Saul's Defeat of the Ammonites
F. 23v presents one of the most dynamic battle scenes in the Morgan bible. In the upper register, Saul leads the Israelite forces against the Ammonites. The Israelites, charging from the left, swing their weapons down upon the heads of their enemies, leaving gaping wounds that leak bright red blood. Many soldiers have fallen, one of which has had his arm cut off above the elbow. Additional Israelites emerge from the city gate at the right to surround the Ammonites. Atop the gate's tower, an archer fires on the chaos below. A wooden siege machine stands behind the figures, stretching beyond the borders of the miniature. In the far left margin, a single figure pulls down the sling holding a rock. He rises up off the ground as he restrains the tension in the machine. The entire register is densely illuminated in a dramatic mass of action describing the violence of battle.
Although f. 77v from the Psalter also depicts the Israelite battle with the Ammonites, the action is toned down into a milder variation of the same narrative. The soldiers, all on foot, meet in the middle of the scene. The largest and most central figure, Saul, plunges his sword into an Ammonite's neck as the figure behind him raises his battle ax. On either side, groups of soldiers huddle together, but none of them engage the enemy. The folio lacks any depiction of blood, even from the soldier with the neck wound and the number of weapons is disproportionately low to the number of soldiers. Both f. 23v and f. 77v stress the Israelite military victory, yet once again, the Psalter presents a tame version of warfare when compared to the Morgan bible.