The Cleveland Commentary on Esther

The Cleveland Bible Commentary

Esther (NIV)

By Syd Cleveland

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Est 1:1

XERXES = King of the Persian Empire, reigned from 486-464 B.C. He is also known as King Ahasuerus, son of Darius the Great, grandson of Cyrus the Great.

127 PROVINCES = Historian Herodotus reports that Darius originally organized the Persian empire into 20 satrapies (geo-political areas), each headed by a “satrap” (comparable to a governor). Ancient Persia corresponds to the modern nation of Iran.

“As an empire, Persian was a vast was a vast collection of states and kingdoms reaching from the shores of Asia Minor in the west to the Indus River valley in the east. It reached northward to southern Russia, and in the south included Egypt and the regions bordering the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. In history, the empire defeated the Babylonians and then fell finally to Alexander the Great. The nation was named for the southernmost region of the area, called Parsis or Persis. It was a harsh land of deserts, mountains, plateaus, and valleys. The climate was arid and showed extremes of cold and heat. Gold and silver and wheat and barley were native to the area.” – Holman Bible Dictionary

Est 1:2

XERXES REIGNED = The best evidence is Xerxes reigned from 486 B.C. - 464 B.C.

Est 1:3

THIRD YEAR = 483 B.C.

Est 1:6

HANGINGS OF WHITE AND BLUE LINEN = Most probably these were “curtains” or tent panels to shield the diners from the sun and also provide a festival atmosphere of color and motion. White and blue were the royal colors of Persia.

PORPHYRY = The Hebrew “bahat” (Strongs #H923) means “white marble or alabaster.” Porphyry is a rock which contains large, conspicuous crystals.

MARBLE = Persian marble comes in four colors: white, black, red and black, and black and white.

Est 1:7

WINE = Wine was a central feature of Persia festivals. The best imported wine came from the city of Helbon, about 11 miles north of Damascus, and was called “Chalybonian” wine. The national wine of Persia was called “Schiras.” It was the law that a person would not be forced to drink more than he wished.

GOBLETS OF GOLD = According to Persian protocol, the king could demean someone by requiring him to drink from a clay goblet.

Est 1:8

ALLOWED TO DRINK IN HIS OWN WAY = After the Persians conquered Babylon during Belshazzar's drunken party (Daniel 5:1-6) they passed a law making it illegal for a person to compel another to drink until drunk. The Medes and Persians learned well the lesson taught them by drunken Babylonians!

Est 1:9

VASHTI = The name means “desired, beloved.” Queen of Persia with King Xerxes. Another queen associated with Xerxes was named “Amestris.” It is not certain whether Vashti and Amestris are the same person, for there is no mention of Vashti in currently available extra-biblical sources. Jewish legend states that Vashti was the daughter of Evilmerodach (the son of King Nebuchadnezzar). Queen Vashti was deposed in 484-483 B.C. Her son, Artaxerxes, was born close to that time. Vashti died about 424 B.C.

A BANQUET FOR THE WOMEN = It was not customary for women to feast with the men, so a separate banquet was held for the women at the royal palace.

Est 1:10

SEVENTH DAY = The Jewish historians state this was the Sabbath day – more likely it was simply the seventh day of King Xerxes’ feast. Even though under the Old Covenant the Israelites were to rest from their work on the seventh day of the week, not every “seventh day” in the Bible refers to their Sabbath.

SEVEN EUNUCHS = Eunuchs were neutered males who served the royal women of the kingdom.

Est 1:11

TO BRING BEFORE HIM QUEEN VASHTI = The servants were sent to present the king’s request – they did not arrest the Queen or drag her against her will.

Est 1:12

VASHTI REFUSED TO COME = Persian law prohibited women from attending public banquets with their husbands. Only concubines and whores came to these gatherings, thus Vashti was maintaining her dignity as Queen.

Est 1:13

EXPERTS IN MATTERS OF LAW = The problem here was that the king’s command violated the law and customs of Persia. So the issue was: does the king’s command take precedence over the established laws and customs of Persia? The banquet had been held in order to impress the nation’s powerful elite with the king’s supremacy, and now Queen Vashti had challenged his authority by simply refusing to obey his command. Thus, in his wine-befuddled mind, the king believed his government faced a crisis of immense proportions in which all established male leadership in both family and government had been challenged (see Esther 1:17, 20, 22). So he asked his royal adviser to contrive a careful way around the law which would enable the King to preserve his authority, uphold existing laws and still punish Queen Vashti for this supposed disrespect. Esther 1:17-18 makes it clear that Queen Vashti had not violated any Persian law, for the king’s advisors could not think of a law which would be used to condemn her actions. Therefore they proposed the king proclaim a royal edict prohibiting Queen Vashti from ever being seen in public with the king again and stripping her of her royal position (Esther 1:19). As is often the case, an abundance of alcohol thoroughly inhibits clear thinking – one of the reasons for God’s statement that clergy are not permitted to drink while on duty (Leviticus 10:9; Ezekiel 44:21).

Est 1:22

OWN SCRIPT = The Hebrew “kathab” (Strongs #H3791) means “writing, book, records.” It can mean that various provinces of the Persian empire spoke different languages and thus used various characters and alphabets to write their languages (much as modern languages such as Chinese, Russian, Arabic, and English are different). However, “kathab” can also mean that each province in the Persian empire had its own copy of the nation’s laws written in the official language of that district. The final result is the same: the king’s edict went out across the entire empire, communicated and preserved in the native languages of its people.

OWN TONGUE = The Hebrew "lashown" (Strongs #H3956) here means "native language, the tongue as the organ of speech."

Est 2:1

HE REMEMBERED = When Xerxes came to his senses he regretted his hasty edict regarding Vashti. But because the laws of the Medes and Persians could not be repealed (Esther 1:19) the king was a captive of his own decision, for the decisions we make define who and what we are.

Est 2:2

LET A SEARCH BE MADE = When the king’s advisers became aware of his tender feelings towards Vashti, they immediately encouraged him to search for a new queen. Certainly this was a move to protect their own self-interests, for if the king was permitted to regret his decision regarding Vashti he might punish his advisors. Jewish tradition states Xerxes did have his advisors executed.

Est 2:3

HAREM = The term “harem” literally means “house of the women.” This harem apparently had two compartments, the first was where virgins stayed before being introduced to the king, the second was where his concubines lived. Once a woman entered the king’s harem her family would never see her again.

“In the Persian palaces (the harem) was very extensive, since the monarchs maintained, besides their legitimate wives, as many as 300 or 400 concubines.” – Barnes Notes

HEGAI, THE KING’S EUNUCH = Usually the overseer of the harem was a repulsive old man as a protection against romantic affairs.

Est 2:5

MORDECAI = The name means “little man.” Mordecai was a descendant of Shimei who cursed king David when he fled from Absalom (see 2 Samuel 16:5-13). On king David’s advice, Shimei was later executed by king Solomon for violating the conditions of his safe refuge (see 1 Kings 2:36-46).

Est 2:7

ESTHER = Many Israelites had two names: their Hebrew name, and a Gentile name assigned when they were taken into captivity by a foreign nation. The name “Esther” means "Ishtar" or “star.” Ishtar was the Persian goddess of fertility and war, and in the pantheon of pagan gods, was associated with Tammuz, the god of vegetation. Ishtar was identified with the planet Venus and, in the clay tablets discovered at Amarna, was designated "Mistress of Heaven." Esther’s Jewish name was “Hadassah,” meaning “myrtle.” She was a descendant of king Saul.

NEITHER FATHER NOR MOTHER = Similar term is used of Melchizedek, King of Salem (Hebrews 7:3). However this text goes on to say "her father and mother died." Thus the phrase "neither father nor mother" does not refer to supernatural birth, but rather to the fact she had no living relatives. Adam Clarke states: “Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, and therefore must have been Mordecai’s cousin, though the Vulgate and Josephus make her Mordecai’s niece, but it is safest to follow the Hebrew (text).”

Est 2:9

THE GIRL (ESTHER) PLEASED (XERXES) = Some believe Esther was immoral because she entered the king’s harem. However consider Matthew Henry’s observation: “It is certain, that those who suggest that she committed a great sin to come at this indignity do not consider the custom of those times and countries. Every one that the king took to his bed was married to him, and was his wife of a lower rank, as Hagar was Abraham’s.” – Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

Est 2:10

HAD NOT REVEALED HER NATIONALITY = There was no requirement to reveal she was a Jewess, and her uncle Mordecai was concerned that doing so may have created prejudice against her. The fact Esther had probably been born at Susa may have given the impression she was Persian.

Est 2:16

THE MONTH OF TEBETH = This would be December-January on our calendar.

SEVENTH YEAR = 479 B.C.

Est 2:18

HOLIDAY = It was customary for Persian kings to occasionally grant the local provinces a temporary period of time when they would not have to remit taxes to the king. It was also a time of release from military service, debts, and slavery. Thus it was a great and joyful time for the citizens of the Persian Empire.

Est 2:19

SITTING AT THE KING’S GATE = The gate was the center of legal and commercial business transactions. Mordecai must have held an important position to be present at the king’s gate where he could overhear the king’s officers.

Est 2:23

THE TWO OFFICERS WERE HANGED = Greek historians and pictures from this era in Persia indicate that the method of execution was impalement. Once the criminal was dead, he was publicly hanged.

Est 3:1

AGAGITE = “Agagite” is probably a synonym for Amalekite (a common name for Amalekite kings was “Agag”). The Amalekites attacked the Israelites after they left Egypt (Exodus 17:8-16); 1 Samuel 14:47-48). When Saul attacked Amalek, he not only killed King Agag, he also annihilated most of the city (1 Samuel 15; 1 Chronicles 4:42-43). All this occurred about 500 years before the time of Queen Esther.

Est 3:7

LOT FELL ON THE TWELFTH MONTH = This gave Haman nearly a year to prepare for the eradication of the Jews (Esther 3:6).

Est 3:9

TEN THOUSAND TALENTS = It is likely Haman was counting on raising this large amount of money by plundering the wealth of the Jews he planned to kill.

Est 3:12

PROVINCES = Each province was called a “satrapy” (geo-political areas), headed by a “satrap” (comparable to a governor).

Est 4:1

Est 5:1

Est 6:1

Est 7:1

Est 8:1

Est 9:1

DID NOT LAY THEIR HANDS ON THE PLUNDER = The Jews acted solely out of self-defense and not to enrich themselves by confiscating their enemies’ wealth – even though king Xerxes had given them permission to plunder (Esther 8:11).

Est 10:1

Sydney Cleveland, 172 Suncrest Drive, Greenwood, IN 46143 317 885-8122

scleveland@prodigy.net

Permission to use The Cleveland Bible Commentary in your personal study is freely given, however this Commentary is not in the public domain. The author retains all copyrights © and ownership of this commentary, world wide. This means you cannot copy, revise, change, republish, or distribute The Cleveland Bible Commentary in any way, including electronically, except as provided here. Nor may you use it in any manner other than for your own personal study, except as stated here, without my written permission. You may quote from The Cleveland Bible Commentary in materials used in your personal teaching at educational institutions, including churches and Bible classes sponsored by your church, as long as the quotation does not exceed twenty-five percent of the entire Cleveland Bible Commentary verse notes on any single chapter. For example, this means if I comment on twenty-four verses in Matthew chapter 19, you may directly quote my comments on six verses of your choice in Matthew 19 without requesting permission.

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