The Book of
Author
While the name of the author is unknown, the book was written by a Jew, who was familiar with Persian customs and words. Mordecai or Ezra may have been the writer.
Background and Date
The Book of Esther is a graphic narrative, which relates how God’s people were preserved from ruin during the fifth century B.C.
The book takes its name from the beautiful, orphaned Jewess who became the queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus. He is generally believed to have been King Xerxes I who succeeded Darius I in 485 B.C. and ruled for twenty years over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. He lived in the Persian capital of Shushan. At this time a number of Jews were still in Babylon under Persian rule, even though they had been free to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1; 2) for over fifty years. The story takes place over a period of four years, starting in the third year of Xerxes’ reign.
Esther is a study in the survival of God’s people amidst hostility. Haman, the king’s second in command, wants the Jews destroyed. He manipulates the king to call for their execution. Esther is brought on the scene and is used by God to save her people. Haman is hanged; and Mordecai, a leader to the Jews in the Persian Empire, becomes prime minister. The Feast of Purim is then instituted to mark their deliverance.
A unique feature of Esther is that the name of God is not mentioned. However, the imprint of God and His ways are obvious throughout, especially in the lives of Esther and Mordecai. From a human perspective, Esther and Mordecai were two of the most unlikely people to be chosen to play major roles in shaping a nation. He was a Jewish Benjamite exile; she was his adopted, orphaned cousin (2:7). Esther’s spiritual maturity is seen in her knowing to wait for God’s timing to make her request to save her people and to denounce Haman (5:6–8; 7:3–6). Mordecai also demonstrates a maturity to seek God for timing and direction. As a result, he knew the right time for Esther to disclose her identity as a Jew (2:10). These obviously divinely controlled restraints proved to be crucial (6:1–14; 7:9, 10) and testify to the book’s spiritual base.
Finally, both Esther and Mordecai feared God, not men. Regardless of the consequences, Mordecai refused to pay homage to Haman. Esther risked her life for the sake of her people by going to the king without being summoned. Their mission was always to save the life that the enemy planned to destroy (2:21–23; 4:1–17; 7:1–6; 8:3–6). As a result, they led a nation into freedom, were honored by the king and given greater authority, privileges, and responsibilities.
Personal Application
One of the main purposes of the Book of Esther is to show us from the lives of Esther and Mordecai a classic example of successful teamwork. Their relationship vividly portrays the unity that the Lord Jesus prayed for His disciples to experience (John 17). The success of their individual roles, even their very survival, depended entirely upon their unity. Esther also shows how God destroys those who try to harm His people. From this we are reminded that He is faithful to destroy Satan and that His sovereign purposes ultimately prevail.
Christ Revealed
Queen Esther is similar to Jesus in several ways. She lived in submission, dependence, and obedience to her God-given authorities Mordecai and King Ahasuerus even as the Lord Jesus, during His earthly ministry, lived in total submission, dependence, and obedience to His Father God.
Esther also fully identified herself with her people and fasted for three days as she interceded to God on their behalf (4:16). Hebrews 2:17 tells us that “in all things He [Jesus] had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest.” As such, He both fasted and prayed for His own (Matt. 4:2; John 17:20).
Third, Esther gave up her right to live in order to save the nation from certain death. For this she was exalted by the king. In like fashion Jesus gave up His life that a world of sinners might be saved from eternal death and was highly exalted by God (Phil. 2:5–11).
The Holy Spirit at Work
Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned directly, it is His work that produced in both Esther and Mordecai the deep level of humility, leading to their mutual love and loyalty (see Rom. 5:5).
The Holy Spirit also directed and energized Esther to fast for her nation and to call her people to do the same (see Rom. 8:26, 27).
Outline of Esther
I. A new queen chosen 1:1—2:17
A. King Ahasuerus displays his power and holds a feast 1:1–8
B. Queen Vashti is deposed 1:9–22
C. Esther is chosen to be queen 2:1–18
II. The king’s life saved 2:19–23
A. Mordecai uncovers a conspiracy 2:19–21
B. Esther informs the king 2:22, 23
III. A plot against the Jews formed 3:1—4:17
A. Haman plots to destroy the Jews 3:1–15
B. Mordecai persuades Esther to intervene 4:1–14
C. Esther solicits Mordecai’s help 4:15–17
A. Esther plans a banquet 5:1–8
B. Haman plots to destroy Mordecai 5:9–14
C. Haman is forced to honor Mordecai 6:1–14
V. Haman hanged 7:1–10
A. Esther discloses her identity and exposes Haman 7:1–6
B. Haman is hanged on gallowsprepared for Mordecai 7:7–10
A. Esther brings her request to the king 8:1–6
B. The king issues a decree on behalf of the Jews 8:7–17
C. The Jews defeat their enemies 9:1–17
VII. The Feast of Purim established 9:18—10:3
A. The Jews celebrate the first Purim 9:18–32
B. The king advances Mordecai 10:1–3
The King Dethrones Queen Vashti
1 NOW it came to pass in the days of aAhasuerus1 (this was the Ahasuerus who *reigned bover one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, cfrom India to Ethiopia),
2 in those days when King Ahasuerus asat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in bShushan1 the 2citadel,
3 that in the third year of his reign he amade a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him—
4 when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.
5 And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in 1Shushan the 2citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.
6 There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the acouches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble.
7 And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, aaccording to the 1generosity of the king.
8 In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had ordered all the officers of his household, that they should do according to each man’s pleasure.
9 Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.
10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, aHarbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus,
11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her *beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold.
12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him.
13 Then the king said to the awise men bwho understood the *times (for this was the king’s manner toward all who knew law and justice,
14 those closest to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the aseven princes of Persia and Media, bwho had access to the king’s presence, and who 1ranked highest in the kingdom):
15 “What shall we do to Queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?”
16 And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: “Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
17 “For the queen’s behavior will become known to all women, so that they will adespise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come.’
18 “This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media will say to all the king’s officials that they have heard of the behavior of the queen. Thus there will be excessive contempt and wrath.
19 “If it pleases the king, let a royal 1decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will anot 2be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she.
20 “When the king’s decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will ahonor their husbands, both great and small.”
21 And the reply pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan.
22 Then he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, ato each province in its own script, and to every people in their own language, that each man should bbe master in his own house, and speak in the language of his own people.
Esther Becomes Queen
1 After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, awhat she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
2 Then the king’s servants who attended him said: “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king;
3 “and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to 1Shushan the 2citadel, into the women’s quarters, under the custody of 3Hegai the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them.
4 “Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This thing pleased the king, and he did so.
5 In 1Shushan the 2citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of aKish, a Benjamite.
6 aKish1 had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with 2Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
7 And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, ahis uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
8 So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were agathered at 1Shushan the 2citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women.
9 Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave abeauty preparations to her, besides 1her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.
10 aEsther had not 1revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it.
11 And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.
12 Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women.
13 Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace.
14 In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.
15 Now when the turn came for Esther athe daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther bobtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.
16 So 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 other women, and she obtained *grace and favor in his sight more than all the *virgins; so he set the royal acrown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 Then the king amade a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the 1generosity of a king.
Mordecai Discovers a Plot
19 When virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai sat within the king’s gate.
20 aNow Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him.
21 In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, 1Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
22 So the matter became known to Mordecai, awho told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name.
23 And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was confirmed, and both were hanged on a gallows; and it was written in athe book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.
Haman’s Conspiracy Against the Jews
1 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the aAgagite, and badvanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.
2 And all the king’s servants who were awithin the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bwould not bow or pay homage.
3 Then the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the aking’s command?”
4 Now it happened, when they spoke to him daily and he would not listen to them, that they told it to Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand; for Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai adid not bow or pay him homage, Haman was bfilled with wrath.
6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman asought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai.
7 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, athey cast Pur (that is, the lot), before Haman 1to determine the day and the 2month, 3until it fell on the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; atheir laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain.
9 “If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.”
10 So the king atook bhis signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the cenemy of the Jews.
11 And the king said to Haman, “The money and the people are given to you, to do with them as seems good to you.”
12 aThen the king’s scribes were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree was written according to all that Haman commanded—to the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province, to the officials of all people, to every province baccording to its script, and to every people in their language. cIn the name of King Ahasuerus it was written, and sealed with the king’s signet ring.
13 And the letters were asent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, bin one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and cto plunder their 1possessions.
14 aA copy of the document was to be issued as law in every province, being published for all people, that they should be ready for that day.
15 The couriers went out, hastened by the king’s command; and the decree was proclaimed in 1Shushan the 2citadel. So the king and Haman sat down to drink, but athe city of Shushan was 3perplexed.
Esther Agrees to Help the Jews
1 When Mordecai learned all that had happened, 1he atore his clothes and put on sackcloth band ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He ccried out with a loud and bitter cry.
2 He went as far as the front of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
3 And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with *fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 So Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them.
5 Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was.
6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate.
7 And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and athe sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews.
8 He also gave him aa copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at 1Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people.
9 So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai:
11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into athe inner court to the king, who has not been called, bhe has but one law: put all to death, except the one cto whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may *live. Yet I myself have not been dcalled to go in to the king these thirty days.”
12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words.
13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.
14 “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have 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 who are present in 1Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for athree days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; band if I *perish, I perish!”
17 So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded 1him.
Esther’s Banquet
1 Now it happened aon the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in bthe inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the 1house.
2 So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that ashe found favor in his sight, and bthe king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.
3 And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? aIt shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!”
4 So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”
5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
6 At the banquet of wine athe king said to Esther, b“What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!”
7 Then Esther answered and said, “My petition and request is this:
8 “If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and 1fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the abanquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”
Haman’s Plot Against Mordecai
9 So Haman went out that day ajoyful* and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, and bthat he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai.
10 Nevertheless Haman arestrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh.
11 Then Haman told them of his great riches, athe multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had badvanced him above the officials and servants of the king.
12 Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king.
13 “Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”
14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a agallows1 be made, 2fifty cubits high, and in the morning bsuggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman; so he had cthe gallows made.
The King Honors Mordecai
1 That night 1the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring athe book of the *records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.
2 And it was found written that Mordecai had told of 1Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
3 Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” And the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.”
4 So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered athe outer court of the king’s palace bto suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.
5 The king’s servants said to him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.”
6 So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king *delights to honor?” Now Haman thought in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than ame?”
7 And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor,
8 “let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and aa horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal 1crest placed on its head.
9 “Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then 1parade him on horseback through the city square, aand proclaim 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 robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king’s gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.”
11 So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!”
12 Afterward Mordecai went back to the king’s gate. But Haman ahurried to his house, mourning band with his head covered.
13 When Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him, his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not *prevail against ahim but will surely fall before him.”
14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs came, and hastened to bring Haman to athe banquet which Esther had prepared.
Haman Hanged Instead of Mordecai
1 So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther.
2 And on the second day, aat the banquet of wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!”
3 Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request.
4 “For we have been asold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as bmale and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.”
5 So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?”
6 And Esther said, “The adversary and aenemy is this wicked Haman!” So Haman was terrified before the king and queen.
7 Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king.
8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across athe couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?” As the word left the king’s mouth, they bcovered Haman’s face.
9 Now aHarbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, “Look! bThe 1gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke cgood on the king’s behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.” Then the king said, “Hang him on it!”
10 So athey bhanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided.
Esther Saves the Jews
1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the aenemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told bhow he was related to her.
2 So the king took off ahis signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.
3 Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews.
4 And athe king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king,
5 and said, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems *right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the aletters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces.
6 “For how can I endure to see athe evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?”
7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “Indeed, aI have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews.
8 “You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, 1as you please, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring ano one can revoke.”
9 aSo the king’s scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces bfrom India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all, to every province cin its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.
10 aAnd he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed it with the king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on royal horses 1bred from swift steeds.
11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to agather together and protect their lives—to bdestroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions,
12 aon one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of 1Adar.
13 aA copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14 The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in 1Shushan the 2citadel.
15 So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of 1blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and athe city of 2Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
16 The Jews had alight and gladness, joy and honor.
17 And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast aand a holiday. Then many of the people of the land bbecame Jews, because cfear of the Jews fell upon them.
The Jews Destroy Their Tormentors
1 Now ain the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, bthe time came for the king’s command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves coverpowered those who hated them.
2 The Jews agathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who bsought their harm. And no one could withstand them, cbecause fear of them fell upon all people.
3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king’s work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.
4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecai abecame increasingly prominent.
5 Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them.
6 And in aShushan1 the 2citadel the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men.
7 Also Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vajezatha—
10 athe ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews—they killed; bbut they did not lay a hand on the 1plunder.
11 On that day the number of those who were killed in 1Shushan the 2citadel 3was brought to the king.
12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the citadel, and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now awhat is your petition? It shall be granted to you. Or what is your further request? It shall be done.”
13 Then Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do again tomorrow aaccording to today’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons bbe hanged on the gallows.”
14 So the king commanded this to be done; the decree was issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.
15 And the Jews who were in 1Shushan agathered together again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men at Shushan; bbut they did not lay a hand on the plunder.
16 The remainder of the Jews in the king’s provinces agathered together and protected their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of their enemies; bbut they did not lay a hand on the plunder.
17 This was on the thirteenth *day of the month of Adar. And on the fourteenth of 1the month they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
The Feast of Purim
18 But the Jews who were at 1Shushan assembled together aon the thirteenth day, as well as on the fourteenth; and on the fifteenth of 2the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
19 Therefore the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adar awith gladness and feasting, bas a holiday, and for csending presents to one another.
20 And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus,
21 to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar,
22 as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of asending presents to one another and gifts to the bpoor.
23 So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them,
24 because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, ahad plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and destroy them;
25 but awhen 1Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that 2this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should breturn on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
26 So they *called these days Purim, after the name 1Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of athis letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had happened to them,
27 the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants and all who would ajoin them, that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year, according to the written instructions and according to the prescribed time,
28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every *family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants.
29 Then Queen Esther, athe daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this bsecond letter about Purim.
30 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews, to athe one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,
31 to confirm these days of Purim at their appointed time, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had prescribed for them, and as they had decreed for themselves and their descendants concerning matters of their afasting and lamenting.
32 So the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book.
Mordecai’s Advancement
1 And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on athe islands of the sea.
2 Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, ato which the king 1advanced him, are they not written in the book of the bchronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?
3 For Mordecai the Jew was asecond to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, bseeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his 1countrymen.
1:1 Ahasuerus: See Introduction to Esther: Background and Date.
1:3 The third year was 482 B.C. A feast was a special 180-day banquet (v. 4). Persia: An ancient world empire that flourished from 539 to 331 B.C. Media: The ancient name for modern northwest Iran; it was the most important province of Persia. The customs and laws of the Medes were combined with those of the Persians, and many Medes were given positions of responsibility.
1:5 The 180-day feast was followed by a 7-day feast in the palace, which Shushan’s males were allowed to attend.
1:10 Eunuchs: Trustworthy court officers, personal attendants to both sexes. Some were military officials or governors.
1:13 Wise men who understood the times: Men skilled in the law.
1:17 Leadership involves both responsibilities and influence. In her rebellion, Vashti ignores her responsibility to her authority King Ahasuerus. His advisors fear that, because of Vashti’s position, other women may follow her example.
1:19 Laws … not be altered: According to the Persians and the Medes, their law was unchangeable. Even the king was powerless to alter it.
2:6 The captives: Those Jews taken from Jerusalem to Babylon in 586 B.C.
2:7 Hadassah: “Myrtle.” Esther: “Star.” Probably Mordecai renamed her when he adopted her.
2:8, 9 Esther is well trained, well adjusted socially, and spiritually prepared. This is evident from the favor she receives from her superiors at the palace. Beauty preparations: See note on v. 12. Her allowance consists of numerous dietary delicacies.
2:10 Although Esther is catapulted out of obscurity into a totally different environment, she continues to obey Mordecai’s instructions. He wanted to protect her from the possibility of anti-Semitic reactions.
2:11 Mordecai continues to discharge his responsibility and care of Esther although she is physically removed from him.
2:12 Preparations for beautifying women: Persian law required that Esther be attractive physically. This required twelve months’ preparation, with costly ointments. But in order for her to fulfill God’s purposes, she needed to be equally prepared spiritually. She is a wonderful example of godly womanhood as described in 1 Pet. 3:1–4.
2:13 Whatever she desired … from the women’s quarters refers to jewelry and clothes.
2:15–17 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Esth.
2:19 A second time may have the sense of restating events prior to vv. 17, 18. The king’s gate was where important legal and business transactions took place.
2:20 Esther is learning that God links lives according to His sovereign purpose. When God gave her prominence as the queen, with the king as a new authority over her, she still recognized Mordecai’s authority. God’s linkings come in different categories for different purposes.
2:22, 23 Their teamwork saves the king’s life and his enemies are destroyed. Events significant in the history of the kingdom were recorded in the book of the chronicles, not to be confused with the OT books 1 and 2 Chr.
3:1 After these things indicates an indefinite period of as much as five years. Haman is advanced (promoted) to a high executive position.
3:2–4 See section 3 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Esth.
3:7 They cast … the lot, likely to determine the best day to carry out Haman’s plans.
3:8–15 See section 3 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Esth.
3:10 When the king gave his signet ring to Haman, it was a sign of his delegating full royal authority.
3:12 There are three levels of Persian authorities here. Satraps were rulers over satrapies (the 20 large areas of the empire), governors ruled over each province (there were 120 of these), and the officials served under the governors and may have been leaders of conquered peoples.
3:13 Haman’s plan (vv. 5–9) is to be carried out 11 months later.
4:1 Tearing clothes and putting on sackcloth (a black coarse cloth usually made of goat’s hair) and ashes was a sign of mourning for personal or national disaster.
4:12–14 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Esth.
4:13, 14 After hearing Esther say in effect “If I do as you say, I could die” (v. 11), Mordecai’s response is profound. It means “You will die anyway. If you are silent, you may miss the main opportunity, purpose, and privilege for being where God has put you in relation to this nation.”
4:15–17 See section 2 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Esth.
4:16 Esther’s response is the ultimate commitment to Mordecai and her people, the condemned Jews. In essence, she says, “You do your part to help me; and I will do what you have said, even if I die doing it.” Fasting, especially when accompanied by prayer, is a sign of intensity of desire related to a desperate need (Jon. 3:5–8).
5:2 The scepter was the rod (often ornate) of a ruler, symbolizing his power. When the king extends the scepter, he offers entrance and favor. When Esther touches the top of the scepter, she gratefully acknowledges her acceptance of the king’s proffered grace. We can petition our God and King in prayer on the basis of His invitation to us (see Heb. 4:16).
5:8 Esther is being used wisely and shrewdly by God (see Matt. 10:16). She understands the importance of waiting for God’s timing before making her request (see Eccl. 8:5, 6).
5:14 Fifty cubits high was about 75 feet; Haman wanted the hanging to be an obvious public humiliation.
6:1–11 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Esth.
6:1 God sovereignly intervenes, showing that He has numerous ways to see that His will is carried out for His obedient children (see Job 42:2; Ps. 57:2).
6:2 Doorkeepers guarded the entrance to a city, to a public building, or to a rich man’s house.
6:11 God causes Mordecai to be honored because he has proved by his actions that he fears God, not man.
6:12 Back to the king’s gate: Mordecai has the humility of heart to know that regardless of how prominent he has become, he needs to remain in close touch with Esther.
7:2 The second day refers to the day of the second banquet. The banquet of wine was the time after the meal when the guests relaxed over wine.
7:4 Although the enemy … king’s loss refers to Haman’s inability to make up for the loss of revenue from the Jews’ taxes.
7:8 Haman’s anxiety causes him to violate palace etiquette by being too close to the couch on which Esther reclined to eat. They covered Haman’s face as a sign of his being condemned to death.
7:10 Though ironic, this verse reinforces a key truth of Esther: God sovereignly destroys His enemies.
8:1 The house of Haman includes his property and family.
8:2 Mordecai receives Haman’s position and property.
8:3–6 Haman is dead, but the problem of the irreversible decree remains. Though aware of the problem facing Ahasuerus, Esther appeals for mercy and, in doing so, risks her life again. She valued her life in the same way the apostle Paul valued his (Acts 20:24; Phil. 1:20).
8:7–12 Ahasuerus deals with the problem by authorizing Mordecai to write a decree … in the king’s name. The decree states that the Jews can legally fight back if assaulted.
8:9 Haman’s law had stood 70 days, symbolic of the 70 years of Babylonian captivity.
8:16, 17 This is a fourfold reversal of the distresses in 4:3.
8:17 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Esth.
9:1–17 The Jews had nearly nine months to prepare for their defense (see 8:9). When the day of Haman’s decree arrives (see 3:13), they are well prepared to defend, as indicated by the large numbers the Jews killed.
9:12 Further request: Esther is rewarded for fearing God and not men, for intense intercession, for being willing to sacrifice her life for others, and for fulfilling the conditions of biblical unity. God promises the same reward to those who fulfill the same conditions (see John 15:7).
9:18–32 These verses explain why the Jews living in the city of Shushan (Susa) celebrated the Feast of Purim on the fifteenth of Adar, but those living in rural areas celebrated on the fourteenth. A happy feast that includes giving gifts, much celebrating, and the reading of the Book of Esther, Purim is celebrated annually a month before Passover.
10:1 Ahasuerus’s imposition of forced labor throughout his kingdom is specified to emphasize his power, a power obviously great, and yet not as great as God’s power working through Esther and Mordecai. Their wills are yielded to Him, their hearts are humble, their unity is remarkable, and their God is victorious.
10:3 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Esth.
CHAPTER 1
1 Generally identified with Xerxes I (485–464 B.C.)
* See WW at 2 Sam. 8:15.
1 Or Susa
2 Or fortified palace, and so elsewhere in the book
a Gen. 40:20; Esth. 2:18
1 Or Susa
2 palace
a Esth. 7:8; Ezek. 23:41; Amos 2:8; 6:4
1 Lit. hand
* See WW at Ezek. 28:12.
a Jer. 10:7; Dan. 2:12; Matt. 2:1
1 Lit. sat in first place
1 Lit. word
2 pass away
a [Eph. 5:33; Col. 3:18; 1 Pet. 3:1]
CHAPTER 2
1 Or Susa
2 palace
3 Heb. Hege
1 Or Susa
2 palace
a 2 Kin. 24:14, 15; 2 Chr. 36:10, 20; Jer. 24:1
1 Lit. Who
2 Jehoiachin, 2 Kin. 24:6
1 Or Susa
2 palace
1 Lit. her portions
1 Revealed the identity of
* See WW at Zech. 12:10.
1 Lit. hand
a Esth. 2:10; [Prov. 22:6]
CHAPTER 3
1 Lit. from day to day and month to month
2 LXX adds to destroy the people of Mordecai in one day; Vg. adds the nation of the Jews should be destroyed
3 So with MT, Vg.; LXX and the lot fell on the fourteenth of the month
a Ezra 4:12–15; Acts 16:20, 21
c 1 Kin. 21:8; Esth. 8:8–10
a 2 Chr. 30:6; Esth. 8:10, 14
1 LXX adds the text of the letter here
a Esth. 8:15; [Prov. 29:2]
1 Or Susa
2 palace
3 in confusion
CHAPTER 4
a 2 Sam. 1:11; Esth. 3:8–10; Jon. 3:5, 6
1 Lit. Mordecai
1 Or Susa
1 Or Susa
* See WW at Judg. 5:31.
1 LXX adds a prayer of Mordecai here
CHAPTER 5
1 LXX adds many extra details in vv. 1, 2
a [Prov. 21:1]
1 Lit. to do
* See WW at 2 Chr. 7:10.
1 Lit. tree or wood
2 About 75 feet
CHAPTER 6
1 Lit. the king’s sleep fled away
a [Prov. 16:18; 18:12]
1 crown
1 Lit. cause him to ride
* See WW at Num. 13:30.
CHAPTER 7
b Esth. 5:14; [Ps. 7:16; Prov. 11:5, 6]
1 Lit. tree or wood
a [Ps. 7:16; 94:23; Prov. 11:5, 6]
CHAPTER 8
* See WW at Eccl. 11:6.
a Esth. 8:1; Prov. 13:22
a Esth. 1:19; Dan. 6:8, 12, 15
1 Lit. as is good in your eyes
a 1 Kin. 21:8; Esth. 3:12, 13
1 Lit. sons of the swift horses
1 LXX adds the text of the letter here
1 Or Susa
2 palace
a Esth. 3:15; Prov. 29:2
1 violet
2 Or Susa
a 1 Sam. 25:8; Esth. 9:19
c Gen. 35:5; Ex. 15:16; Deut. 2:25; 11:25; 1 Chr. 14:17; Esth. 9:2
CHAPTER 9
a 2 Sam. 3:1; 1 Chr. 11:9; [Prov. 4:18]
1 Or Susa
2 palace
a Esth. 5:11; 9:7–10; Job 18:19; 27:13–15; Ps. 21:10
1 spoil
1 Or Susa
2 palace
3 Lit. came
1 Or Susa
1 Lit. it
1 Or Susa
2 Lit. it
1 Lit. she or it
2 Lit. his
1 Lit. Lot
a Esth. 8:17; [Is. 56:3, 6]; Zech. 2:11
CHAPTER 10
a Gen. 10:5; Ps. 72:10; Is. 11:11; 24:15
1 Lit. made him great
a Gen. 41:40, 43, 44; 2 Chr. 28:7
1 Lit. seed. LXX, Vg. add a dream of Mordecai here; Vg. adds six more chapters