And [Abigail] was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance...
Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs...
But she told not her husband Nabal.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
The story behind A Lamp Unto My Feet
Abigail is enveloped in the darkness surrounding her at the time of her decision—David's wrath meant that their deaths were imminent (see 1 Samuel 25:13). Any fear, whether great or small, seeks to envelope us in darkness. However, the light from Jesus Christ is the way out of such difficulties—following his words no matter how dark or perilous the circumstance is (as the Psalm states) a "lamp" unto our feet and a "light" unto our path (Psalms 119:105). It is just this "light" which leads Abigail to do what is right, despite the trying circumstance in which she finds herself. That is why she is depicted here, rimmed in the light provided by a near-by lamp. The blankets and ropes and the basket filled with foodstuffs show her determination to make her faith in God active by supplying what David's troops requested. She will not sit by and wait to be overcome by fear, but takes the hand of the Lord in hers, as it were, and steps into the darkness knowing He will light her way.
The Biblical account describes Abigail as "a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance" (1 Samuel 25:3). The artist chose a model in whom both beauty and wisdom appear. Her beauty is further augmented by the light framing her countenance. Behind the figure is a table filled with foodstuffs and containers for the loaves, parched corn, figs, and other offerings she makes to King David. She wears a head wrap because a journey is ahead of her (1 Samuel 25:19). Her clothing is rich in pattern and material because Nabal was very wealthy (1 Samuel 25:2). Her foods and containers are therefore also of the very finest.
Symbolism in A Lamp Unto My Feet
The Biblical account states that Abigail rides a donkey to meet David. Traditionally, blankets like those on Abigail's arm were tethered to a donkey's back as a sort of make-shift "saddle" (see Cansdale, 72). Therefore, she carries both thick blankets and ropes to prepare for her ride.
Bibliography
Copyright and terms of use
© By Elspeth Young, All Rights Reserved. You may not print, copy, or reproduce this artwork or make derivative works from it without the prior written consent of the copyright holder. For permissions, please review our FAQ page.From the Newsroom
By Al R. Young
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We have framed our own artworks for more than 30 years, and during that time we have provided a variety of framing services to patrons upon request. For many reasons—including constant changes in the availability of moulding styles—we cannot offer off-the-shelf framing options or response times typically associated with such a service. Of necessity, all of our framing projects are aproached, priced, and billed as constuling projects... Read more »
Tags: Into The West, Spring Rain, North Country, The Grey Havens, Journey's End, Looking Back, Enchanted Stillness, Bedtime Story, In The High Valley, The Daydream, Before The Ball, Old Shannon, Pavane, Sweet Brier, Legend, Mountain Home, And I...
By Al R. Young This blank-book journal sells for $32 (plus shipping) direct from Al Young Studios. Printed in full color on heavy paper, the book is bound with black plastic spiral to rest flat when open.
Inspirations features 163 artworks along with 53 commentaries—written by the Artists of Al Young Studios especially for this journal—on such topics as their creative process, the creative environment of the Studios, technical approaches to their artwork, and inspiration from the works of other artists... Read more »
Tags: Untitled, In the Clearing, Anne Girl, Spring Rain, Journey's End, Enchanted Stillness, Bedtime Story, In The High Valley, Mountain Home, And I Will Not Deny The Christ, Sara Crewe, And My Soul Hungered, 3.00.0246.010, The Road To Melek, We...
By Elspeth C. Young
For artists, like me, who lean to the Caravaggistic in lighting, the phenomenon of the perfect "black" for a mood-setter within a painting, can be a bit of a pigment puzzler. While many artists have a favorite black as part of their palette, I purposefully pass by the black section of the paint tube world—perhaps it's the loyal watercolorist in me—but I just don't accept the idea that black is simply #000000—zero color. In my book, black is as rich and full as any other color, and as deeply reflective as white can be... Read more »
Tags: A Lamp Unto My Feet, 2012, Color, Tips and techniques
By Al R. Young The 2010 Calendar: Women of the Old Testament, published by Deseret Book, featured 13 original oil paintings by Elspeth Young. All of the paintings are part of Al Young Studios' Women of the Bible Fine Art Collection.
Commentaries (in the calendar) accompanying each painting provide a reference passage from the Bible, a summary of the character featured in the painting, and an artist's commentary concerning the painting itself. The calendar also features a biographical sketch about the artist and a list of research sources that figured in the artist's work... Read more »
Tags: The Protector, By The River's Brink, What Is To Be Done For Thee, Charity Never Faileth, A Lamp Unto My Feet, Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord, Treasure The Word, The Daughters Of Zelophehad, The Struggle Within, For Such A Time As This,
By Al R. Young Women of the Old Testament by Camille Fronk Olson is the companion volume to Women of the New Testament, published by Deseret Book in 2014.
The Old Testament volume features fifty six illustrations from the Artists of Al Young Studios, listed here under the Studios' fine art collections and portfolios to which they belong.
From the Women of the Bible Fine Art CollectionFull-color details (cropped images) from the following 17 paintings appeared in the book (in the order in which they appear here)... Read more »
Tags: The Mother Of All Living, The Joy Of Our Redemption, The Protector, Blessed, By The River's Brink, What Is To Be Done For Thee, Charity Never Faileth, A Lamp Unto My Feet, Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord, God Liveth And Seeth Me, Treasure...
By Al R. Young In the September 2006 issue of the Ensign Magazine, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a section entitled "She Shall Be Called Woman: Women of the Old Testament," featured five of Elspeth Young's original oil paintings from the Women of the Bible Fine Art Collection:... Read more »
Tags: The Protector, Waiting For The Promise, Charity Never Faileth, A Lamp Unto My Feet, Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord, 3rd-party Publications, 2006, News
By Al R. Young
High-resolution digital copies are available from the Studios for use as illustrations. Use the serial number—appearing below the thumbnail—in requesting permission from the Studios (see links at the bottom of this page for detail).
The correct form of attribution when publishing an image is specified in the license agreement issued to the publisher by Al Young Studios.Guidelines for requests to copy or publish artworks created by the Artists of Al Young Studios
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The original image is available for sale, please contact us for details... Read more »
Tags: A Lamp Unto My Feet, 2006, People and Stories of the Bible
By Al R. Young A Lamp Unto My Feet is the newest oil painting to be added to the line of original artworks from Al Young Studios.
Click here to see a larger image of the new painting, read the artist's commentary, and look at the selection of prints--if any are available.... Read more »
Tags: A Lamp Unto My Feet, 2006, Elspeth C. Young, Legacy, News, Oil paintings and prints, Women of the Bible Art Collection