Bible Open to Deuteronomy 28:6
American: c. Late 19th Century
Carved white marble
7 x 14 x 5.5 inches
Marble book-form sculpture carved to look like a bible on a lectern, opened to two pages engraved with a line in Hebrew from Deuteronomy 28:6 along with an English translation: “Blessed shalt thou be at thy coming in; and blessed shalt thou be at thy going out.” A more contemporary translation would be, “Blessed shall you be in your comings and blessed shall you be in your goings.” The first six verses of Chapter 28, including this one, present God’s blessings upon the Israelites, as conveyed by Moses, provided they follow his covenant. This is an unusual Judaica object, possibly originally created as a decoration for a foyer or entrance of a Jewish home or for an institutional setting such as a synagogue or school.
