Having ventured to the city of Gerar, the married couple Isaac and Rebecca pretended to be brother and sister for fear Isaac would be murdered out of jealousy for Rebecca's incomparable beauty. The drawing shows the moment when king Abimelech, barely visible in a window in the top right corner, catches this couple cuddling. Rebecca sits on Isaac's lap. She has her hand over his. The king was surprised because they had presented themselves as brother and sister.
Rembrandt van Rijn drawing of Isaac and Rebecca and painting The Jewish Bride have the same theme which shows the couple in a similar composition. It reveals the characteristic and instantly recognizable gesture of the man reaching out to place a caressing hand on the breast of the woman. By altering the composition between the drawing and the painting, Rembrandt has made an important shift in focus. In leaving out Abimelech, he has chosen to focus the attention of the viewer on a moment of intimacy between the two figures. This directly involves us in the scene, blurring the boundary between painting and life.
