III. (1) HAMAN... THE AGAGITE. — Nothing appears to be known of Haman save from this book. His name, as well as that of his father and his sons, is Persian; and it is thus difficult to see the meaning of the name _Agagite._ which has generally been assumed to imply descent from Agag, king of the Ama... [ Continue Reading ]
BOWED NOT. — Perhaps, rather, _did not prostrate himself,_ for such was the ordinary Eastern practice (see Herod. iii. 86, vii. 7, 34, 136, viii. 118). The objection on Mordecai’s part was evidently mainly on religious grounds, as giving to a man Divine honours (Josephus _l.c._)_,_ for it elicits fr... [ Continue Reading ]
WHETHER MORDECAI’S MATTERS WOULD STAND. — This should be, his _words:_ whether his statement that he belonged to a nation who might only pay such reverence to God, would hold good.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE FIRST MONTH... THE TWELFTH YEAR. — In the March or April of 474 B.C. NISAN. — The later name of the month, known in the Pentateuch as Abib. In this month the Passover had been first instituted, when God smote the Egyptians with a terrible visitation, the death of the first-born, and bade the... [ Continue Reading ]
A CERTAIN PEOPLE SCATTERED ABROAD... — A certain part of the nation had returned with Zerub-babel, but (Ezra 2:64) these only amounted to 42,360, so that the great majority of the nation had preferred to stay comfortably where they were in the various districts of the Persian Empire. NEITHER KEEP T... [ Continue Reading ]
TEN THOUSAND TALENTS OF SILVER. — This would be about two and a half millions sterling, being indeed more than two-thirds of the whole annual revenue of the Empire (Herod. iii. 95). Haman may have been a man of excessive wealth (like the Pythius who offered Xerxes four millions of gold darics (Herod... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE KING SAID ... — With indifference which seems incredible, but which is quite in accordance with what we otherwise know of Xerxes, the king simply hands over to his minister the whole nation and their possessions to do with as he will. The king perhaps was glad to throw the cares of governmen... [ Continue Reading ]
ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH. — From the next verse we see that the thirteenth of Adar was to be the lucky day for Haman’s purpose, which may have suggested the thirteenth of Nisan as a suitable day for this preliminary step. Bishop Wordsworth reminds us that this day was the eve of the... [ Continue Reading ]
POSTS. — Literally, _the runners._ (See Note on Esther 1:22.)... [ Continue Reading ]
COPY. — Heb., _pathshegen._ A Persian word, only occurring here and in Esther 4:8; Esther 8:13.... [ Continue Reading ]
PERPLEXED. — The inhabitants of the capital were puzzled and alarmed, as well they might be, at so marvellously reckless an order. Their sympathies, too, were clearly with the Jews and against Haman. (See Esther 8:15.)... [ Continue Reading ]