Into the Wilderness
This is the second painting in the Jephthah’s Vow trilogy by Edwin Long. The three paintings tell the Old Testament Story of Jephthah.
In this painting, Jephthah’s daughter (she remains nameless) accepted the terrible part she was to play in the fulfilment of her father’s vow. In order to prepare herself for death, she spent two months in the wilderness. She is shown here with her companions, contemplating her fate. She looks heavenwards as her companions cast their eyes downwards, and doves hover to the left of the painting.
