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.
The wicked person is utterly corrupted: speech corrupt, habits corrupt, heart corrupt, influence corrupt.
Exell's exposition from *The Biblical Illustrator* (1887) distinguishes two interpretations: first, discharge all existing debts faithfully; second, avoid contracting debt altogether.
Consider Nature itself: the earth was complete before Adonai created man in His own image.
The Israelites faced temptation: the fruit of fields, the fascination of byways, the sparkling water of wells.
Yet even these legendary forests prove inadequate before Adonai's majesty.
— Proverbs 16:10 Moral and corporeal chastisement operate in distinct spheres, each legitimate within its domain.
His request embodies a *comparative prayer*—not rejecting wealth or comfort, but asking for *lechem* (bread), sufficiency positioned between want and superfluity.
When Rabshakeh addressed Hezekiah's officials in this diplomatic tongue, his words carried the smooth insinuation of a seasoned negotiator.
Yet this truth becomes luminous when understood through the husbandman's labor—the farmer who scatters seed receives a multiplied harvest (2 Corinthians 9:6).
While some interpret this through shepherds moving behind their flocks, a sharper meaning emerges: the guides were meant to be before us, yet when we decline from the right way, our backs turn toward them.
It is not a momentary sentiment but the sustained interpretive principle by which Adonai's commandments achieve their ultimate purpose.
This passage reveals both the excellency of meekness and the mischief of passionateness.
Transgression may appear productive of happiness, yet the wicked possess no reasonable expectation of contentment—neither now nor in the eternal world.
"Then shall ye return," the prophet declares, speaking of a conversion to full recognition of neglected duty and past transgressions.
When Christ spoke these words to His disciples, the primary reference addressed the apostles themselves.
This detail reveals that Elohim directs every dispensation of suffering with absolute governance.
Exell reminds us that our differences—intellectual, artistic, moral—are not occasions for despair or pride, but invitations to humility.
Men surrender individual conviction and dissolve into the multitude's current, seeking power through collective action.
The river appears broad and deep enough for navigation—possessing all the physical requirements for commerce and transport.
A fear of Elohim for His own sake, and a fear of all things in reference to Him.
Strachey observed that the Medes cared not for gold, but for blood—even the blood of boys and infants.
As Joseph Exell clarifies in *The Biblical Illustrator* (1887), the proverb means: "Unsteady as the sparrow, as the flight of the swallow, is a causeless curse; it cometh not to pass." Exell identifies two categories of causeless imprecations.
Yet this humble labouring man, armed only with an ox-goad, slew them all.
Alexander observes, this sin must be abjured both for its destructive effects and as the worst form of pride.