The Bible In Paintings, #68: JAEL AND HER “TENT-PEG THROUGH THE NOGGIN” TRICK

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

[Hebrews 11:6]

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GOD STARTED
THIS SERIES
WITH ONE PICTURE:
A PERSONAL NOTE

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In May, while doing my daily Bible reading, I came once again to Judges 4, which we’re covering today. It tells the stunning story of the heroine Jael driving a tent-peg into and through bad-guy Sisera’s skull as he slept. Pause a moment and try imagining that....

Later, looking back, I realized specifically how the Holy Spirit used Jael’s story to guide me into starting this Bible in Paintings series. As I recount here how He accomplished that, I’ll number and highlight exactly how the Spirit prompted me, as He sequentially (and masterfully) put four different thoughts into my mind, thoughts that I can see now were building on each other toward His specific goal.

That morning as I read Jael’s story, I thought (#1): “I remember seeing a painting somewhere recently, showing Jael and Sisera.”

I kept reading, but soon I had another thought (#2): “I wonder if there are more paintings?” I checked Bing and found seventy! I was enthralled as I viewed them. You’ll see them, too, in a moment.

One painting in particular especially grabbed my attention:

She looked to me just like my beloved eldest daughter, Susanna—uncannily, it was like seeing my own daughter, the Tent-Peg Killer. Once I noticed that, then I realized another congruence: if necessary, my Susanna also has the inner courage to do what Jael did. It was a powerful moment for me, and I shared it with Susanna. She thanked me for the compliment.

Emotionally affected now, soon—an hour or a day later—another thought (#3) occurred to me: “That was fun! It might be even more fun to start at Genesis 1 and see what paintings I can find on each Bible incident in turn.” It was a lot of fun, TREMENDOUS fun, a complete surprise to me!

Once I reached Cain and Abel several days later and was by then assured there was a super-abundance of fascinating biblical art, I had one final thought (#4): “If I’m any indication at all, surely others would like to see these, too.” Within the week episode #1 appeared here on Free Republic.

Thanks for indulging me, in letting me praise what the Holy Spirit did. He’s really Something, isn’t He?

And so now we turn, at last, to steely-eyed Jael. Oh, by the way: in the spirit of Christian charity, please join me in forgiving those several blockhead artists whose works you’ll see, who couldn’t seem to grasp what the text states clearly: this event took place in Jael’s TENT! Not a courtyard, not a house, and not a PALACE--A TENT! Just where did they suppose she got ahold of a TENT PEG? Perhaps their own skulls sport a pointy addition, too. But, never mind….

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JAEL KILLS SISERA

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J U D G E S . . 4
New International Version, emphases added
Abrdgd – the complete text is in your Bible
TO READ JUDGES 4 IN FULL, Click Here
TO HEAR MAX MCLEAN READING IT, Click Here
TO HEAR A DRAMATIZATION OF IT, Click Here
TO WATCH AN OVERVIEW OF JUDGES, Click Here

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1 2 3 5 . . B. C.

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1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan. Sisera [was] the commander of his army 3 and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years…they cried to the Lord for help.

10 Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him.

15 At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.

16 Barak pursued the chariots and army and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left. 17 Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite.

18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

19 “I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.

20 “Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’”

21 But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.

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by GIUSEPPE VERMIGLIO

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by JAMES TISSOT
“Jael Smote Sisera and Slew Him”

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by OTTAVIO VANNINI

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by GREGORIO LAZZARIN

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by ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI

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by PALMA IL GIOVANE

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by JACOPO AMIGONI

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by JACOPO VIGNALI

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by ALESSANDRO TURCHI

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by JAN DE BRAY

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by DOMENICO GUIDOBONO

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by KEVISSIMO

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by LAMBERT LOMBARD

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by FELICE FICHERELLI

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by LUCA GIORDANO

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by PIETRO MONACO
“Jael hammering a tent peg into the temple of the sleeping Sisera”

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by NICCOLO BERRETTONI

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by PAOLO DE' MATTEIS

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by GUIDOBONO BARTOLOMEO

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by OTTAVIANO VANNINI

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by LÉON COGNIET

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by HENDRIK VAN STEENWYCK
“The Interior of a Palace with Jael and Sisera”

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by LEONAERT BRAMER

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by FRANÇOIS GRELLET

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Mosaic at the Dormition Church in Jerusalem

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by PIERRE PAVILLON

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by ALBERT JOSEPH MOORE
“The Mother of Sisera looked out a Window”

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22 Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead.

23 On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.

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by HANS SPECKAERT

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by JAMES TISSOT
“Jael Shows to Barak Sisera Lying Dead”

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by GUSTAVE DORÉ

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---

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SNEAK PEEK: Next time,

GIDEON, Part 1:
ANGEL, ALTAR, FLEECE

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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:

Jael & Sisera

Where no attribution appears below a work,
the artist's name is unknown

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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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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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Finally, here are links to the
PREVIOUS 67 POSTS IN THIS SERIES
, with descriptive titles to assist you in finding those which interest you

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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

Quality
The Bible is 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 asking the Holy Spirit to guide. So, with such forgiving filters, it means that you're seeing practically everything I'm finding.

Pacing
The pace may seem glacial to those eager to see their favorite events. 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 no art, that Bible passage goes untold here. The Bible is a thick book, as you know; but we'll get there eventually, Lord willing. Always remember:
love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control is a fruit of the Spirit!

I’m just having fun—and I hope you are, too!
Thank you for your understanding.

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[Hebrews 11:6]

At the Holy Spirit's prompting, I am surveying "Bible art" to give God glory, as many of these artists have done, and for my own amusement and learning; and I thought others might enjoy it and be blessed by it, too. My plan is to proceed methodically from left-to right, Genesis to Revelation, as the Lord wills. Back soon with another.

The Bible encourages us to meditate on it (Ps. 1:1-3, 119:11-16, etc.); these artists have done so, and their works can assist us and enrich our own thoughts about biblical characters, incidents and concepts, and increase our faith in He who is behind it all. As you encounter and consider these images and the related Scriptures and the Spirit enlightens your understanding, please share it with us!

But it is not only oil-on-canvas that can so help us; I refer to the astonishing video series The Chosen, which strolls through the four Gospels at the most leisurely pace. The eight episodes of Season 1 are finished, and the second of a planned seven seasons is coming soon. I say "leisurely" because after an entire year’s viewing Jesus still has only seven of the apostles (although He's preparing to call up Thomas from the minor leagues--but Thomas is skeptical, of course). Anticipating a canvas of fifty-plus hours instead of a movie's paltry two hours, The Chosen turns the characters (especially including Jesus!) into three-dimensional humans and brings the Gospels alive--you have never seen anything even remotely like it! Here is the Official Trailer.

Here is a link for free viewing of The Chosen: “Works with your phone, tablet, and you can cast to your Roku or Chromecast.” Last fall I paid $34.98 for DVDs and ongoing internet access—best 35 bucks I’ve ever spent (I don’t recall how much our marriage license cost, but then it was 42 years ago).

[Hebrews 11:6]

……... .

F o r . . y o u r

CONSIDERATION

ENJOYMENT

& BLESSING

……... .

[Hebrews 11:6]

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"THE BIBLE IN PAINTINGS"

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[Blurb2350]

When Ivanka Trump Kushner converted to Judaism, she took the name “Jael.”

[Hebrews 11:6]

Didn’t know that. It suggests a familiarity with Scripture. She does seem unafraid of asserting herself, but that’s an inherited trait, I suspect.

[ChronicMA]

She wouldn’t have selected it, but rather the rabbi who worked with her on her conversion would have chosen it for her.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Seems sad to me.

[left that other site]

One of the names of Christ is “The Tent Peg” (Zechariah 10:4).

[null and void]

"I had one final thought (#4): “If I’m any indication at all, surely others would like to see these, too.”"

I can't speak for all FReepers, but even I, an agnostic, enjoy these.

Please continue.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Wow: "From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler."

[Hebrews 11:6]

Well, since you put it that way....

[Blurb2350]

Her menfolk better not leave any tent pegs laying around.

[bk1000]

Interesting that at least a couple of these are modern images.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Kevissimo's? The one immediately above Tissot's? The one at the top that reminds me of my daughter? I scrolled through them all again just now, and those three look "modern" to me. i guess artists are still painting Jael, and that is interesting. Anyway, this isn't The Bible in Old Paintings.

[left that other site]

First thing that came to my mind! :-)

[Hebrews 11:6]

Holy Spirit is alive and well in you. How wonderful to see the pair of you acting together in harmony! But we cannot add you to the Trinity and call you the Quadrangle, because you’re not divine (I have that on good authority).

[left that other site]

The NOT-Divine Miss ML...

[bk1000]

“Anyway, this isn’t The Bible in Old Paintings”

True, but it just seems unusual, given the direction a lot of today’s art takes. It is actually encouraging that an artist would make the effort today. It is also an interesting juxtaposition between the techniques of ancient and modern art, even when depicting realism. Of course that same difference does appear in early church art (flat, no perspective, no contrast) and the renaissance period. (overemphasis of light and shadow)

[Rinnwald]

Nice survey of hammers through the ages.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Another characteristic of the old masters was their insistence on clothing Jael as though she were on the way to church or a party.

You raise an intriguing question: It is actually encouraging that an artist would make the effort today.

I wonder whether the modern pace of Bible art really has slackened since the Renaissance, or just seems so. The old masters painted for three centuries or so, and doing the math by era (# paintings per century) might reveal today's artists crank them out similarly. At least I've become aware of many modern artists.