Loading...
Loading...
By Joseph S. Exell · 1887 · 1,353 illustrations
The Biblical Illustrator is a 56-volume reference work compiled by Joseph S. Exell in the late 19th century. Each passage of Scripture is illuminated with historical anecdotes, biographical sketches, analogies from nature, and homiletical observations drawn from ancient and contemporary sources. These illustrations have been carefully restored from the original public-domain text and rewritten for clarity and accessibility — preserving the historical depth while removing Victorian OCR artifacts.
Initially, when God inscribed the law upon man's heart at creation, the preparation and writing belonged exclusively to Elohim.
Scripture tells us that until a priest with Urim and Thummim stands before God (Ezra 2:63, Nehemiah 7:65), this mystery cannot be fully resolved.
Locusts in ancient Near Eastern agriculture were catastrophic—entire harvests obliterated, years of labor reduced to desolation.
Keil and Delitzsch note that moths destroy garments (Isaiah 51:8; Psalm 39:12), while worms corrupt both wood and flesh—figures of insidious decay working without announcement.
Gilgal held three layers of sacred memory: the renewal of circumcision's covenant after Egypt, the first Passover celebrated in the promised land, and the appearance of the Captain of Yahweh's host to Joshua—divine assurance of deliverance itself.
Exell, in *The Biblical Illustrator* (1887), grounded this doctrine in Scripture itself—Jude 14, Job 19:26, Psalm 9:7–8, Daniel 7:9–10, Matthew 25:31–46, and Revelation 20:11–13 all testify to a Day of Judgment.
Yahweh pronounced ruin upon the Edomites for their cruelty toward Judah during the Babylonian captivity.
God's anger burns hotter against His covenant people because they sin beneath a greater light.
The kingly character of the Lord Jesus will then be fully revealed—no longer bearing the attributes of suffering humanity, but displayed in unsearchable wisdom and power.
All judgments which come upon men in the present are indicative of the final judgment which is to come, and are warnings of that awful event, so that we may not be unprepared to meet it.
Her crosses and losses in Moab became God's instrument of instruction, turning her soul from a cursed country toward the blessed land of promise.
Punishment Threatened To masters who wrong their servants: (1) By defrauding them of clothing, food, or wages; (2) By imposing labours beyond their strength; (3) By afflicting them with reproaches and unjust stripes.
Exell observed in *The Biblical Illustrator* (1887) that we might divide any land into three parts: open enemies, false professors, and genuine Christians.
When the prophet confronted Israel's transgressions, they protested their innocence, citing their diligent worship attendance.
Rather than dismiss these prayers as expressions of unholy personal malice, Exell proposes a principle: examine what Yahweh Himself declares about such utterances.
Isaiah 58:16 declares: "Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles." This remarkable promise describes the Church's sustenance through the wealth, power, and resources that nations and kings willingly contribute to her growth. The imagery is maternal, not predatory....
This promise speaks of revival with four unmistakable marks.
why tarry the wheels of his chariots?" This cry of Sisera's mother—hoping yet half-despairing—echoes through the hearts of multitudes in the stern fight of existence and the moral campaign of consecrated life.
Ancient Canaan typified heaven in four essential respects: it was a promised land whose possession rested upon Adonai's covenant word; it was territory where Elohim dwelt peculiarly present; it offered fruition and abundance; and it came as a free gift,...
The people of God must render habitual, profound homage to truth.
The moral and ceremonial commandments bear comparison with the gospel law.
Before we can comprehend Divine truths, there must be prudence and wisdom illuminating the mind from within.
and they shall be wanderers among the nations." This pronouncement from Ezekiel carries the weight of divine judgment in two dimensions.
Yet Yahweh's declaration cuts through judgment with remarkable grace: "My people shall never be ashamed." This promise rests upon a peculiar appropriation—God claims them as *His people*, not by merit but by covenant.