INTRODUCTION TO Esther Author and Title Like many OT books, Esther is an anonymous work. The only hints of its origin are the references it contains to some of the key events of the story being committed to writing in either official court records (2:23; 6:1) or edicts issued by the king or his representatives (3:12–15; 8:8–14). It is possible that the author was someone like Mordecai, who had access to such material and a keen interest in Jewish affairs. His familiarity with Persian customs of the time suggests that he lived not long after the events described. However, certain features of the book have troubled both Jewish and Christian readers: it does not men- tion God, it promotes a festival not prescribed in the Law of Moses, and it has an apparently vindictive spirit that some have found offensive. As late as the Reformation, Martin Luther criticized it on the grounds that it was too aggressively Jewish and had no gospel content. Nevertheless, it was recognized as Scripture by the Jews well before the time of Christ—a long tradition clearly evident in Jewish writings just after the NT. For example, Josephus says that the Jewish Scriptures were written from the time of Moses “until Artaxerxes” (Against Apion 1.40–41), and elsewhere he identifies this Artaxerxes as “Ahasuerus” in the book of Esther ( Jewish Antiquities 11.184). Therefore he apparently counts Esther as the last book to be written in the Jewish canon. And the Mishnah has an entire tractate (Megillah) that discusses the time and manner of reading Esther publicly on the Feast of Purim. The Jewish scholar Aquila included Esther in his translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek around a.d. 130. In the Christian church, Esther was listed among the books of the OT canon at the Council of Carthage in a.d. 397 but was widely and perhaps universally accepted in the Western church before that time (though doubts about its canonicity had persisted among some in the Eastern church). Date Since the book of Esther is anonymous, it cannot be dated by the years of its author. However, it matches well the time period in which it is set (the reign of Ahasuerus, 485–464 b.c.); hence it is probably from this time or soon thereafter. Theme The book of Esther tells how a Jewish girl became the queen of Persia and saved her people from a plot to destroy them. She is assisted in this by Mordecai, her uncle and guardian. It also explains how a special festival, called Purim, was established to recall and celebrate the deliverance that the Jews had experienced. Purpose, Occasion, and Background As its content makes clear, Esther was written to explain the origin of the Feast of Purim and to ensure that it would be observed by all future generations of the Jewish people (9:28). It is also clear that it has achieved this purpose, since Jews have continued to observe Purim to the present day, with the book of Esther being read as part of the festivities. The word Purim is derived from the Persian word pur (“lot”) and recalls how Haman, the enemy of the Jews, cast lots to determine the best day to carry out his plan to exterminate them (3:7). Of all the Jewish festivals, Purim is the most secular in flavor, and one of the most joyful. These days it is normally celebrated
Transcript
IntroductIon to
Esther
Author and Title
Like many OT books, Esther is an anonymous work. The only hints of its origin are the references it contains to some of the key events of the story being committed to writing in either official court records (2:23; 6:1) or edicts issued by the king or his representatives (3:12–15; 8:8–14). It is possible that the author was someone like Mordecai, who had access to such material and a keen interest in Jewish affairs. His familiarity with Persian customs of the time suggests that he lived not long after the events described.
However, certain features of the book have troubled both Jewish and Christian readers: it does not men-tion God, it promotes a festival not prescribed in the Law of Moses, and it has an apparently vindictive spirit that some have found offensive. As late as the Reformation, Martin Luther criticized it on the grounds that it was too aggressively Jewish and had no gospel content. Nevertheless, it was recognized as Scripture by the Jews well before the time of Christ—a long tradition clearly evident in Jewish writings just after the NT. For example, Josephus says that the Jewish Scriptures were written from the time of Moses “until Artaxerxes” (Against Apion 1.40–41), and elsewhere he identifies this Artaxerxes as “Ahasuerus” in the book of Esther ( Jewish Antiquities 11.184). Therefore he apparently counts Esther as the last book to be written in the Jewish canon. And the Mishnah has an entire tractate (Megillah) that discusses the time and manner of reading Esther publicly on the Feast of Purim. The Jewish scholar Aquila included Esther in his translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek around a.d. 130. In the Christian church, Esther was listed among the books of the OT canon at the Council of Carthage in a.d. 397 but was widely and perhaps universally accepted in the Western church before that time (though doubts about its canonicity had persisted among some in the Eastern church).
Date
Since the book of Esther is anonymous, it cannot be dated by the years of its author. However, it matches well the time period in which it is set (the reign of Ahasuerus, 485–464 b.c.); hence it is probably from this time or soon thereafter.
Theme
The book of Esther tells how a Jewish girl became the queen of Persia and saved her people from a plot to destroy them. She is assisted in this by Mordecai, her uncle and guardian. It also explains how a special festival, called Purim, was established to recall and celebrate the deliverance that the Jews had experienced.
Purpose, Occasion, and Background
As its content makes clear, Esther was written to explain the origin of the Feast of Purim and to ensure that it would be observed by all future generations of the Jewish people (9:28). It is also clear that it has achieved this purpose, since Jews have continued to observe Purim to the present day, with the book of Esther being read as part of the festivities.
The word Purim is derived from the Persian word pur (“lot”) and recalls how Haman, the enemy of the Jews, cast lots to determine the best day to carry out his plan to exterminate them (3:7). Of all the Jewish festivals, Purim is the most secular in flavor, and one of the most joyful. These days it is normally celebrated
850IntroductIon to EsthEr
on only one day, the fourteenth of Adar (in February/March), preceded by a day of fasting. Children are given gragers (rattles) so that, when the story of Esther is read, they can make a loud noise to drown out the name of the wicked Haman whenever it occurs. Other festivities include exchanging presents, giving food parcels to the poor, performing Purim plays, and wearing costumes. In Israel, a Purim carnival is held. It has become a celebration, not just of the deliverance experienced in the days of Esther and Mordecai, but of the amazing survival of the Jewish people for thousands of years in spite of persecution and hardship.
In terms of biblical history, Esther belongs to the period after the Babylonian exile, when Persia had replaced Babylon as the ruling power. The story is set in Susa, the Persian capital, during the reign of King Ahasuerus, better known by his Greek name, Xerxes I (485–464 b.c.). Some Jews had returned to Jerusalem, where they enjoyed a reasonable amount of control over their own affairs as described in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Others, like Esther and Mordecai, were still in exile. As a minority group, the Jews were viewed with suspicion and sometimes faced threats to their existence from people in a position to harm them. In this respect Esther and Mordecai’s situation was similar to that of Daniel and his friends a century or so earlier.
Apart from the book of Esther itself, the main sources of information about Persia in the relevant period are the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus (c. 485–425 b.c.) and a limited amount of relevant archaeological evidence from Susa and elsewhere. Esther herself is not mentioned in these sources, and Herodotus gives the name of Xerxes’ wife as Amestris. However, Xerxes may have had more than one wife, and it was Esther who was of special interest to the biblical author. In other respects the details of the book agree with what is known of the period from other sources (e.g., see notes on 1:1; 1:2–3; 1:4; 2:5; 2:6; 2:7; 2:15; 2:16; 2:18).
Key Themes
Esther does much more than explain the origin of Purim. It is a most entertaining story, and it commu-nicates some important truths about how and why the Jews survived such an overwhelming threat. This message can be summarized under three headings:
1. Divine providence. While God is never mentioned in the book, there are many hints of his presence. The downfall of Vashti (1:10–22), the decision to hold an elaborate “beauty contest” as a way of replacing her
The Persian Empire at the Time of Estherc. 479 B.C.Long before Esther’s time, the people of Israel and Judah (later called Jews) had been dispersed throughout the Near East by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Eventually the Persians absorbed nearly all of these lands into their empire, which reached its greatest extent during the time of Esther. Thus Haman’s plot to exterminate all Jews throughout the Persian Empire would have annihilated virtually all of the Jewish people, and Esther’s daring actions saved them from complete destruction.
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(2:1–18), and Mordecai’s overhearing of a plot against the king (2:19–23) all conspire to move Esther and Mordecai into positions of power before the threat posed by Haman emerges (3:1–3). Once it does, the perfect timing of apparently fortuitous events again and again tips the balance in favor of the Jews and against their enemies. The king’s insomnia on the night before Mordecai’s execution (6:1–3), Haman’s entry at the moment Ahasuerus is wondering how to reward Mordecai (6:6), and the king’s return just when Haman is falling on Esther’s couch (7:8) all significantly affect the eventual outcome, but none is knowingly caused by any of the human characters. Moreover, the characters themselves seem to be aware that some-thing more than chance is shaping events. Mordecai is sure the Jews will be delivered in some way or other and suspects that Esther has “come to the kingdom for such a time as this” (4:14). Even Haman’s wife knows that if Mordecai is a Jew, then Haman is destined to fall before him (6:13), and Esther’s calling of a fast before approaching the king can hardly be anything other than an appeal for divine help (4:16).
The deliverance experienced here in Esther is very different from the exodus from Egypt in the time of Moses. There are no signs and wonders, no special revelations, no prophet like Moses—and no one even mentions God! Yet the way the story is told makes it clear that, even when God is most hidden, he is still present and working to protect and deliver his chosen people.
2. Human responsibility. Although the story shows that the outcome is a divine gift rather than a human achievement, Esther and Mordecai do show great initiative and courage, and their actions are obviously significant. A little over a century earlier, the prophet Jeremiah had written to the exiles in Babylon about the responsibilities and benefits of good citizenship, especially under foreign rule: “Thus says the Lord . . . seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jer. 29:4–7).
Esther and Mordecai are not unambiguously noble in the way that Daniel and his friends were. Nevertheless, Mordecai’s action when he discovers a plot to harm the king (Est. 2:19–23) is a good example of someone behaving as Jeremiah had advised, and it shows the benefits that this can bring. Furthermore, Esther’s careful planning, along with her willingness to put her own life at risk to save her people, is especially heroic (4:16). Esther and Mordecai both illustrate the fact that divine providence does not negate the respon-sibility of people to act with courage and resolve when circumstances require it.
3. The absurdity of wickedness. Ahasuerus and Haman were important people who wielded considerable power. But the story of Esther again and again evokes laughter at their expense. Ahasuerus rules over 127 provinces but cannot control his wife (Queen Vashti), and his so-called “wise men” are no better (1:12–13). But the most telling humor is at the expense of Haman. The reader is clearly meant to laugh at the way his vanity traps him into having to publicly honor the very man he intended to kill (6:6–11), and his death on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai (7:8–10) is a classic case of a villain falling into his own pit (cf. Ps. 7:15). This is all obviously meant to teach that the arrogant of this world are not nearly as powerful as they think they are, and that when they oppose God’s people (and therefore God himself) they only succeed in bringing about their own destruction. God laughs at such people (Ps. 2:4), and the story of Esther invites us to laugh with him.
Relevance for Christians Today
Esther is part of a much larger story that runs all the way from Abraham to Christ and, through him, to the church. If Haman had succeeded, the Jewish people as a whole would have been destroyed, and the story of God’s saving work in and through Abraham’s descendants would have come to an end. There would have been no fulfillment in Christ, and therefore no gospel and no Christian church. Nothing less than that was at stake. That is why Christians should read the book of Esther, not just as a story about the Jews but as part of their own heritage. It is because of this fundamental connection between God’s purposes in the OT and NT that Christians are to value and learn from the whole Bible as the Word of God (see 1 Cor. 10:11). This side of the cross, Jews and Gentiles have been made one new people in Christ (Eph. 2:11–16). Christians are not obliged to observe the Feast of Purim, but they are to take to heart the truth that God providentially watches over his own, and that no power leveled against them can ultimately prevail (Rom. 8:28).
Sadly, the evil of anti-Semitism still exists, and it would be foolish to think that Christians are immune from it. The history of the church indicates otherwise, and, as part of the Christian Canon, the book of Esther still warns against it. But the only real solution to it is the gospel, and the transformation God brings about in the hearts of those who believe it. That is a beginning, however, not an end, and Christians are called to live in a world with some striking resemblances to the one Esther and Mordecai lived in. Governing authorities are often indifferent and sometimes even hostile to the faith of believers, and especially in the West, events often take their normal course with little or no evidence of the miraculous. But the book of
852IntroductIon to EsthEr
Esther, like the NT, teaches how to live in that world with courage and integrity, carrying out responsibili-ties to the best of one’s ability and trusting God in his providence to protect and provide.
History of Salvation Summary
For each following generation of Jews, the book of Esther answers the question, “How is it that we are still here?” by pointing to God’s often hidden purpose. In the larger story of the Canon, it shows how God has preserved the offspring of Abraham for his purpose of bringing blessing to the whole world through them by raising up the Messiah and by including Gentile believers in his people. Thus Gentile Christians own this as their story too. (For an explanation of the “History of Salvation,” see the Overview of the Bible, pp. 23–26. See also History of Salvation in the Old Testament: Preparing the Way for Christ, pp. 2635–2662.)
Literary Features
The book of Esther is a story par excellence. It has virtually all the ingredients that people through the ages have most loved in a story—a beautiful and courageous heroine, a romantic love thread, a dire threat to the good characters, a thoroughly evil villain, suspense, dramatic irony, evocative descriptions of exotic places, sudden reversal of action, poetic justice, and a happy ending.
The specific type of story represented by the book of Esther is hero story, as the action is constructed around the engaging central figure of a heroine whose Persian name Esther means “star.” But the story is also a patriotic story of national history—a rescue story in which a whole nation is delivered from destruction. The U-shaped descent into potential tragedy and ascent to a happy ending is a plot pattern known as comedy.
The heroine Esther is a developing character, not a character who displays admirable qualities right from the start. In her early days in the harem, she fits right in with the pagan lifestyle that prevails among the young women who spend a whole year beautifying themselves in a spa. People in the harem do not even know that Esther is a religious person. She has two names, hinting at the identity crisis that she undergoes when she rises to the highest level of Persian society. But Esther becomes heroic when she is transformed by the ordeal of needing to save her nation.
There is satire (the exposure of vice or folly) in the book, focused especially on the character of Haman, who is both narcissistic and vengeful.
Outline
I. Introduction (1:1–2:23)
A. Queen Vashti’s downfall (1:1–22) B. Esther’s rise to the throne (2:1–18) C. Mordecai’s success in foiling a plot against the king (2:19–23)
II. Main Action (3:1–9:19)
A. Haman plots to kill the Jews (3:1–15) B. Mordecai and Esther plan to save their people (4:1–17) C. Esther is favorably received by the king and prepares to expose Haman (5:1–8) D. Haman prepares to hang Mordecai (5:9–14) E. Mordecai is honored and Haman is humiliated (6:1–13) F. Esther brings about Haman’s destruction (6:14–7:10) G. Esther wins the right of the Jews to defend themselves (8:1–17) H. The Jews completely destroy their enemies (9:1–19)
III. Conclusion (9:20–10:3)
A. The establishment of the Feast of Purim (9:20–32) B. Mordecai’s high rank and beneficent rule (10:1–3)
1 Or the fortified city 2 Or rings 3 Or headdress
1:1–2:23 Introduction. In this opening section the author sets the scene by describing Queen Vashti’s downfall (1:1–22), her replacement by Esther (2:1–18), and how Mordecai foils a plot against the king (2:19–23). This situates Esther and Mordecai for the roles they will play in the main action that follows.
1:1–22 Queen Vashti’s Downfall. This is a mini-story in its own right. The scene is set by a description of two banquets, hosted by the king and queen respec-tively (vv. 1–8, 9). Vashti’s defiance of the king and its consequences follow.
1:1 Ahasuerus, better known by his Greek name, Xerxes I, was king of Persia from 486–465 b.c. India. The land around the Indus Valley (now Pakistan). Ethiopia. The land just south of Egypt (now northern Sudan).
1:2–3 Susa, in western Persia (the city is now called Shush, in the south-western part of modern Iran), was one of Persia’s four capital cities (see Neh. 1:1; Dan. 8:2). Media. Northwestern Persia, near the Caspian Sea. Once a separate nation, it was conquered c. 550 b.c. by Cyrus the Great, who founded the Persian Empire. The time (483 b.c., the third year of Xerxes’ reign), and the presence of the army, suggest that Xerxes may have been building support for his invasion of Greece (preparations c. 483–480; the Battle of Thermopylae took place in 480).
1:4 The 180 days were presumably not spent in continuous feasting but in festivities punctuated by sumptuous meals.
1:5 the citadel. The same in Hebrew as “capital” in v. 2, but probably refers here to the fortified palace complex. The feast lasting for seven days was probably the climax of the 180 days of festivities (v. 4). court of the garden. An enclosed courtyard for entertaining in the summer months (see 7:7).
1:6–8 no compulsion. The custom that everyone had to drink whenever the king drank was relaxed.
1:9 A separate feast for the women was another departure from normal Persian practice (cf. v. 8; 5:5–6), perhaps because of the large number of guests.
1:10 eunuchs. Castrated men who, among other duties, served in the royal harem.
1:12 The author does not explain why Vashti refused to come, probably because the reasons were irrelevant: even the queen was expected to obey the king absolutely.
1:13 wise men. Official advisers to the king (cf. Gen. 41:8; Ex. 7:11; Jer. 50:35; Dan. 2:48). the times. The most favorable times for particular actions (see Est. 3:7). versed in law and judgment. Trained to make decisions in accordance with the law (see Dan. 1:3–4; Acts 7:22).
The King’s Banquets
1 Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned a from India to Ethiopia over b 127 provinces, 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus c sat on his royal throne in
d Susa, the capital,1 3 in the third year of his reign e he gave a feast for all his officials and
servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, 4 while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. 5 And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa, the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of f the garden of the king’s palace. 6 There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods2 and marble pillars, and also g couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones. 7 Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. 8 And drinking was according to this edict: “There is no compulsion.” For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. 9 Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.
Queen Vashti’s Refusal10 On the seventh day, h when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded
Mehuman, Biztha, i Harbona, j Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with k her royal crown,3 in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.
13 Then the king said to l the wise men m who knew the times (for this was the king’s
11k ch. 2:17; 6:813l Jer. 10:7; Dan. 2:12, 13; Matt. 2:1 m 1 Chr. 12:32
Esther
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1:14 the seven princes. The inner circle of the king’s advisers. Media. See note on vv. 2–3.
1:15–18 officials. Senior male civil servants appointed by the king. noble women. Wives of the officials. Memucan predicts that these women will show contempt for their husbands, and that the men, like the king, will be full of wrath toward their wives. Moreover, this will not be limited to one stratum of society. Memucan repeatedly uses all to impress on the king the danger of a total breakdown of proper domestic order.
1:19–20 The absolute authority of the Persian king is expressed in laws which, once written, may not be repealed (see Dan. 6:8). This legal conven-tion will give rise to a difficult situation later in the story: what if the king changes his mind? (See Est. 8:5–8; cf. Dan. 6:14–18.) Paradoxically, Vashti is to be punished by being forbidden to do what she has already refused to do: come to the king. But never again effectively divorces her and terminates her queenship.
1:21–22 The way in which the wise men resort to law to try to control their wives suggests that they must already have thought this was a widespread domestic problem—a problem, however, that would certainly not have been easily rectified simply by issuing a legal edict. The command that local household leaders should each speak according to the language of his people is probably intended to ensure that the substance of the edict is understood by all family members everywhere.
2:1–18 Esther’s Rise to the Throne. Esther finds favor with the king and is chosen to replace Vashti.
2:1–4 In a more sober mood, the king apparently regrets dismissing his beau-tiful queen. But a solution is at hand. In contrast to the wise men of ch. 1, the young men were probably the king’s personal, household servants (see 6:3). Their suggestion that beautiful young virgins should be gathered for the king’s appraisal immediately attracts his interest and approval, creating the opportunity for Esther to make her appearance. In line with normal practice, a eunuch (see 1:10–11) is in charge of the king’s women (his harem). Hegai may be the same officer of Xerxes (Ahasuerus) that Herodotus refers to in Greek as “Hegias.”
2:5 The name Mordecai occurs in Persian treasury records of the period as the name of a government official, but whether he was this Mordecai is not known. For the significance of the fact that Mordecai was a Jew and a descen-dant of Kish, the father of King Saul (1 Sam. 9:1–2), see note on Est. 3:1.
2:6 Jeconiah, also known as Jehoiachin (1 Chron. 3:16), was the second-to-last king of Judah. He was deported to Babylon in 597 b.c. (2 Kings 24:10–17), 114 years before the present events. Therefore, the clause who had been carried away from Jerusalem cannot refer to Mordecai (it would make him about 120 years old). Rather, the clause must refer to “Kish, a Benjaminite” (the last-mentioned person in Est. 2:5), Mordecai’s ancestor (v. 5).
2:7 Hadassah (“myrtle”) is the Hebrew name of Mordecai’s niece; Esther
procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, 14 the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and n Memucan, o the seven princes of Persia and Media, p who saw the king’s face, and sat first in the kingdom): 15 “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?” 16 Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the queen’s behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ 18 This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s behavior will say the same to all the king’s officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. 19 If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so q that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. 20 So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, r all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.” 21 This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. 22 He sent let-ters to all the royal provinces, s to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people.
Esther Chosen Queen
2 After these things, t when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti u and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the
king’s young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the capital, under custody of v
Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women. w Let their cosmetics be given them. 4 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.
5 Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was x Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6
y who had been carried away from Jerusalem among
the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. 7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, z the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful
Chapter 21t [ch. 7:10] u ch. 1:19, 203v ver. 8, 15 w ver. 9, 125x [Ezra 2:2]6y 2 Kgs. 24:14, 15; 2 Chr. 36:10, 20; Jer. 24:1; 29:1, 2
7z ver. 15
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(“star”) is her Persian name. The reference to her great beauty prepares the reader for what follows.
2:8–9 It was presumably an honor to be chosen for the harem, though it is unclear from the word taken whether she went willingly or unwillingly. Given the king’s order, she presumably had no choice in the matter. Once there, however, she appears to have been fully compliant, quickly winning the favor of Hegai, who provided her with the finest of everything and promoted her to the best place in the harem. The seven chosen young women, her personal maids-in-waiting, already hint at her royal bearing and destiny.
2:10–11 Mordecai’s instruction to Esther not to reveal her people or kin-dred is the first hint of the anti-Semitism that will surface in ch. 3. See note on 3:15.
2:12–14 Both the time involved and the cosmetics used indicate the elaborate nature of the beauty treatment the chosen women received. the regula-tions for the women. This further indication of the strict regimen of the
Persian court shows how difficult, and potentially costly, it was for women like Vashti and Esther to assert their independence. myrrh. An expensive perfume obtained from trees native to Africa and southern Asia (cf. Prov. 7:17; Song 1:13; Matt. 2:11; John 19:39). Concubines, women officially recognized as the king’s mistresses, were housed separately (in the second harem), having a lower status than his wife or wives. Shaashgaz corresponds to Hegai, who was in charge of the first harem (see note on Est. 2:1–4). Each woman’s first night with the king was her initiation as a concubine. For some, there would be no other such night.2:15 Abihail. The uncle referred to in v. 7. By taking nothing except what Hegai . . . advised, Esther shows her trust in his experience and goodwill toward her. The fact that Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her bodes well for her success on this, her night of nights.2:16 Tebeth, in midwinter, was the tenth month of the Jewish religious calendar. seventh year. Four years after the events recounted in ch. 1 (see 1:3; and chart below).
figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. 8 So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and a when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of b Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. 9 And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her c with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king’s palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. 10
d Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had
commanded her not to make it known. 11 And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.
12 Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women— 13 when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was sum-moned by name.
15 When the turn came for Esther e the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what f
Hegai the king’s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 16 And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, 17 the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set g the royal crown1 on her head and
8a ver. 3 b ver. 39c ver. 3, 1210d ver. 2015e ver. 7; ch. 9:29 f ver. 3, 8
17g ch. 1:11; 6:8
1 Or headdress
Chronology in EstherThe events of Esther unfold over a period of 10 years.
Reference Event Month Day Year of Ahasuerus’s Reign Year
1:3 Ahasuerus holds his banquets 3 483 B.C.
2:16 Esther goes to Ahasuerus 10 7 479
3:7 Haman casts his lots 1 12 474
3:12 Haman issues his decree 1 13 13 474
3:13 Date planned for annihilation of the Jews 12 13 13 473
8:9 Mordecai issues his decree 3 23 13 474
8:12; 9:1 Day upon which Jews could defend themselves from attack 12 13 13 473
9:6–10, 20–22 Ten sons of Haman executed; Feast of Purim celebrated 12 14, 15 13 473
chart.17-1.indd 2 6/27/08 8:45:40 AM
856EsthEr 2:18
2:18 Esther’s feast. A feast in her honor as the new queen (cf. 1:3, 5, 9). remission of taxes. A customary form of celebration referred to by Herodotus in his history of the Persian Empire. gifts with royal generos-ity. Probably in the form of food given to the poor, so that all could share in the celebrations (see 9:22; Jer. 40:5).
2:19–23 Mordecai’s Success in Foiling a Plot against the King. Mordecai, entirely without intent, is in the right place at the right time to serve King Ahasuerus. This is one of many examples where readers are meant to recog-nize God’s hidden direction of events, though God is never explicitly named (see Introduction: Key Themes).
2:19 the second time. The meaning of this is uncertain. It possibly refers to a second gathering of all the virgins of v. 2 for a ceremonial parade to com-plete the celebration of Esther’s coronation. the king’s gate. A place where justice was dispensed by officials appointed by the king (2 Sam. 15:2–6; cf. Ruth 4:1–11).
2:21 Mordecai was sitting. Probably as an official, because of Esther’s new influence with the king. the threshold. The door to the king’s private quarters.
2:22–23 hanged on the gallows. A practice known from ancient records. Cf. Ezra 6:11. the chronicles. A record of significant events in the king’s reign (e.g., 1 Kings 14:29).
3:1–9:19 Main Action. This is the heart of the story, where the main events take place. A plot to destroy the Jews (3:1–15) is foiled by a series of courageous actions by Esther and Mordecai (4:1–8:17), culminating in complete victory for the Jews (9:1–19).
3:1–15 Haman Plots to Kill the Jews. This complication sets the key events of the story in motion.
3:1 the Agagite. A descendant of Agag, king of the Amalekites, the ancient enemies of Israel (Ex. 17:8–16). Agag was defeated by King Saul and killed by the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 15:1–33). The conflict between Haman and Mordecai mirrors the earlier conflict between their ancestors, Saul and Agag (see notes on Est. 2:5; 2:6).
3:2–4 bowed down and paid homage. According to Herodotus, bowing to superiors was a normal part of Persian court etiquette rather than an act of worship (cf. Gen. 23:7; 1 Kings 1:16). Mordecai did not bow because “he was a Jew.” The text does not give any more reason for Mordecai’s refusal to bow, but given Haman’s ancestry and animosity to the Jews, Mordecai apparently felt he could not bow to him without compromising his identity as a Jew. It is also possible that Haman was claiming some kind of divine status and Mordecai refused to give him that kind of honor. he had told them that he was a Jew. Mordecai did the very thing he had told Esther not to do in her situation (Est. 2:10, 20).
3:5–6 Haman . . . disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Mordecai’s refusal to bow gave Haman the opportunity to reveal his hatred of the Jews by setting out to destroy them all. the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus. This included Jerusalem and the surrounding area with its mainly Jewish population (see 1:1; cf. Neh. 1:1–3).
3:7 Nisan. The first month of the Jewish religious calendar, which began in spring with the Passover (Ex. 12:1–2). While the Jews prepared to cel-ebrate their deliverance from Egypt, Haman plotted their destruction. the twelfth year. Cf. Est. 2:16; Haman has been biding his time for five years. Pur. The Persian word for “lot,” from which the term purim (“lots”) is derived (9:26). cast lots. A traditional way of seeking divine guidance (Josh. 18:6; Prov. 16:33) or, as here, finding the most opportune time to do something.
made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king h gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther’s feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.
Mordecai Discovers a Plot19 Now when the virgins were gathered together i the second time, Mordecai was sitting
j at the king’s gate. 20
k Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai
had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just l as when she was brought up by him. 21 In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, m Bigthan and n Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22 And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, o and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. 23 When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows.1 And it was recorded in p the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.
Haman Plots Against the Jews
3 After these things King Ahasuerus q promoted Haman r the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, s and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were
with him. 2 And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. t But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. 3 Then the king’s servants who were u at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress v the king’s command?” 4 And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 And when Haman saw that t Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was w
filled with fury. 6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, x
they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is y the month of Adar. 8 Then Haman said to
Chapter 31q ch. 5:11 r ver. 10; ch. 8:3, 5; 9:24 s ch. 5:11
2t ch. 5:93u See ch. 2:19 v ver. 25t [See ver. 2 above] w Dan. 3:19
7x ch. 9:24, 26 y Ezra 6:15
1 Or suspended on a stake
857 EsthEr 4:11
3:8 they do not keep the king’s laws. An allusion to Mordecai’s refusal to bow (v. 2), with the (false) implication that all Jews behave similarly. not to the king’s profit. A clever tactic by Haman. The remission of taxes (2:18) and the unsuccessful war with Greece (see note on 1:2–3) may have left the royal treasury low on funds.
3:9 Haman offers to pay 10,000 talents of silver, a huge sum (on the order of 12 million ounces; see esv footnote).
3:10 signet ring. A ring used to seal official documents (Jer. 22:24). Haman is empowered to act with royal authority.
3:11 The money is given to you. Ahasuerus authorizes Haman to use as much of the 10,000 talents of silver as he needs to implement his plan.
3:12 the first month. Presumably of the following (13th) year of Ahasuerus’s reign (see v. 7).
3:13 the twelfth month. Because of the extent of the empire, it took almost 12 months to notify and prepare all of those responsible for putting the edict into effect.
3:15 sat down to drink. Haman and the king callously celebrate the forth-coming massacre. but . . . Susa was thrown into confusion. Reassuring evidence that many of Susa’s citizens did not share Haman’s intense hatred of the Jews.
4:1–17 Mordecai and Esther Plan to Save Their People. Esther and Mordecai respond to Haman’s plan with a counterplan of their own.
4:1–3 sackcloth and ashes . . . fasting and weeping. Traditional ways of expressing grief in the ancient Near East, including Israel (Gen. 37:34; 2 Sam. 1:11; Job 1:20; Isa. 15:1–3; Jonah 3:6). The ban on such behavior in the king’s gate (see note on Est. 2:19) is understandable, given its unseemly character and the strict court etiquette reflected elsewhere in the book (see 1:8; 3:12; 4:11; cf. Neh. 2:1).
4:4 garments to clothe Mordecai. Given the ban of v. 2, Esther probably feared for Mordecai’s safety.
4:11 one law. The law in this matter was absolute, without any qualifications or exceptions. The strict court etiquette shows the king’s total power over the
King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. z Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them. 9 If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents1 of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business, that they may put it into the king’s treasuries.” 10
a So the king took his signet ring from
his hand and gave it to Haman b the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, c the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”
12 d
Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king’s e satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, f to every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written g in the name of King Ahasuerus h and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 Letters were sent i by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction j to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, k in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, l and to plunder their goods. 14
mA copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. 15
i The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was
issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, n but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.
Esther Agrees to Help the Jews
4 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes o and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a
loud and bitter cry. 2 He went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, p with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them q lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 When Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. 6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, r and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him s a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people. 9 And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 11 “All the king’s servants and the people
8z [Ezra 4:12, 13; Acts 16:20, 21]
10a ch. 8:2; Gen. 41:42 b ver. 1 c ch. 7:6; 8:1; 9:10, 24
12d ch. 8:9 e See Ezra 8:36 f ch. 1:22; 8:9 g ch. 8:8, 10; [1 Kgs. 21:8] h ch. 8:8, 10
13i ch. 8:10; [2 Chr. 30:6] j ch. 7:4; 8:11 k ch. 8:12; [ch. 9:1] l ch. 8:11
lives of his subjects (cf. v. 2). not been called . . . these thirty days. An indication that the king’s love for Esther may have begun to wane, making Esther’s task even more difficult (see 2:14, 17).4:14 deliverance will rise. Despite his emotional turmoil (v. 4), deep down Mordecai is sure that the Jews will survive. This reflects his faith that God will protect his people, though the text does not make this explicit. from another place. Mordecai does not seem to know what other source of help would appear, but he expresses confidence that God will somehow rescue his people. your father’s house. Esther’s family on her father’s side. Since Mordecai is sure the Jews will be delivered, his statement that Esther and her family will perish presumably means that they will be punished for Esther’s refusal to act. God is apparently the one who will punish them, though again, this is not explicitly said. you have . . . come . . . for such a time as this. The strongest hint yet of Mordecai’s belief in divine providence.4:16 hold a fast. This is not a spontaneous outpouring of grief as in v. 3, but an organized activity aimed at increasing Esther’s chances of success, through earnest prayer—the strongest indication yet of Esther’s (and Mordecai’s) faith in God (cf. Ezra 9:5; Neh. 1:4). if I perish, I perish. Esther realizes that God cannot be manipulated, even by fasting (cf. Dan. 3:17–18).5:1–8 Esther Is Favorably Received by the King and Prepares to Expose Haman. Esther takes advantage of her renewed influence with the king to begin to implement her own plan to defeat Haman’s plot.5:1–2 the third day. At the end of the three days of fasting (4:16). the
inner court. Esther stands where Ahasuerus can see her and waits for him either to reject or receive her. This is a very tense moment, for she is risking her life. the golden scepter. See 4:11.
5:3 even . . . half of my kingdom. The Greek historian Herodotus describes Xerxes (Ahasuerus) as making such an offer, though on a different occasion. Esther rightly understands it as a traditional, grand gesture rather than one the king expects to be taken seriously (cf. Mark 6:23, where Herod makes a similar offer).
5:4 a feast that I have prepared. Esther had carefully planned what she would do if she was received favorably. By inviting Haman too, she flatters him and sets him up for a colossal fall.
5:8 the feast that I will prepare. Another feast, on the following day. Esther bides her time, as Haman had done. She puts Haman further off guard and makes sure the king is in the best possible mood before revealing what she wants.
5:9–14 Haman Prepares to Hang Mordecai. A dangerous development. Events may be moving too swiftly for Mordecai to be saved.
5:9–13 joyful . . . filled with wrath. Haman is elated at how he has been treated by the king and queen, but again becomes incensed by Mordecai’s refusal to bow to him. He won’t be able to enjoy the (second) feast until he has dealt with Mordecai.
of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside t the inner court without being called, u there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one v to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for w three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, x and if I perish, I perish.” 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
Esther Prepares a Banquet
5 y
On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in z the inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal
throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. 2 And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, a she won favor in his sight, b and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. 3 And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even c to the half of my kingdom.” 4 And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.” 5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.” So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. 6
dAnd as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, e “What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? c Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 7 Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: 8
f If I have found favor in
the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to g the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”
Haman Plans to Hang Mordecai9 And Haman went out that day h joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai
i in the king’s gate, j that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and k his wife Zeresh. 11 And Haman recounted to them the splendor
11t ch. 5:1; [ch. 6:4] u Dan. 2:9 v ch. 5:2; 8:4
16w [ch. 5:1] x [Gen. 43:14]
Chapter 51y [ch. 4:16] z ch. 4:11; [ch. 6:4]
2a [ch. 2:9] b ch. 4:11; 8:43c ch. 7:2; [Mark 6:23]6d ch. 7:2 e ver. 3; ch. 7:2; 9:12 c [See ver. 3 above]
8f ch. 7:3; 8:5 g ch. 6:149h 1 Kgs. 8:66 i See ch. 2:19 j ch. 3:5
10k ch. 6:13
859 EsthEr 6:13
5:14 a gallows. There was a gallows in 2:23, but this is another gal-lows, to be erected especially for hanging Mordecai. Its enormous height (75 feet /23 m) reflects Haman’s “towering” rage; it is probably intended to make a public spectacle of Mordecai. tell the king. Zeresh assumes that Haman’s influence is now so great that he can virtually order the king to hang Mordecai. Mordecai’s fate now seems to depend on whose influence over Ahasuerus will prevail—Haman’s or Esther’s. This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made. Haman, who is just as much under the influence of his wife and friends as Ahasuerus is under the influence of Haman and Esther, unwittingly builds the means for his own demise.
6:1–13 Mordecai Is Honored and Haman Is Humiliated. Events now move so tellingly in favor of Esther and Mordecai that a presumption of God’s provi-dential involvement becomes unavoidable.
6:1 that night the king could not sleep. The timing of this episode of royal insomnia is exquisite—another strong indication that something more than chance is involved (cf. Dan. 6:18). the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles. See note on Est. 2:22–23. Again, the request for this book and the reading of the passage about Mordecai can hardly be mere good luck.
6:5 Haman is there. Haman now waits as Esther had done in 5:1. Again,
the timing is perfect. Invisibly, and without explicit comment in the text, God is at work to protect his people.
6:6 What should be done to the man . . . the king delights to honor? Neither Ahasuerus nor Haman is aware of the heavy irony involved in the ques-tion. The events now unfolding are completely out of their control.
6:7–9 Haman’s response shows both the extent of his vanity and his total unawareness of the trap he is walking into. the horse that the king has ridden . . . a royal crown. Even greater honors than those bestowed on Joseph (Gen. 41:42–43).
6:10–11 do so to Mordecai the Jew. Haman belatedly realizes the fate he has brought on himself.
6:12–13 mourning and with his head covered. See 4:1–3. Now it is Haman’s turn to do as his intended victims had done when the decree of destruction was first published. wise men. These are normally associated with kings (see note on 1:13) and therefore serve as a subtle reminder of the heights from which Haman has begun to fall. If Mordecai . . . is of the Jewish people, you . . . will surely fall before him. Even Haman’s wife and advis-ers sense that an irresistible power or person protects the Jewish people.
of his riches, l the number of his sons, all the promotions with which m the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. 12 Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. 13 Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting i at the king’s gate.” 14 Then k
his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, n “Let a gallows1 fifty cubits2 high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.” This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.
The King Honors Mordecai
6 On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring o the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. 2 And it was
found written how p Mordecai had told about q Bigthana and r Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” The king’s young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” 4 And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered s the outer court of the king’s palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on t the gallows3 that he had prepared for him. 5 And the king’s young men told him, “Haman is there, stand-ing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” 6 So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to the man u whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” 7 And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, 8 let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, v and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head w a royal crown4 is set. 9 And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, x proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’ ” 10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits y at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.” 11 So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”
12 Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourn-ing z and with his head covered. 13 And Haman told a his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”
11l See ch. 9:7-10 m ch. 3:113i [See ver. 9 above]14k [See ver. 10 above] n ch. 6:4; 7:9, 10; [ch. 8:7; 9:13, 25]
4s [ch. 4:11; 5:1] t ch. 5:146u ver. 7, 9, 118v [1 Kgs. 1:33] w ch. 1:11; 2:17
9x [Gen. 41:43]10y See ch. 2:1912z See 2 Sam. 15:3013a ch. 5:10, 14
1 Or stake; twice in this verse 2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters 3 Or suspended on a stake 4 Or headdress
860EsthEr 6:14
6:14–7:10 Esther Brings About Haman’s Destruction. This is the dramatic heart of the story, where Esther risks all to save her people.
7:2 Even . . . half of my kingdom. See note on 5:3.
7:4 I and my people. Esther reveals that she is a Jew and that Ahasuerus has been tricked into ordering the death of the queen he loves. we have been sold. Haman had “bought” the king’s agreement to his plan (3:9). our afflic-tion is not to be compared with the loss to the king. With this exag-gerated comparison, Esther, like Haman, appeals to the king’s self-interest. If he reduced the Jews to slavery, he would at least have the benefit of their free labor. By killing them, he will lose a valuable asset.
7:7 the palace garden. See 1:5. Ahasuerus withdraws briefly to compose himself.
7:8 falling on the couch. Haman was probably kneeling, perhaps with his hands or arms on the couch (probably to seek mercy from Esther), but the king’s perception is distorted by his anger (taking Haman’s move as an assault on Esther). they covered Haman’s face. Covering the head of a
condemned prisoner is a custom well known in both ancient and modern times.
7:10 Hang him on that. A gruesome piece of poetic justice that completes the “fall” Haman’s wife had predicted (see 5:13; 6:13).
8:1–17 Esther Wins the Right of the Jews to Defend Themselves. In this section Esther solves the apparently unsolvable problem: how can something unchangeable (the king’s edict) be changed?
8:1–2 Ahasuerus gave . . . Esther the house of Haman. The property of condemned criminals was forfeited to the crown. Esther . . . told what he (Mordecai) was to her. Previously Esther had revealed only that she was a Jew. his signet ring. See note on 3:10.
8:3–8 Haman was dead, but the edict of destruction he had issued with the king’s authority was still in force, for an edict . . . cannot be revoked (v. 8; cf. Dan. 6:8). Given this state of affairs, the only way a decree could be countered was by issuing another one that made it difficult or impossible to implement the first.
Esther Reveals Haman’s Plot14 While they were yet talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring
Haman b to the feast that Esther had prepared.
7 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, c “What is your
wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? d Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered, e “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. 4
f For we have been sold, I and my people, g to be destroyed, to
be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared1 to do this?” 6 And Esther said, h “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
Haman Is Hanged7 And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into i the palace
garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. 8 And the king returned from i the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on j the couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. 9 Then k Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, l the gallows2 that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, m whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits3 high.” 10 And the king said, “Hang him on that.” n So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. o Then the wrath of the king abated.
Esther Saves the Jews
8 On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, h the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told p what he was to
her. 2 qAnd the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it
to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.3 Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him
to avert the evil plan of Haman r the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. 4
s When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, 5 Esther rose and stood before
the king. And she said, “If it please the king, t and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke u the letters devised by Haman r the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. 6 For how can I bear v to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?” 7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, w I
14b ch. 5:8
Chapter 72c ch. 5:6; 9:12 d ch. 5:33e ch. 5:84f ch. 3:9; 4:7 g ch. 3:13; 8:11
2q ch. 3:103r ch. 3:1; 9:244s ch. 4:11; 5:25t ch. 5:8; 7:3 u [ch. 3:13] r [See ver. 3 above]
6v [ch. 7:4]7w ver. 1
1 Hebrew whose heart has filled him 2 Or stake; also verse 10 3 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
861 EsthEr 9:7
8:9 Sivan. The third month of the Jewish religious calendar, in late spring (around May–June).
8:11 any armed force. The Jews are only permitted to defend themselves by destroying armed enemies who attack them. (It is possible, but not certain, that the wording of 9:5 is broader, indicating that they also attacked known enemies who would have done them harm but who simply refrained from attacking them on that day.) children and women included. Any children and women who participated in the attack upon them.
8:12 the thirteenth day of . . . Adar. See 3:13.
8:13 take vengeance on their enemies. Defend themselves by killing all who tried to kill them (see note on v. 11).
8:15 Susa . . . rejoiced (cf. 3:15). This is further evidence that Haman’s attitude to the Jews was not typical.
8:16 The Jews had . . . honor. Probably because people saw that the king himself now favored them.
8:17 joy among the Jews. They rightly saw that they were already as good as saved because their enemies would now be afraid to attack them. many . . . declared themselves Jews. Tried to pass themselves off as Jews. fear of the Jews. Because of the power now wielded by Mordecai (v. 15; 9:3–4).
9:1–19 The Jews Completely Destroy Their Enemies. This is the climax of the story, where the tables are completely turned and the enemies of the Jews get what they deserve.
9:1–10 The Jews . . . did as they pleased (v. 5). In context, this cannot mean that they cast off all restraint, but that they gave full vent to their (understandable) desire to destroy their attackers, as they were allowed to do (see notes on 8:11; 9:11–15). laid no hand on the plunder (also in vv. 15–16). They were allowed to take plunder (8:11), but they did only what was necessary to defend themselves.
have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows,1 because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. 8 But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, x and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring y cannot be revoked.”
9 z
The king’s scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to a the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces b from India to Ethiopia, b 127 provinces, c to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. 10 dAnd he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus e and sealed it with the king’s signet ring.
Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on f swift horses that were used in the king’s service, bred from the royal stud, 11 saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city g to gather and defend their lives, h to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, i and to plunder their goods, 12
j on one day throughout all the provinces of King
Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 13 kA
copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. 14 So the couriers, mounted on their f swift horses that were used in the king’s service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.
15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king l in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown2 and m a robe of fine linen and purple, n and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 16 The Jews had o light and gladness and joy and honor. 17 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and p a holiday. qAnd many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, r for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.
The Jews Destroy Their Enemies
9 s
Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, t on the thirteenth day of the same, u when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, j on the
very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them. 2
v The Jews gathered in their
cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, w for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples. 3 All the officials of the provinces and x the satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai grew y more and more powerful. 5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In Susa the citadel itself the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, 7 and also killed Parshandatha
Chapter 91s ch. 8:12 t ver. 17 u ch. 3:13 j [See ch. 8:12 above]
2v ver. 15, 16, 18; ch. 8:11 w ch. 8:17
3x See Ezra 8:364y [2 Sam. 3:1]; 1 Chr. 11:9
1 Or stake 2 Or headdress
862EsthEr 9:8
9:11–15 tomorrow also. Probably because there were still armed men in Susa committed to carrying out the first edict. the ten sons of Haman were hanged. In keeping with Persian royal practice, the king wipes out the conspirator’s family publicly, to deter other would-be plotters against himself and the Jews.
9:16–19 These verses explain why two different dates arose for celebrating the deliverance of the Jews. In rural areas the fighting was completed on the thirteenth day of Adar, so they celebrated on the fourteenth. But in Susa it did not finish until the fourteenth, so they celebrated on the fifteenth—as they were still doing when Esther was written (v. 19).
9:20–10:3 Conclusion. The story ends by showing what came about as a result of the deliverance the Jews experienced.
9:20–32 The Establishment of the Feast of Purim. These verses show how the spontaneous celebrations of vv. 16–19 gave way to a properly organized, annual festival.
9:20–22 the fourteenth . . . and also the fifteenth. The days on which
the rural and the urban Jews (respectively) had spontaneously begun to celebrate their deliverance (see note on vv. 16–19). Mordecai avoids any difficulties this might cause by ordering that both days be observed. gifts of food. This would enable all alike to share in the feasting, including the poor (cf. Deut. 16:11; Neh. 8:10, 12; note on Est. 2:18).
9:23–32 Purim. This is the Hebrew plural of Pur (see note on 3:7). Jews still keep the Feast of Purim today. This second letter suggests that the differ-ences between rural and urban Jews, referred to in 9:9–16, had persisted to some extent in spite of the first letter (vv. 20–22). Both were distributed in the form of many letters, carried by many messengers but with the same basic content. words of peace and truth. A conventional, formal opening for Jewish letters (even today), but with added significance here. The inten-tion of this letter was to bring peace between different Jewish communities by establishing the one true (correct) manner of observing the festival. as . . . with regard to their fasts and their lamenting. The Jews were to take their obligation to observe the joyful Feast of Purim just as seriously as they had already accepted their obligation to observe days of fasting and weeping (Lev. 16:29–31; Zech. 7:3; 8:19).
and Dalphon and Aspatha 8 and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha 9 and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vaizatha, 10
z the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, a the
enemy of the Jews, b but they laid no hand on the plunder.11 That very day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was reported to the king.
12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men and also the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! c Now what is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.” 13 And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed d tomorrow also to do according to this day’s edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.”1 14 So the king commanded this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. 15 The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed 300 men in Susa, but they laid no hands on the plunder.
16 e
Now the rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also f gathered to defend their lives, and got relief from their enemies and killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they laid no hands on the plunder. 17 This was g on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. 18 But the Jews who were in Susa gathered g on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested h on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in i the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as j a holiday, and k as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.
The Feast of Purim Inaugurated20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the
provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into j a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
23 So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, l the enemy of all the Jews, m had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and n had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. 25 But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing o that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews p should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.2 26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term n Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in q this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, 27 the Jews firmly obligated
10z ver. 13, 14; [ch. 5:11] a See ch. 3:10 b [ch. 8:11]
22j [See ver. 19 above]24l See ch. 3:10 m ch. 3:6 n ch. 3:7
25o ch. 7:9, 10; 8:3, 7 p [Ps. 7:16]
26n [See ver. 24 above] q ver. 20
1 Or stake 2 Or suspended on a stake
863 EsthEr 10:3
10:1–3 Mordecai’s High Rank and Beneficent Rule. After all the turmoil of the preceding chapters, the story at last arrives at a state of peace.
10:1 imposed tax. Reversing the (temporary) remission of 2:18. If the coastlands of the sea are remote parts of Ahasuerus’s empire (bordering the eastern Mediterranean), taxing them shows the impressive extent of his power (1:1; 10:2).
10:2 the Chronicles. See note on 2:22–23. Media and Persia. See note on 1:2–3.
10:3 second in rank to King Ahasuerus. Cf. Joseph (Gen. 41:40). broth-ers. Fellow Jews. welfare, peace. Under Mordecai as the king’s chief officer, the Jews experienced exactly the opposite of what they had experienced under Haman.
themselves and their offspring and r all who joined them, that without fail they would keep s these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, 28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.
29 Then Queen Esther, t the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming u this second letter about Purim. 30 Letters were sent to all the Jews, v
to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth, 31 that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated them, and as they had obligated themselves and their off-spring, with regard to w their fasts and their lamenting. 32 The command of Queen Esther confirmed these practices of x Purim, and it was recorded in writing.
The Greatness of Mordecai
10 King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on y the coastlands of the sea. 2 And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai,
z to which the king advanced him, are they not written in a the Book of the Chronicles of the
kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was b second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he c
sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.
27r [Isa. 56:3, 6; Zech. 2:11] s ver. 21
29t ch. 2:15 u ver. 20; ch. 8:10
30v ch. 1:1; 8:931w ch. 4:332x ver. 26
Chapter 101y Isa. 11:11; 24:152z ch. 8:15; 9:4 a ch. 2:23; 6:1
3b 2 Chr. 28:7; [Gen. 41:40] c [Neh. 2:10; Ps. 122:8, 9]
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