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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 rich man perverse in his ways lacks this wisdom entirely.
The way of genuine beneficence unfolds in three movements: first, we give bountifully, not grudgingly.
The early Church was not built by imperial decree or military might, but by the Spirit's power working through ordinary believers.
Exell (1887) offers this Victorian meditation: We are not to expect permanence in our acquisitions.
They studied the law with meticulous precision, yet remained practical strangers to its transformative power.
A fear of Elohim for His own sake, and a fear of all things in reference to Him.
First, *philostorgos* (kindly affection)—genuine concern born from love of God, not mere worldly sympathy.
These common sayings often accomplish what statute books cannot: they stir the soul to its depths and regulate life and manners with remarkable power.
The Husbandman planted a choice vine on a fruitful hill, fenced it carefully, built a watchtower, and hewn a winepress—yet it brought forth wild grapes (*beushim*, worthless fruit) instead of the expected harvest of righteousness.
The soul is punished for informing; the body for performing.
The Baptist rebuked Herod without provoking his anger, which reveals he spoke with gravity, temperance, sincerity, and genuine goodwill toward the king.
The wealthy preserved winter ice and snow in cisterns to cool summer beverages.
The events of human life are mixed and conflicting, yet all remain under the direction of the Great Father.
Yet Exell extends the image to Christianity itself as the *helios* (sun) of our moral age.
This scientific curiosity illuminates the proverb's moral force: corruption can masquerade as brilliance.
The seasons picture human vicissitudes: the man of wealth yesterday becomes the beggar of today.
This distinction matters profoundly: true wisdom must manifest in *phronesis* (practical wisdom) and conduct, not remain abstract knowledge.
The proverb reads: "As he that throweth a stone at an idol, so is he that giveth honour to a fool." Colonel Conder first identified the true translation, revealing the comparison's power.
When a ruler is surrounded by wise counsellors, both he and his people are safe.
This unfamiliar intruder had sought prominence in Jerusalem by hewing himself a grand sepulcher—a monument to his own ambition.
The river appears broad and deep enough for navigation—possessing all the physical requirements for commerce and transport.
Joseph Exell identified five corrupted standards by which multitudes measure duty, each leading toward *thanatos* (death).
Every congregation of Christ possesses an organic life distinct both from other churches and from the lives of individual members.
The ablest theologians have settled that good intention cannot sanctify an immoral act; yet an evil intention will certainly corrupt even the best performances.