INTRODUCTION TO ESTHER 1 This chapter relates, how that Ahasuerus, a great king of Persia, made a feast, first for the grandees of his kingdom, and then for his people, as his queen did for the women, Esther 1:1, who being sent for by him, and she refusing to come, was, by the advice of one of his... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AHASUERUS,.... Who he was is not easy to say; almost all the kings of Persia are so named by one or another writer. He cannot be the Ahasuerus in Daniel 9:1, he was Astyages, the father of Cyaxares or Darius the Mede; but this must be one who had his royal palace i... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT IN THOSE DAYS, WHEN THE KING AHASUERUS SAT ON THE THRONE OF HIS KINGDOM,.... Not only was placed upon it, but settled in it; after Xerxes had subdued Egypt, in the second year of his reign e, and enjoyed great peace and tranquillity: WHICH WAS IN SHUSHAN THE PALACE; that is, the throne of his... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE THIRD YEAR OF HIS REIGN HE MADE A FEAST UNTO ALL HIS PRINCES, AND HIS SERVANTS,.... The nobles and officers in his court; on what account this was cannot be said with certainty, whether the first day of it was his birthday, or the day of his coming to the throne, on which day Xerxes used to m... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN HE SHOWED THE RICHES OF HIS GLORIOUS KINGDOM,.... Xerxes was the fourth king of the Persian monarchy, and was "far richer than all" that went before him, all their riches coming into his hands, Daniel 11:2, and now that prophecy began to be fulfilled, "that by his strength, through his riches,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THESE DAYS WERE ENDED,.... The one hundred and eighty, in which the nobles, princes, and great men of the kingdom were feasted: THE KING MADE A FEAST UNTO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WERE PRESENT IN SHUSHAN THE PALACE, BOTH UNTO GREAT AND SMALL; of every age, rank, state and condition of life; the... [ Continue Reading ]
WHERE WERE WHITE, GREEN, AND BLUE HANGINGS,.... Or curtains of fine linen, as the Targum, which were of these several colours; the first letter of the word for "white" is larger than usual, to denote the exceeding whiteness of them. The next word is "carpas", which Ben Melech observes is a dyed colo... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY GAVE THEM DRINK IN VESSELS OF GOLD, THE VESSELS BEING DIVERS ONE FROM ANOTHER,.... In the pattern and workmanship of them, though of the same metal, which diversity made the festival the more grand; earthen cups, with the Persians, were reckoned very mean; when a king would disgrace a man, he o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE DRINKING WAS ACCORDING TO THE LAW, NONE DID COMPEL,.... According to the law Ahasuerus gave to his officers next mentioned, which was not to oblige any man to drink more than he chose; the Targum is, `according to the custom of his body;' that is, as a man is able to bear it, so they drank... [ Continue Reading ]
ALSO VASHTI THE QUEEN MADE A FEAST FOR THE WOMEN.... For it was not customary with the Persians, nor other eastern nations, to admit of women to their festivals m, but they feasted by themselves. Who Vashti was is not known with any certainty. Bishop Usher, who takes Ahasuerus to be Darius Hystaspis... [ Continue Reading ]
ON THE SEVENTH DAY,.... Of the feast, the last day of it, which the Rabbins, as Jarchi observes, say was the sabbath day, and so the Targum: WHEN THE HEART OF THE KING WAS MERRY WITH WINE; when he was intoxicated with it, and knew not well what he said or did; and the discourse at table ran upon th... [ Continue Reading ]
TO BRING VASHTI THE QUEEN BEFORE THE KING,.... Not against her will, or by force; but they were sent to let her know it was the king's pleasure that she should come to him immediately: WITH THE CROWN ROYAL; that is, upon her head, to make her look the more grand and majestic: TO SHOW THE PEOPLE AN... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE QUEEN REFUSED TO CAME AT THE KING'S COMMANDMENT BY HIS CHAMBERLAINS,.... Even though he sent by them again, as the Targum; and so says Josephus o; which might not purely arise from pride in her, and contempt of him, but because she might conclude he was drunk, and knew not well what he did;... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE KING SAID TO THE WISE MEN THAT KNEW THE TIMES,.... Astrologers, as Aben Ezra, that knew the fit time for doing anything; or that had knowledge of ancient times, historians, well read in history, and knew things that had happened similar to this: FOR SO WAS THE KING'S MANNER TOWARDS ALL THA... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE NEXT UNTO HIM,.... That sat next to the king, and was the chief in dignity and authority under him: WAS CARSHENA; and so everyone in their rank and order, as next mentioned: SHETHAR, ADMATHA, TARSHISH, MERES, MARSENA, AND MEMUCAN; who, according to the latter Targum, were of different coun... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT SHALL WE DO UNTO THE QUEEN VASHTI, ACCORDING TO LAW,.... The king desired to know what law was provided in such a case as her's, and what to be done according to it: BECAUSE SHE HATH NOT PERFORMED THE COMMANDMENT OF THE KING BY THE CHAMBERLAINS? as this was the crime, disobedience to his comma... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MEMUCAN ANSWERED BEFORE THE KING AND THE PRINCES,.... Who was the last, and perhaps the least and the youngest of the counsellors; it being appointed by the king, according to the latter Targum that when his counsellors sat, the least should give their counsel first; just as puisne judges, and t... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THIS DEED OF THE QUEEN SHALL COME ABROAD UNTO ALL WOMEN,.... It will soon be spread all over the king's dominions, and reach the ears of the wives of all his subjects, and become their general talk everywhere: SO THAT THEY SHALL DESPISE THEIR HUSBANDS IN THEIR EYES: make light of their authorit... [ Continue Reading ]
LIKEWISE SHALL THE LADIES OF PERSIA AND MEDIA SAY THIS DAY UNTO THE KING'S PRINCES, WHICH HAVE HEARD OF THE DEED OF THE QUEEN,.... From henceforward they will give a like answer to their husbands, when they lay their commands upon them, as Vashti has to the king; they will tell them to their faces t... [ Continue Reading ]
IF IT PLEASE THE KING, LET THERE GO A ROYAL COMMANDMENT FROM HIM,.... Not only a proclamation made, but a law enacted and published by royal authority: AND LET IT BE WRITTEN AMONG THE LAWS OF THE PERSIANS AND MEDES THAT IT BE NOT ALTERED; for so it was, that when a law was made, and signed, and sea... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE KING'S DECREE WHICH HE SHALL MAKE SHALL BE PUBLISHED THROUGHOUT ALL HIS EMPIRE,.... As it was proper it should, since the report of the queen's deed would be made everywhere: FOR IT IS GREAT; the empire consisting of one hundred and twenty seven provinces, Esther 1:1, Aben Ezra and Abe... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE SAYING PLEASED THE KING AND THE PRINCES,.... The king, and the other six princes and counsellors, approved of the proposal, and unanimously agreed to it: AND THE KING DID ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF MEMUCAN; passed a law according to his advice, and signed and sealed it, and registered it amon... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HE SENT LETTERS UNTO ALL THE KING'S PROVINCES,.... The one hundred and twenty seven provinces, Esther 1:1, which, according to the Targum, were written and sealed with his own seal; which is very probable: INTO EVERY PROVINCE ACCORDING TO THE WRITING THEREOF, AND TO EVERY PEOPLE AFTER THEIR LAN... [ Continue Reading ]