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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.
Yahweh positioned His dwelling *skēnē* (tent) centrally so that every tribe maintained equal proximity to His presence, preventing quarrels over favoritism.
This image captures Amos's declaration: "Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves." God does not speak in literal terms—the Almighty cannot be physically oppressed—but rather as a great father addresses his...
Jeremiah Burroughs, the Puritan divine, illuminated this distinction with precision.
Exell observes that God deliberately extended this campaign for Israel's spiritual formation.
In one sense, they have already been there and returned.
"On the seventh day thou shalt rest." The Sabbath law reveals three profound truths about human need and divine care. First, rest is needful. Exhausted faculties require repose after labour. Without it, work becomes irksome and slovenly rather than joyous...
God perpetually separates the worthy from the unworthy through trials: the Exodus tested Israel so that only two men entered Canaan; the Babylonian Captivity refined the exiles; persecution purified the infant Church.
Abimelech ruled by usurpation, not divine appointment, yet the Almighty permitted his dominion briefly so wickedness might mature and be recognized for what it was.
This wise determination encompasses five essential dimensions of Christian commitment.
When Yahweh commanded Moses to smite the rock at Horeb, He demonstrated a principle woven throughout human history: His greatest mercies flow from the most unlikely sources. Consider the secular realm. Demosthenes, a stammerer, became Athens' greatest orator. Homer and...
Delitzsch, D.D., the Church approaching the new Jerusalem will experience such perfect harmony with Jehovah's will that He hears and fulfills even the half-uttered prayer, the slightest movement of the heart toward Him.
Brown termed "the birthday of blessing." The foundation of the temple prefigures the Church, of which each believer is a living stone.
Jehovah could have crushed all Canaanites in one decisive blow, yet He withheld this miracle for spiritual pedagogy.
This prohibition teaches three vital truths about worship.
Are speech and purpose truly allied, or do they drift apart like summer brooks in drought?
To honour parents (*timao*, to show respect and value) comprises five essential elements: filial love, reverence and esteem, obedience and submission, succour and help, and the protection of their reputation through righteous conduct.
When a friend visits, we do not merely exchange outward gifts; we desire the overflow of his life into our own.
In antiquity, no emblem better captured Christ's all-pervading presence than the sun—stationed in heaven yet communicating life ceaselessly to earth below.
Exell identifies the distinguishing mark of such hollow speech: the avoidance of Scripture's most penetrating term—*sin* (*hamartia*, missing the mark before God).
See here the woeful effects of refusing Elohim's free offers of grace.
The truths requiring cordial belief are these: all have sinned; I am a guilty sinner exposed to just punishment; Jesus Christ, having died for all, is Saviour to those who truly believe on Him.
But by what standard shall we measure ourselves?
First, safe hiding-places are founded upon Christ alone, the foundation God has laid in Zion.
In primitive times, merchants practiced fraud through inadequate measures, systematically shortchanging customers with each transaction.