samson Slaying the Philistines"

10
WOLFGANG ANDREAS HEINDL
"Samson Killing the Philistines by a Donkey's Jawbone"

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GIULIO CESARE PROCACCINI
"Samson and the Philistines"

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MATT SWEENEY
"Samson"

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DAVID MARTIN
"Samson Slays 1,000 Philistines"

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AURELIANO MILANI
"Samson Kills the Philistines"

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JAMES TISSOT
"Samson Slays a Thousand Men"

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"Samson Slays the Philistine"

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GIAMBOLOGNA
"Samson and a Philistine"

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→ a n d... f i n a l l y ←

Then Samson said,

“With a donkey’s jawbone
I have made donkeys of them.
With a donkey’s jawbone
I have killed a thousand men.”

30
GIOVAN BATTISTA LANGETTI
"Samson Victorieux"

31
I.P. CHERNOV
"Samson"

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GUIDO RENI
"Victorious Samson"

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ANTONIO ZANCHI
"Samson"

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GIOVAN BATTISTA LANGETTI
"Samson Drinks from the Jawbone"

New International Version ©1984, Abrdgd, EMPHASES Added
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[Hebrews 11:6]

R E S O U R C E S
Read JUDGES 15 in full
Hear MAX McLEAN reading it
Hear a DRAMATIZATION of it
Read J-F-B's COMMENTARY
BIBLE TIMELINE

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The Bible In Paintings 2
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The Bible In Paintings 1


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[Hebrews 11:6]

S A M S O N
GOD PROMISES SAMSON’S BIRTH
SAMSON’S LION
SAMSON KILLS A THOUSAND PHILISTINES
SAMSON’S TROPHIES
DELILAH BETRAYS SAMSON
THE PHILISTINES CAPTURE SAMSON
SAMSON'S CAPTIVITY AND REVENGE

[left that other site]

Good Morning, Dan!

I like #14 for its understatement.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Hiya, Mary-Lou! Yes, that one is rather a unique and startling take.

[Red Badger]

Where was PETA when all this was going on?................

[Red Badger]

Samson invented Donkey Kong!....................

[Hebrews 11:6]

Samson didn’t kill the donkey, just humans. PETA doesn’t care.

[Verginius Rufus]

Shortly before the 1884 election, a supporter of the Republican nominee James G. Blaine denounced the Democrats as the party of “rum, Romanism, and rebellion.” That remark was believed to have offended Catholic voters. When Grover Cleveland narrowly won the election, it was said that he had slain the opposition with the jawbone of an ass.

[Red Badger]

He set foxes on fire!..................

[BenLurkin]

The Bible doesn’t say presisely, and I’ve always kind of suspected that Sampson didn’t kill all of them at one time.

[left that other site]

More like Six-Pac-Man. Check out those Abs!

[Hebrews 11:6]

That’s rich. Thanks for contributing that.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Well, there is that....................

[Hebrews 11:6]

You are correct, of course, that the text does not clarify it. Obviously, killing a thousand would take an hour or two. But a day or more? Not seeing it....

He was overpowering at close range. Had they no archers? Could he simply dodge all arrows, or did they simply bounce off him harmlessly?

So many unanswered questions....

[etabeta]

I feel sorry for the foxes! Dore’ at #8! All others are good too but #14 gives me the shivers....Truly Samson, on that day, walked through the valley of the shadow of death but trusted in God to give him the power to defeat the Philistines.

[spankalib]

I like the colors in #10, Heindl...couldn't find out much about him though (after a cursory search). It looks like it's on a ceiling/overhead, though, and Samson has 3 kneecaps on his left knee.

#20 is interesting - the hair! - and Sampson has a whole jawbone (instead of half, depicted in most of the others).

[Hebrews 11:6]

How do you even catch 300 foxes?!

I like your Psalm 23 application and integration with this story, Alba. You captured the lesson we are to draw from it.

[telescope115]

The foxes were weapons of mass destruction….

[Hebrews 11:6]

Samson has 3 kneecaps

You are such a keen observer, John. So, your practice isn't limited to backs?

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

This reminds me of my brother-in-law (now deceased) who claimed to know all needed to be known about the Bible although he never cracked one open. He got his knowledge from shows on the History Channel.

After hearing him spew about something he thought was in the Bible, you knew how the Philistines felt when they were “slain with the jawbone of an ASS.”