My Favorite Barry Moser Illustrations
Illustrious Illustrations from the KJV Bible
I’ve been making my way through the King James Bible designed and illustrated by Barry Moser. There are 232 total illustrations within this gorgeous Bible entirely laid out and designed by Barry Moser. I’ve been so impressed and wanted to share my 5 favorite illustrations:
I. Jonah
Look at Jonah’s face. We’ve all experienced that face at one time or another in our lives. It’s not pleasant. The description for this illustration, “And the Sea Stopped Raging,” comes immediately after Jonah’s shipmates threw him into the water at his behest. The sea calmed after that. The fish then swallows him immediately after he is thrown in.
Before seeing the description, I always assumed this illustration showed the immediate aftermath of Jonah being spewed from the fish. So I was surprised to see that it was actually right before. Either way, there is such deep despair that Jonah seems to not even notice the large fish. There is no fear or trepidation. There’s just intense disgust at himself.
II. Paul
Have you seen those posts on Twitter X where people post a photo of a gorgeous library in some castle and make the humorous statement that that is where they tweet from? I like to think that some of the world’s greatest letters were composed in some beautiful garden or ancient library. It’s always a shock to me to be reminded that Paul was writing most of them from prison. I love how Moser focused on that.
III. Nathan
Nathan confronted David about stealing Bathsheba and killing Uriah, her husband. However, those words may have been unnecessary if he simply looked at David in this manner.
IV. Barabbas
Pilate offers the crowd a choice. They can free Barabbas or Jesus. They choose Barabbas. I always wonder what Barabbas must have been thinking. What he did with that freedom. How he spent the rest of his life. If he was thankful or dismissive. I love how Moser considered this moment.
V. Jezebel
Jezebel is thrown from a window and before they can gather up her remains, the dogs get her. There are countless ways Moser could have illustrated Jezebel, yet this one captures it well.
A Note on Illustrations
It’s only been the past few years where I’ve begun to take illustrations seriously. I have illustrator Stephen Crotts to thank for this. He showed me this Barry Moser Bible and told me about his favorites. I’ve found the illustrations in this Bible to be very helpful in my reading of the text. Before that, I erroneously considered illustrations to be for children’s books. However, they help me see things I would have missed. They highlight people and situations I would have glossed over. I’ve begun taking illustrations much more seriously.