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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.
The negative evidence alone proves instructive: Scripture provides no conclusive signs of imminent finale, though many have misapplied prophecy throughout history.
That ordinary crowing became extraordinary, ordained by Elohim for specific ends: to remind Peter of his broken promise, to witness to Christ's words Peter refused to believe, to reprove his sin, and to accuse his own conscience.
It is a blessed loss that makes us find our Elohim!
Paul was emphatically a man of one idea.
Once deflected from righteousness, nothing becomes easier than sinking into deepening abysses of iniquity.
John Trapp's commentary drives this home—one portion of wood serves its *proper* purpose, the other becomes an object of futile worship.
This *katanysso*—pierced, stabbed—describes conviction that wounds rather than flatters.
Yet Matthew's notation carries profound weight: this was no ordinary liturgical moment.
That was merely freedom from Egyptian bondage; this is spiritual salvation—deliverance from sin, from wrath, from everlasting destruction, and the possession of eternal life itself.
The Psalmist's exultation in verse 4 reveals how the Divine presence transforms desperation into joy, even before deliverance manifests physically.
Romans 9:13 presents a paradox that troubled even Paul himself: "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." The writer acknowledges this appears to contradict God's righteousness, yet immediately restrains such questioning (v. 14). Consider the biographical contrast. Esau...
Four categories of obedience sustain our *meno* (abiding) in His love.
Even within Christendom, this darkness persists among those without gospel transformation.
An ancient philosopher observed, "There is nothing great on earth but man, and nothing great in man but his soul." How shall we measure a soul's worth?
This geographical expansion reveals the sphere and nature of Christian service.
First, evangelical faith differs radically from mere intellectual assent.
To think and to purpose are attributes of all rational beings—created or uncreated.
We find in Scripture the recorded history and experience of God's people, permitting us to compare our own experience with theirs.
When David cries "Return, O Lord," he invokes God's restoration through three distinct biblical meanings.
His evasion reveals six patterns that persist in modern hearts: First, he assumed the matter held no claims upon him: "Take ye Him." Second, he substituted favorable opinion for decision: "I find in Him no fault." Third, he claimed powerlessness:...
These cannot be mixed without destroying the efficacy of grace itself.
First, some say, "I lack the dramatic conversion others profess." Yet Elohim has brought many sons to glory through utterly different paths.
Fishermen employed two primary methods: individual hook-and-line work with scoop-nets, and the larger *diktuon* (drag-net) operation requiring two boats working in coordinated precision.
Yet He urges them toward a higher fear—the fear of Elohim alone.