Scripture · Matthew 2:14-15
Matthew 2:14-15
Rest on the Flight into Egypt
So he got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
The donkey is still upright, peering over the wall; Joseph is not. He has stretched himself across the baggage while Mary feeds Jesus beside him. Gentileschi distributes the work of continuing a journey among an exhausted adult, an attentive mother and a waiting animal.
About the artwork
Joseph’s sack has become a pillow. Mary sits low with the child against her, her body turned toward his needs. The broken wall shuts out most of the landscape, bringing rest and feeding to the front of a large canvas. There is no visible angel to take over these tasks.
The donkey’s head punctuates the quiet scene almost like a reminder that transport is waiting. Its ears remain silhouetted against the sky while the people settle close to the ground. The same arrangement that gives the family shelter also makes the pause feel temporary: their means of departure is still immediately behind them.
Featured in: Top 10 Beautiful Flight into Egypt Paintings
What does Matthew 2:14-15 mean?
In Matthew 2:14–15, Joseph acts decisively, taking Jesus and Mary away by night and staying in Egypt until Herod’s death. Gentileschi imagines what that compressed narrative would demand of actual bodies. The man who must get everyone to safety also needs sleep; preserving a child’s life includes feeding him along the way.
Sources
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (1947P5, purchased 1947); oil on canvas, 175.6 × 218 cm.
Matthew 2 — Berean Standard Bible. The paired text read in its surrounding chapter.
Top 10 Beautiful Flight into Egypt Paintings. Exact-work commentary, image provenance and source register.
Also from Matthew:Marriage of the VirginThe Dream of Saint Joseph