The Bible In Paintings >>> Women in the Bible Series ✝️ THE TWO TAMARS — Judah’s Conqueror, Amnon’s Victim ✝️

[Hebrews 11:6]

The Bible
In Paintings

~ Encouragement for Applying
and Appreciating God's Word ~

•Drawings•Engravings•Facades•Frescoes•Illuminations•Miniatures•Mosaics•Photographs•Reliefs•Statues•Tapestries•Windows•

WOMEN IN THE BIBLE
THE TWO TAMARS

		TAMAR: JUDAH’S CONQUEROR

GENESIS 38: Judah got a wife for his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But the LORD put him to death. Judah then said to Tamar, “Live as a widow until my son Shelah grows up.” So Tamar went to her father’s house.

After a long time when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah,” she covered herself with a veil and sat down at the road to Timnah. Though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.

Judah thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”

“And what will you give me to sleep with you?” she asked.

“I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” he said.

“Give me a pledge until you send it—your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

1
Source

2
Source

3
Source

4
JAMES TISSOT
"Judah and Tamar"

5
Source

6
"Judah and Tamar"

7
HORACE VERNET
"Judah and Tamar"

8
GERARD HOET
"Judah Gives his Signet, Bracelets and Staff in Pledge to Tamar"

9
FERDINAND BOL
"Judah and Tamar"

10
Source

11
Source

12
CIRO FERRI
"Judah and Tamar"

13
Source

14
Source

15
ARENT DE GELDER
"Tamar and Judah"

16
JACOPO DA PONTE
"Tamar e Giuda"

Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her.

About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and she is now pregnant.”

Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”

As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these. See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”

Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again.

When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb, Perez and Zerah.

17
LIDIA KOZENITZKY
"Tammar"

18
HERMAN VAN DER MIJN
"Tamar"

19
"Juda und Thamar"

20
Source

21
"Tamar Presents Her Proof"

MATTHEW 1: A record of the genealogy
of Jesus Christ:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah,
JUDAH the father of Perez,
Whose mother was TAMAR,
Perez the father of Hezron….

Eleven generations later….

		TAMAR: AMNON’S VICTIM

2nd SAMUEL 13: In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar.

Amnon became frustrated to the point of illness on account of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.

So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.”

David sent word to Tamar: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.” So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She made the bread in his sight and baked it. But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.”

“Don’t, my brother!” she said to him. “Don’t force me. Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don’t do this wicked thing. What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.”

But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.

22
LUCIO MASSARI
"Amnon and Tamar"

23
JAN STEEN
"Amnon and Tamar"

24
MAARTEN VAN HEEMSKERCK
"Sexual Assault of Tamar by Amnon"

25
ANTONIO BELLUCCI
"Amnon and Tamar"

26
GUERCINO
"Amnon and Tamar"

27
Roman School
"Amnon and Tamar"

28
GIOVANNI DOMENICO CERRINI
"Amnon and Tamar"

29
HERMAN VAN DER MIJN
"Thamar en Amnon"

30

31
PHILIP VAN SANTVOORT
"The Rape of Tamar by Amnon"

Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”

“No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.”

But he refused to listen to her. He called his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of here and bolt the door after her.” So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornamented robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.

And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman.

32
GUERCINO
"Amnon Drives Out Sister Tamar"

33
ALEXANDRE CABANEL
"Thamar"

34
NICOLAS REGNIER
"Amnon and Thamar"

35
JAMES TISSOT
"Desolation of Tamar"

36
MAARTEN VAN HEEMSKERCK
"Absalom Addresses the Wailing Tamar"

→ a n d   f i n a l l y ←

37
GUERCINO
"Absalom and Tamar"

New International Version ©1984, Abrgd, EMPHASES added
Masthead Painting: “GUEST” by Andrey Mironov

[Hebrews 11:6]

A R C H I V E S
Click for links to all prior posts


P I N G   L I S T
Typical posting frequency is five threads weekly
To receive new-posting alerts,
either request below or FRmail me

[Hebrews 11:6]

Feel free to comment below.

No expertise is needed,
either in Scripture or in art—
so please jump right in!

A FRIENDLY FORUM

[No name given]

Exquisite.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Makes me think “Tamar” would be a rich name for a daughter.

[etabeta]

Some great paintings. Of note for me are #7 Vernet; #8 Hoet; #17 Kozenitzky; #26 Guercino, #33 Cabanel.
Thank you, Dan.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Any day is a great day when I can post Bible-art for your always-appreciative eye, Alba.

[oldplayer]

Thanks for this post, Hebrews.

The story of Tamar and Judah is one of the great teaching stories of the Old Testament. It’s one of my favorites. For some reason, it is not included in any of the standard lectionaries and almost never heard from the pulpit.

[Hebrews 11:6]

It is a wonderful tale, certainly. Judah gets his comeuppance at the hands of a clever woman, she gets recognition, and Jesus gets an ancestor.

I didn’t find enough art to fill out a thread, so I tacked on the other Tamar.

Thanks for commenting.
Dan

[SisterK]

and to Judah’s credit
she lived under his protection for the remainder of her days

[Hebrews 11:6]

With her twins and his grandsons.

It was Reuben, not Judah, who was distressed previously by his brothers’ sale of Joseph. Now, perhaps the Holy Spirit is—at last—making some headway with him.

[InkStone]

Hello Dan; greatly enjoying this ministry!

What other book truthfully reveals the best and worst of such giants of history? And these paintings speak to some of them.

Thank You Dan!

[Hebrews 11:6]

Yes, this series is not Worthy Women of the Bible. I take them as they appear--warts and all.

That is the while point: everyone is fatally flawed and needs God's Savior.