God's word came to me, saying: Jeremiah, what do you see? I replied, 'I see a rod of an almond tree.' Then God said to me: You have seen well, for I watch over My word to perform it. God's word came to me a second time, saying: What do you see? I replied, 'I see a boiling pot facing away from the north.' Then Hashem said to me: Evil will come from the north upon all the inhabitants of the land, for the people have forsaken Me, offered to other gods, and worshiped the work of their own hands.
Jeremiah 1:1-2:3
matot “the tribes” Numbers 30:2 – 32:42
Portrayed here is the war against the Midianites who had first tried to entice the Hebrews into immorality.
In this battle, Balaam tried to escape by using his magic to fly into the air, but Pinchas pursued him using his sword which emitted snakes, and he killed this sorcerer.
On the right below is a green woman representing the women of the Midianites who survived this war, even though the Hebrew army had been instructed to kill everyone. Those women who weren’t slain, yet were guilty of idolatry and seduction, turned green. The images in this painting mix references from newer wars and artists who have portrayed them.