ESTHER—NOTE ON ESTHER 9:1 THE JEWS... DID AS THEY PLEASED (v. Esther 9:5). They took full advantage of the opportunity to defeat 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. Esther 9:15). They had been given permission to take the... [ Continue Reading ]
ESTHER—NOTE ON ESTHER 9:11 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 prevent further trouble. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒... [ Continue Reading ]
ESTHER—NOTE ON ESTHER 9:16 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. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
ESTHER—NOTE ON ESTHER 9:20 Conclusion. At the high point of the story, the tables are completely turned and the enemies of the Jews get what they deserve. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
ESTHER—NOTE ON ESTHER 9:23 PURIM. The Hebrew plural of PUR (see note on 3:7). Jews still keep the Feast of Purim today. THIS SECOND LETTER suggests that the differences between rural and urban Jews (Esther 9:9) had persisted to some extent in spite of the first letter (vv. Esther 9:20). Both letters... [ Continue Reading ]