Prophets & Saints: 30+ Allusions to the Bible in RDR2

As surprising as it may seem, RDR2 makes frequent allusions to the Bible.

All articles on this site feature detailed discussion of literary allusions in Red Dead Redemption 2, and as such contain unmarked major and minor spoilers for the game, and occasionally the eventual fates of some characters in Red Dead Redemption. Read at your own risk.

The relationship between RDR2 and the Bible is an odd one. The game seems thoroughly secular on the surface, but its ideas about sin and redemption are not unchristian — perhaps because it relies so much on Paradise Lost to shape it. But the use of that text doesn’t entirely account for the use of Biblical material in the game, which indicates a broad familiarity with that body of work. Keep reading to learn more.

Characters

The Prophetic Books

Many characters in RDR2 are named in part for prophets from the Bible:

Hosea. Hosea is named for the Biblical prophet, who warned the nation of Israel that their impious practices displeased God. Hosea Matthews frequently warns Dutch Van der Linde and the gang that their actions will draw more attention from the law, notably in “Who the Hell is Leviticus Cornwall?” and “Country Pursuits.” In the Bible, Hosea is one of the minor prophets. Micah and Amos Bell also take their names in part from minor prophets. Commentators note that “the characteristics of the era in which Micah spoke were similar to those seen in Hosea, Amos, and Isaiah 1-39” (Coogan 1325 Hebrew Bible).

Amos. The Book of Amos refers to an earthquake; Amos Bell lives in San Francisco in 1899 and possibly in 1906, when the Great San Francisco Earthquake occurred. One verse may have had a slight influence on the text of RDR2:

They shall wander from sea to sea,
and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, seeking the
word of the Lord,
but they shall not find it.

Amos 8.12 (New Revised Standard Version)

Over the course of the story, the gang moves from Colter, in the north, eastward. One of the only times he talks about him, Micah also makes a big deal about the fact that Amos himself lives by the sea (observed Clemens Point).

Micah Bell III. As I’ve previously argued, Micah’s name is an anagram of “Moloch Belial” with three (III) letters left over. However, this is not the only source of his name. As commentators have noted before, the Biblical Micah warned that “a man’s enemies are the men of his own house” (7.6), which is probably the thematic reason that Micah stresses the idea that he and Arthur are “brothers” (“Blessed Are the Meek?”). The final verse of his book also says “Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old” (7.20). Arthur is associated with Abraham through his son’s name.

Obediah. Obediah, the character from “The Wisdom of the Elders,” may be named for the minor prophet Obadiah. Given the different spelling, it’s only worth mentioning because of Hosea, Micah, and Amos. However, one verse probably influenced the mission strand:

All your allies have deceived you,
they have driven you to the border;
your confederates have prevailed
against you;
those who ate your bread have
set a trap for you —
there is no understanding of it.

Obadiah 1.7, New Revised Standard Version

“The Wisdom of the Elders” concerns a con man who’s pretending to help the villagers. Really, he’s there trying to get them to sign something indemnifying the mining company whose failed operation is spilling poison into the nearby Elysian Pool and making them all sick. The player character does his best to explain, but can’t get through to them. “There is no understanding of it” indeed.

Jeremiah. Jeremiah Compson, from the mission strand “A History of Iniquity,” is named for the Biblical prophet. The Biblical Jeremiah explains that the people of Israel and Judah have broken their covenant with God and will be punished for it. (The word “iniquity” shows up regularly in the book.) Compson can be met in Rhodes. As I’ve previously mentioned, Rhodes is partly named for the island, which used to be called Ophiusa. “Ophiusa” translates literally as “snake-filled” (Milton 911). In 8.17, the Lord says “I am letting snakes loose among you.”

The book describes desolate, abandoned towns, as Compson’s Stead is abandoned. It mentions a scarecrow (10.5) and dry cisterns (14.3); a scarecrow and a dry well are found at Compson’s Stead. The house contains several letters from Compson’s former friends and family who are no longer willing to be associated with him; Jeremiah warns, “Beware of your neighbors,/and put no trust in any of your kin;/for all your kin are supplanters,/and every neighbor goes around/like a slanderer” (9.4).

Of the people’s coming punishment, Jeremiah reports:

They do not say in their hearts,
“Let us fear the LORD our God,
who gives the rain in its season,
the autumn rain and the
spring rain,
and keeps for us
the weeks appointed for the
harvest.”
Your iniquities have turned
these away,
and your sins have deprived you of
good.
For scoundrels are found among
my people;
they take over the goods of others.
Like fowlers they set a trap;
they catch human beings.

Jeremiah 5.24-26

Through this allusion, the game is arguing that Compson’s suffering, and the suffering of the American South at large, is a punishment inflicted due to the sin of slavery.

A scene in the New Austin desert is probably also an allusion to Jeremiah. Three men and a woman wearing blue and white robes lie dead among broken tents. Destroyed tents are mentioned in 10.20. A dowsing rod — supposedly a tool for finding water — lies on the ground. Water is a conceit in Jeremiah: the Lord says that his people

have forsaken me,
the fountain of living water,
and dug out cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns
that can hold no water.

Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn
servant?
Why then has he become plunder?
The lions have roared against him,
they have roared loudly.

Jeremiah 2.13

Nearby the bodies is a very reliable cougar spawn point (and it did indeed snarl at me before it attacked). Jeremiah often alludes to lions and leopards (for instance, 2.30; 4.7).

Malachi, Elijah, & John the Baptist. Elijah is believed to have been a prophet in several religious traditions, including Christianity. Dutch calls Evelyn Miller “a modern-day Elijah” in camp dialog (observed Horseshoe Overlook). In Malachi — the final of the Minor Prophets — the writer prophecies the coming of the Messiah, before which Elijah will return (4.5-6). In Arthur’s journal entry after “The Battle of Shady Belle,” he says that Agent Milton “asked for Dutch’s head on a platter.” The phrase “head on a platter” is an allusion to the Biblical story of King Herod and Salome, who asks for (and is given) John the Baptist’s head (Matthew 14.6-11). Later, Jesus tells his followers that John was the reincarnation of Elijah (Matthew 17.10-13). In “The Sheep and the Goats,” Dutch says, “Who wants to be the Messiah? Not me.” Of course Dutch does want to be the Messiah — and probably thinks he is — but he’s merely what comes before: the prelude to Arthur’s Christ figure.
The somewhat mummified body of a man named Elijah who had freed himself from his enslavers can be found in Lemoyne. The letter he carries, which he never got the chance to send, says that he’s nearly starved to death. In the Bible, God orders Elijah to hide by a creek, where ravens will bring him food (1 Kings 17.2-4). Elijah’s body is found right by the Lannahechee River, where he presumably succumbed to starvation. Perhaps this is an indication of the failure of God’s promise, or a failure of the people to recognize him, as Matthew’s Jesus said of John the Baptist (17.12). The Special NPC called The Mad Preacher is called “John” in the game credits and the “mad baptist” in game files.

Other Parts of the Bible

Isaac. As previously discussed, Isaac is named for the Biblical Isaac (Genesis 22). As a test of faith, God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his only son, to him, but sent an angel to stay his hand at the last moment.

Malcolm MacIntosh. MacIntosh is the Scottish scientist who can be found in Annesburg selling a book about what was not yet called climate change. His words are reminiscent of Biblical prophets such as Jeremiah and Hosea who warn about impending disaster.

Names

Boaz. Javier’s horse is probably named for the Biblical figure from the Book of Ruth. The etymology of the name “include the word ‘strength'” (Coogan 393 Hebrew Bible). A camp scene at Clemens Point sees Dutch demanding Javier’s strength. Although I haven’t seen the code and so don’t know whether these interactions have an assigned probability of occurring, it seems likely that it’s one of the more common ones, given that Arthur will remember something Dutch says during it on his final ride if he has low honor (“We are not criminals. We’re outlaws”).

Themes

Vengeance. As previously discussed, the inscription on Micah’s gun is a corruption of Deuteronomy 32.35:

Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
Their foot shall slip in due time;
For the day of their calamity is at hand,
And the things to come hasten upon them.

New King James Version

Usury. Charging high interest rates on loans is, as the mission title “Money Lending and Other Sins” indicates, considered immoral in the Christian Bible.

Apocalypse. As I’ve discussed, RDR2 is a story of apocalypse. It makes occasional allusions to the Book of Revelation, such as Dutch’s association with the Fourth Horseman. The Meteor Point of Interest also evokes Revelation: “And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind” (6.13 King James Version). In his journal, Arthur’s drawing is labeled “Found a rock that had fallen from the heavens.” (“Falling stars” are meteors; the meteor is as literal a depiction of the Biblical verse as the game could give.) The mission names “Horsemen, Apocalypses” and “A New Jerusalem” also relate to this theme.

Motifs & Symbols

Saints. RDR2 alludes to several saints: Saint Denis of Paris, Saint Valentine, Saint Luke (in “Letter from St. Luke’s Academy”), Saint Ignatius (in “Letter to Henrietta Douglas”), and Saint Saturnin (“Bareknuckle Friendships”). The bartender and the captions actually say “Saint Saturnine,” which has always felt to me like a sly allusion to Arthur himself: the grumpy, gloomy saint. (Although this is not strictly Biblical, I’m including it under the general heading of “Christianity.”)

Places

Solomon’s Folly. Named for the Biblical Solomon, who was renowned for his wisdom.

Mission Names

“The First Shall Be Last” is from Matthew 20.16: “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.”

“The Sheep and the Goats” is from Matthew 25.32-33: “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.” The sheep in this metaphor are the saved, the goats the damned. In the mission, the sheep are the actual sheep, and the goats are Arthur and John.

“Who Is Not Without Sin” is based on John 8.7, in which Jesus defends a woman who’s committed adultery: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” The reason for the negation is because Arthur (who is not without sin; i.e. is a sinner) saves the Reverend. Who is without sin condemns; who is not without sin saves.

“Pouring Forth Oil” is, oddly, from the sensual Song of Solomon: “Thine oils have a goodly fragrance;/Thy name is as oil poured forth;/Therefore do the virgins love thee” (American Standard Version).

“A Fisher of Men” (and “A Fisher of Fish”) is an allusion to Matthew 4:19: “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (King James Version).

“Sodom? Back to Gomorrah” is an allusion to the Biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (found in Genesis 19), which God destroyed due to their wickedness.

“Favored Sons” is probably an allusion to Genesis 37, which tells the story of Jacob, who favors his son Joseph above the others.

“The Wisdom of the Elders” is from Job 12:12: “Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life” (Christian Standard Bible).

“Horsemen, Apocalypses” is an allusion to Revelation 6, which describes the four horsemen of the apocalypse. (As I’ve shown, Dutch represents Death.)

“A New Jerusalem” is an allusion to Revelation 21, which describes the new world where the chosen people will live after the apocalypse.

“Blessed Are the Meek?” is from the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5:5: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”

“Blessed Are the Peacemakers” is also from the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Dutch’s narcissism means, as Sadie points out in “Red Dead Redemption,” and as Molly does in “That’s Murfree Country,” that he rather thinks he is God. In “Blessed Are the Peacemakers,” Dutch abandons the man he likes to call his “son”: they plan to meet after Dutch talks to Colm, but when Arthur doesn’t show, Dutch apparently just leaves.

Miscellaneous

Arthur’s epitaphs are also from the Sermon on the Mount. If he had low honor, it will read “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5.4, English Standard Version). Never fear that the game will not find secret ways to be depressing: the general reading of this verse is that what one is supposed to be mourning here is one’s sins. Low-honor Arthur has not mourned his sins and therefore will not be comforted (and neither will we). His high-honor epitaph is “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5.6).

Micah calls Arthur a doubting Thomas in “Blessed Are the Peacemakers.” Thomas was an apostle who refused to believe in Jesus’s resurrection until he touched his wounds. (The irony being that Arthur is a Christ figure.)

Reverend Swanson reads at length from Isaiah in Colter. As mentioned above, the era in which Isaiah 1-39 was written was similar to the ones in which Hosea and Micah made their prophecies; however, Isaiah 40+ was written in a much later time (Coogan 974 Hebrew Bible). Swanson reads from Chapter 40. The passage is about the greatness of God compared to humankind, and how he helps the faithful in need (as a side note, the New Revised Standard Version is beautiful; I recommend it over the King James Version I’ve used here since that’s what Swanson reads):

He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40.20-31

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