INTRODUCTION TO ESTHER 7 Esther, being solicited by the king to tell him her petition, asks for her life and the lives of her people, who were sold to be destroyed, Esther 7:1, the king, amazed at her request, inquires who was the person that dared to do so vile a thing; and was told by her it was... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THE KING AND HAMAN CAME TO BANQUET WITH ESTHER THE QUEEN. Or, "to drink with her" e, that is, wine; for in the next verse it is called a banquet of wine; so they did according to the invitation the queen had given them, Esther 5:8. e לשתות "ut biberent", V. L. Tigurine version; "ad bibendum", Pa... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE KING SAID AGAIN TO ESTHER ON THE SECOND DAY, AT THE BANQUET OF WINE,.... This was the third time he put the following question to her, being very desirous of knowing what she had to ask of him; and it was of God that this was kept upon his mind, and he was moved to solicit her petition, or o... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN ESTHER THE QUEEN ANSWERED AND SAID,.... Not rolling herself at the king's knees, as Severus f writes; but rather, as the former Targum, lifting up her eyes to heaven, and perhaps putting up a secret ejaculation for direction and success: IF I HAVE FOUND FAVOUR IN THY SIGHT, O KING; as she cert... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR WE ARE SOLD, I AND MY PEOPLE, TO BE DESTROYED, TO BE SLAIN, AND TO PERISH,.... She makes use of these several words, to express the utter destruction of her and her people, without any exception; not only the more to impress the king's mind with it, but she has respect to the precise words of th... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE KING AHASUERUS ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO ESTHER THE QUEEN,.... The words in the original text lie thus, "and the King Ahasuerus said, and he said to Esther the queen"; which doubling of the word does not signify, as Jarchi suggests, that before he spoke to her by a messenger, or middle person,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ESTHER SAID, THE ADVERSARY AND ENEMY IS THIS WICKED HAMAN,.... Who was not only an enemy to her and her people, but an adversary to the king, by advising and persuading him to that which was to the loss of his revenues, as well as of his reputation; also, she pointed at him, and gave him his jus... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE KING, ARISING FROM THE BANQUET OF WINE IN HIS WRATH, WENT INTO THE PALACE GARDEN,.... Not being able to bear the sight of Haman, who had done such an injury both to himself and to the queen; as also that his wrath might subside, and he become more composed and sedate, and be able coolly to d... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE KING RETURNED OUT OF THE PALACE GARDEN INTO THE PLACE OF THE BANQUET OF WINE,.... Being a little cooler, and more composed in his mind, see Esther 1:5 AND HAMAN WAS FALLEN UPON THE BED WHEREON ESTHER WAS; not the bed she lay on to sleep in the night, (for it cannot be thought that it was a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HARBONAH, ONE OF THE CHAMBERLAINS, SAID BEFORE THE KING,.... One of the seven chamberlains, see Esther 1:10, his name, with Josephus y, is Sabouchadas. BEHOLD ALSO, THE GALLOWS FIFTY CUBITS HIGH, WHICH HAMAN HAD MADE FOR MORDECAI, WHO HAD SPOKEN GOOD FOR THE KING, STANDETH IN THE HOUSE OF HAMAN... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THEY HANGED HAMAN ON THE GALLOWS THAT HE HAD PREPARED FOR MORDECAI,.... Not within his house, Esther 7:9, but more probably in his courtyard, in the sight of his family and friends; or, it may be, the gallows was taken from thence, and set up without the city, where he was hanged: for so it is sa... [ Continue Reading ]