Esther 1:7

_AND THEY GAVE THEM DRINK IN VESSELS OF GOLD, (THE VESSELS BEING DIVERSE ONE FROM ANOTHER,) AND ROYAL WINE IN ABUNDANCE, ACCORDING TO THE STATE OF THE KING._ They gave them drink in vessels of gold. There is reason to believe from this account, as well as from Esther 5:6; Esther 7:2; Esther 7:7, where the drinking of wine occupies by far the most prominent place in the description that this was a banquet rather than a feast, From accounts of travelers in modern Persia the same practice prevails. Della Valle gives an account of a royal banquet, which furnishes an exact parallel to the, one that was held at Shushan the palace, 'where,' says that accurate reporter, 'though the wine-cup was always going round, no one was comp

1-9 The pride of Ahasuerus's heart rising with the grandeur of his kingdom, he made an extravagant feast. This was vain glory. Better is a dinner of herbs with quietness, than this banquet of wine, with all the noise and tumult that must have attended it. But except grace prevails in the heart, self-exaltation and self-indulgence, in one form or another, will be the ruling principle. Yet none did compel; so that if any drank to excess, it was their own fault. This caution of a heathen prince, even when he would show his generosity, may shame many called Christians, who, under pretence of sending the health round, send sin round, and death with it. There is a woe to them that do so; let them read it, and tremble, Habakkuk 2:15; Habakkuk 2:16....

Verse Esther 1:7. _VESSELS BEING DIVERSE_] They had different services of _plate_....

THE GREAT FEAST OF KING AHASUERUS AT SUSA, AND THE DISGRACE OF VASHTI EXPOSITION THE GREAT FEAST (Esther 1:1). King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) in the third year of his reign, which was B.C. 484-483, entertained at a great feast in the royal palace of Susa all his princes and his servants, "the power of Persia and Media," together with all the nobles and princes of the provinces (Esther 1:2, Esther 1:3). The hospitality was extended over a s

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 obliged him to use earthen cups d. The Targum represents these vessels to be the golden vessels of the temple at Jerusalem Nebuchadnezzar carried away; which could not be, since they had been delivered by Cyrus to Zerubbabel, Ezra 1:7, AND ROYAL WINE IN ABUNDANCE, ACCORDING TO THE STATE OF THE KING; such as the king was able to give, the best he had, and that in great plenty; the wine the kings of Persia used to drink, as Strabo e relates, was Chalybonian wine, or wine of Helbon, as it is called, Ezekiel 2

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS THE BANQUETS AND QUEEN VASHTI DISOWNED CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The first feast of the king (Esther 1:1)_ 2. The king's feast unto all the people (Esther 1:5) 3. The queen's feast for the women (Esther 1:9) 4. The queen's refusal to appear at the king's feast (Esther 1:10) 5. The queen put away (Esther 1:13) Esther 1:1. King Ahasuerus, one of the leading characters of this book, is known in history as Xerxes I. The n

ESTHER 1. THE ROYAL FEAST. VASHTI'S DISOBEDIENCE AND DEGRADATION. The opening words in MT (and it came to pass) are in good Heb style, which shows that an able scribe wrote here. But they prove that something once stood before them. Even Paton translates, And afterward! After what? He says strangely, This expression is used in continuation of a historical narrative, and adds, lamely and incorrectly, It is an imitation of the beginnings of the older histories. The tale has clearly been truncated here, doubtless because the original spoke of Yahweh. A version of the original still exists in LXX: it is a sort of preface, saying that a Jew lived in Shushan (Daniel 8:2 *), who had a Perso-Babylonian name Mordecai, i.e. related to Marduk, Lord of Fate which the scribes would dislike and he was descended from the house of king Saul, also disliked by scribes. He was a court servant of king Artax...

THE VESSELS. Note the frequent _Parentheses_ (App-6) in verses: Esther 1:1; Esther 1:7; Esther 1:13; Esther 1:14; Esther 1:20. WINE. Hebrew. _yayin._ App-27....

_vessels of gold_ Many such were captured by the Greeks in the Persian camp near Plataea. _the vessels being diverse one from another_ This seems to be noted as an unusual circumstance. In the representation of Sargon's banquet depicted upon the walls of his palace at Ḳhorsabad, the goblets held by the banqueters are uniform in shape (see Rawlinson, _Ancient Monarchies_, 2nd ed. i. 580). _bounty_ Heb. _hand_, i.e. as was to be expected in the case of so great a sovereign, in a right royal fashion....

ROYAL WINE IN ABUNDANCE— See on Joel 1:5....