Esther 10:1

_AND THE KING AHASUERUS LAID A TRIBUTE UPON THE LAND, AND UPON THE ISLES OF THE SEA._ Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea, х_ Wª'IYEEY_ (H339) _ HAYAAM _ (H3220)]. This phrase was used specifically to designate known isles of the Mediterranean, the coasts of Greece, Italy, and Spain, with the western countries visited by the Phoenicians. In the crippled state of Persia, after the unfortunate expedition into Greece, Xerxes could not lay a tribute upon the nations of western Europe, and the phrase, therefore, must be considered as bearing a more restricted meaning, namely, the islands in the Persian Gulf, etc. The notice of this tribute is a natural and appropriate conclusion of the book of Esther; and without the mention of some such fact, there would have been a want in the filling up or completeness of this record, which would

CHAPTER X _Ahasuerus lays a tribute on his dominions_, 1. _Mordecai's advancement under him_, 2. _His character_, 3. NOTES ON CHAP. X Verse Esther 10:1. _LAID A TRIBUTE UPON THE LAND_] On the _one hundred and_ _twenty-seven_ provinces of which we have already heard. _THE ISLES OF THE SEA._] Probably the isles of the AEgean sea, which were conquered by _Darius Hystaspes_. Calmet supposes that this _Hystaspes_ is the _Ahasuerus_ of Esther....

A TRIBUTE - Perhaps an allusion to some fresh arrangement of the tribute likely to have followed on the return of Xerxes from Greece. UPON THE ISLES OF THE SEA - Cyprus, Aradus, the island of Tyre, Platea, etc., remained in the hands of the Persians after the victories of the Greeks, and may be the “isles” here intended....

EXPOSITION CONCLUSION.—THE GREATNESS OF AHASUERUS, AND OF MORDECAI UNDER HIM (Esther 10:1.). The Book of Esther might have been expected to terminate with the institution of the Purim feast. All that has gone before is subordinate to this, and the reader would be satisfied, and require no more, if the book stopped at the end of Esther 9:1. But the writer, perhaps from personal attachment to Mordecai, perhaps from mere patriotic pride in him, cannot bring himself to lay down the pen until he has put on record the full greatness of his hero, and the strength and support that he was to the Jews of his day. He has already told us t

AND THE KING AHASUERUS LAID A TRIBUTE ON THE LAND, AND UPON THE ISLES OF THE SEA. Which include all his dominions, both on the continent, and on the sea, the Aegean sea; though Aben Ezra thinks it regards such as were not under his government, but stood in fear of him, of whom he demanded tribute. If Ahasuerus was Xerxes, perhaps his exchequer might be drained by his wars with the Grecians, which put him upon this; though some understand this of his renewing the taxes and tribute, which he remitted upon his marriage with Esther, Esther 2:18....

ISLES That is, coasts....

AHASUERUS AND MORDECAI: THE CONCLUSION CHAPTER 10 The three verses with which this book closes tell us of the greatness of King Ahasuerus. Here also is the record of the increasing greatness of Mordecai. He was next unto King Ahasuerus, great among the Jews, accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people and speaking peace to all his seed. A blessed type of Him who is greater than Mordecai and who will some day bring peace to His earthly people and who will speak peace to the nations. The precious little book ends with peace....

ESTHER 10. CONCLUSION OF THE BOOK. The final chapter is a short panegyric on Mordecai: he is praised as wise and kind, a man of high importance in imperial affairs as well as beloved by all Jews. This is really praise of Judas Maccabæ us. But the scribes did not like the praise of that hero. He was the founder of the Hasmonean dynasty, which the Sadducees supported; but the Pharisees hated that dynasty, because it placed both princedom and high priesthood in one and the same person's hands (p. 608). The Pharisees were the masters of the scribal body and methods, hence the effort of these scribes to weaken the respect for Mordecai, Esther, Purim, and our tale; and hence, perhaps, the truncations in the Heb. version. LXX has a paragraph following the praise of Mordecai, which sums up the tale as a record of Yahweh's love and care for His people, and as a token of His purpose to rule the wo...

ISLES. coasts....

_laid a tribute_ The word rendered -tribute" means everywhere else in Biblical Hebrew a body of forced labourers, or serfdom. We should therefore render here, _imposed forced labour_. The thought in the author's mind was that now, Haman having fallen, and Mordecai ruling as vizier in his stead, the favour shewn to the latter, and through him and Esther to the Jewish nation as the people of God, had the result of augmenting the king's power over the other nations included in his dominions. The Targum characteristically adds that when Ahasuerus knew who the people and family of Esther were, he declared them free. _the isles of the sea_ an expression denoting the coast lands, especially of Phoenicia and the neighbouring country, with adjacent islands....