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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.
Yet some members deliberately fracture this sanctuary through ill-nature, impulsiveness, falsehood, and selfishness.
It is not a momentary sentiment but the sustained interpretive principle by which Adonai's commandments achieve their ultimate purpose.
First, Elohim has appointed that a portion of happiness accrues to the righteous in this present world, while the misery wages of sin fall yet more abundantly upon the wicked.
He stands at the dim verge of existence, a beacon light to all who live without Elohim.
Bonar, who lamented: "This year omissions have distressed me more than anything." His confession mirrors our own painful consciousness—we sense that more remains undone than accomplished.
The seer of Patmos drew this imagery from his island circumstances, much as Peter's rooftop vision at Joppa arose from hunger and his lodging with a tanner.
We must not hate others because they hate us (Matthew 5:44), nor curse them for their curses (2 Samuel 16:10).
Consider three profound lessons from "in journeyings often" (2 Corinthians 11:26).
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.
When Elohim commands, "Prepare war, wake up the mighty men," He invites evil to marshal its complete arsenal, knowing this concentration only ensures its more thorough destruction.
Naomi's question to Ruth—"Where hast thou gleaned to-day?"—invites us into three vital truths about our stewardship before Yahweh. First, the *sphere* of life's opportunities. Labour is the law of life itself. The Lord has "set before thee an open door"...
The reason is absolute: "For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." Exell observes that men have rightly been infuriated by earthly deliverances.
The psalmist exposes a particular sin endemic to human society: the deliberate destruction of others through calculated malice.
Isaiah's indictment of Judah's rulers cuts to the heart of institutional decay: "Thy princes are rebellious . . . every one loveth gifts." The prophetic diagnosis identifies two fatal disorders. First, *mercenary ambition* replaces duty. These magistrates pursued salaries, fees,...
A paradox haunts this tetrarch: he reverenced God's faithful minister while remaining enslaved to his own appetites.
When Paul recounts his visit to Jerusalem in Galatians 1:19, he distinguishes James from the other apostles, yet acknowledges his singular influence.
This counsel operates on two levels: first, that our hearts reject the flattering speech of the unfaithful, and second, that we become vessels of good doctrine to benefit others.
He ascribes his peaceful happiness not to his own skill, but to Adonai's kindly guidance—the same God who once led his flocks to green pastures.
Every person becomes his brother's keeper within this divine arrangement.
This poetical vision describes not mere longevity, but a transformation of human capacity itself.
His visible success tempts observers: he accumulates wealth, rises to honor, and achieves power through cruelty.
Jewish beds were merely mattresses laid upon the floor, covered by a sheet or carpet in which the weary person wrapped himself seeking rest.
Paul's instruction that women wear a covering "because of the angels" (1 Corinthians 11:10) reveals his characteristic method: he never rests in mere rules, but anchors conduct in *arche* (first principles) applicable across all circumstances.
His prayer echoes the psalmist's cry: "Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me Thy law graciously" (Psalm 119:29).