INTRODUCTION TO ESTHER 9 In this chapter we have an account of the Jews gathering together, on the day fixed for their destruction, to defend themselves, which they did in all the provinces, and smote their enemies; Esther 9:1. In Shushan the palace they slew the ten sons of Haman and five hundred... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW IN THE TWELFTH MONTH, THAT IS THE MONTH ADAR, ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF THE SAME,.... Of which see Esther 3:13, WHEN THE KING'S COMMANDMENT AND HIS DECREE DREW NEAR TO BE PUT IN EXECUTION; even both his commandments and decrees, the one empowering the enemies of the Jews on that day to destroy t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE JEWS GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER IN THEIR CITIES, THROUGHOUT ALL THE PROVINCES OF KING AHASUERUS,.... Wherever they lived: TO LAY HAND ON SUCH AS SOUGHT THEIR HURT; who not only threatened them what they would do on this day, but were risen up in arms in quest of them: AND NO MAN COULD WITHST... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ALL THE RULERS OF THE PROVINCES, AND THE LIEUTENANTS, AND THE DEPUTIES, AND OFFICERS OF THE KING, BLESSED THE JEWS,.... Countenanced them and encouraged them, and gave them all assistance in their power; extolled them, as the word signifies, lifted them up, and spoke well of them, or praised the... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR MORDECAI WAS GREAT IN THE KING'S HOUSE,.... Not only over Esther's affairs, but was one of the king's counsellors, and was the chief minister of state: AND HIS FAME WENT OUT THROUGHOUT ALL THE PROVINCES; what a favourite he was of the king, as well as a relation of the queen, and how wise and j... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS THE JEWS SMOTE ALL THEIR ENEMIES WITH THE STROKE OF THE SWORD, AND SLAUGHTER, AND DESTRUCTION,.... Some with swords, and others with clubs, and staves; as the Targum; and such like slaughtering weapons of destruction: AND DID WHAT THEY WOULD UNTO THOSE THAT HATED THEM; being then entirely at t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IN SHUSHAN THE PALACE THE JEWS SLEW AND DESTROYED FIVE HUNDRED MEN. Not in the royal palace, where it cannot be thought the Jews had so many enemies, or such a bloody slaughter of them should be made there; but in the city, where the palace was: and this may seem somewhat wonderful, that there s... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 7-10. AND PARSHANDATHA, AND DALPHON, AND ASPATHA, AND PORATHA, AND ADALIA, AND ARIDATHA, AND PARMASHTA, AND ARISAI, AND ARIDAI, AND VAJEZATHA, THE TEN SONS OF HAMAN THE SON OF HAMMEDATHA, THE ENEMY OF THE JEWS, SLEW THEY,.... Along with the five hundred men, at the head of which they were: BUT... [ Continue Reading ]
Esther 9:7.... [ Continue Reading ]
Esther 9:7.... [ Continue Reading ]
Esther 9:7.... [ Continue Reading ]
ON THAT DAY THE NUMBER OF THOSE THAT WERE SLAIN IN SHUSHAN THE PALACE WAS BROUGHT BEFORE THE KING. Either by order of the king, that he might know how many enemies the Jews had in the city, and how many of subjects had been slain; or officiously by others, with an intention to irritate the king agai... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE KING SAID UNTO ESTHER THE QUEEN,.... After the account had been brought in to him: THE JEWS HAVE SLAIN AND DESTROYED FIVE HUNDRED MEN IN SHUSHAN THE PALACE; the Targum adds, of the seed of Amalek: AND THE TEN SONS OF HAMAN: which very probably were all he had; though the Targum, in Esther... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAID ESTHER, IF IT PLEASE THE KING,.... For she was all submission to his will: LET IT BE GRANTED TO THE JEWS WHICH ARE IN SHUSHAN; for no further did she desire the grant to be extended: TO DO TOMORROW ALSO ACCORDING TO THIS DAYS DECREE; one Targum makes the request only that they might keep... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE KING COMMANDED IT SO TO BE DONE: AND THE DECREE WAS GIVEN AT SHUSHAN,.... That the Jews might have leave to seek out and slay the rest of their enemies in Shushan, on the fourteenth day, in like manner as they had on the thirteenth: AND THEY HANGED HAMAN'S TEN SONS; on the same gallows very... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE JEWS THAT WERE IN SHUSHAN GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER ON THE FOURTEENTH DAY ALSO OF THE MONTH ADAR,.... As they had on the thirteenth: AND SLEW THREE HUNDRED MEN AT SHUSHAN; the Targum adds, of the family of Amalek: but there is no reason to confine it to them; it respects all such as were... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE OTHER JEWS THAT WERE IN THE KING'S PROVINCES GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER,.... In a body, in their respective provinces and cities: AND STOOD FOR THEIR LIVES; defended themselves against those that attacked them: AND HAD REST FROM THEIR ENEMIES; that selfsame day; all being destroyed by th... [ Continue Reading ]
ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH ADAR,.... This belongs to the preceding verse; and the meaning is, that on this day the Jews gathered together and slew so many thousand of their enemies as before related: AND ON THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE SAME RESTED THEY, AND MADE IT A FEAST OF GLADNESS: rejoici... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE JEWS THAT WERE AT SHUSHAN ASSEMBLED TOGETHER ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY THEREOF, AND ON THE FOURTEENTH DAY THEREOF,.... Of the month Adar; that is, they gathered together to defend themselves, and destroy their enemies, on both these days, having the decree renewed for the fourteenth as they had... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE THE JEWS OF THE VILLAGES, THAT DWELT IN THE UNWALLED TOWNS, MADE THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH ADAR A DAY OF GLADNESS AND FEASTING,.... Jarchi observes that those in the villages, who are they that do not dwell in walled towns, observed the fourteenth, and they in towns surrounded with w... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MORDECAI WROTE THESE THINGS,.... The transactions of those two days, and the causes of them, as well as the following letter; some conclude from hence that he was the penman of the book; and so he might be, but it does not necessarily follow from hence: AND SENT LETTERS UNTO ALL THE JEWS THAT W... [ Continue Reading ]
TO STABLISH THIS AMONG THEM,.... That it might be a settled thing, and annually observed in all future generations, what they had now done: THAT THEY SHOULD KEEP THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH ADAR, AND THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF THE SAME, YEARLY; as the former had been observed by the Jews in the provi... [ Continue Reading ]
AS THE DAYS WHEREIN THE JEWS RESTED FROM THEIR ENEMIES,.... Having slain all those that rose up against them, and assaulted them: AND THE MONTH WHICH WAS TURNED UNTO THEM FROM SORROW TO JOY, AND FROM MOURNING UNTO A GOOD DAY; for in this month Adar, on the thirteenth day of it, they expected to hav... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE JEWS UNDERTOOK TO DO AS THEY HAD BEGUN, AND AS MORDECAI HAD WRITTEN UNTO THEM. They engaged to keep these two days as festivals annually, as they had at this time done; not in a religious but in a civil way, not as parts of religious worship, and as additions to and innovations of the law, b... [ Continue Reading ]
BECAUSE HAMAN THE SON OF HAMMEDATHA, THE AGAGITE, THE ENEMY OF ALL THE JEWS, HAD DEVISED AGAINST THE JEWS TO DESTROY THEM,.... Had formed a design to exterminate them from the whole Persian empire in one day: AND HAD CAST PUR, (THAT IS, THE LOT,) TO CONSUME THEM, AND TO DESTROY THEM; had cast lots... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHEN ESTHER CAME BEFORE THE KING,.... To request of him her life, and the life of her people: HE COMMANDED BY LETTERS, THAT HIS WICKED DEVICE, WHICH HE DEVISED AGAINST THE JEWS, SHOULD RETURN UPON HIS OWN HEAD; that whereas his wicked scheme was to destroy all the Jews, the king, by his second... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE THEY CALLED THESE DAYS PURIM, AFTER THE NAME OF PUR,.... The lot; because of the lots cast by Haman; see Esther 3:7, THEREFORE FOR ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LETTER; in obedience to what Mordecai wrote in his letter to the Jews, and because of the things contained in it: AND OF THAT WHICH THE... [ Continue Reading ]
THE JEWS ORDAINED, AND TOOK UPON THEM, AND UPON THEIR SEED, AND UPON ALL SUCH THAT JOINED THEMSELVES UNTO THEM,.... Who became proselytes to their religion; that is, they appointed the above two days as festivals, and engaged for themselves, for their children, and all proselytes, to observe them as... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THAT THESE DAYS SHOULD BE REMEMBERED, AND KEPT THROUGHOUT EVERY GENERATION, EVERY FAMILY, EVERY PROVINCE, AND EVERY CITY,.... And accordingly these days are commemorated by them now, and by all their families, and all in their families capable of it; and these words, "every province", and "every... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN ESTHER THE QUEEN, THE DAUGHTER OF ABIHAIL, AND MORDECAI THE JEW, WROTE WITH ALL AUTHORITY,.... Strongly pressing the observance of this festival; before, Mordecai only recommended it, but now the queen gave a sanction to it, and laid her obligation on the Jews to observe it; perhaps some of the... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SENT LETTERS UNTO ALL THE JEWS,.... That is, Mordecai did, signed in the queen's name, and his own: TO THE HUNDRED TWENTY AND SEVEN PROVINCES OF THE KINGDOM OF AHASUERUS; among which was Judea, that was become a province, first of the Chaldean, now of the Persian empire, see Ezra 5:8 to whom... [ Continue Reading ]
TO CONFIRM THESE DAYS OF PURIM IN THEIR TIMES APPOINTED,.... The fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar: ACCORDING AS MORDECAI THE JEW AND ESTHER THE QUEEN HAD ENJOINED THEM; in the letters written and signed by them both: AND AS THEY HAD DECREED FOR THEMSELVES, AND FOR THEIR SEED; see Esther 9:27, THE... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE DECREE OF ESTHER CONFIRMED THESE MATTERS OF PURIM,.... As a festival to be observed by the Jews in future generations: AND IT WAS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK; either in this book of Esther; or in the public acts and chronicles of the kings of Persia; or in a book by itself, now lost, as Aben Ezra t... [ Continue Reading ]