Esther Commentary

Esther’s rags-to-riches drama tells the story of a woman with wisdom, courage, and willingness who affected the lives of thousands. With a praying community of supporters, and with God providentially working in the background, Esther accepted her role and put her life on the line to save others.

Setting

The book of Esther is set during the reign of King Xerxes of Persia (486–465 BC). In a previous generation (538 BC), about 50,000 people had returned to Judea from Babylonia (Ezra 1:1-5; 2:64-67). But many Jewish families, including Esther’s, had stayed behind.

During Xerxes’ reign, the Persian empire was near its peak. Xerxes and his military had accomplished great things, including a decisive victory over Egypt. Wealth from taxes poured into the Persian capital of Susa, and Xerxes oversaw the construction of a luxurious new palace at Persepolis. However, Xerxes was a tyrannical king. Esther entered Xerxes’ court and was chosen to be his queen. She was faced with the challenge of serving God and her people in a time of crisis while being the faithful wife of a pagan king.

Summary

When King Xerxes gave a lavish banquet for key leaders of Persia, Queen Vashti refused to show off her beauty, so Xerxes deposed her and searched for a new queen (1:1–2:4). Mordecai’s cousin Esther, a Jew, was chosen (2:5-18).

After Mordecai became a palace official, he uncovered a plot against the king and reported it through Esther. On a later occasion Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, Xerxes’ highest official, which led to Haman’s vindictive plot to kill all the Jews in the empire (2:19–3:15). As the Jewish community prayed (4:16), Esther endangered her own life, approaching the king uninvited, and asked the king and Haman to come to a feast (ch 4). Haman, meanwhile, had built a pole so that he could impale Mordecai (5:14).

After realizing that Mordecai had never been rewarded for uncovering the assassination plot, the king ordered that Haman lead a procession designed to honor Mordecai, a humiliating turn of events for Haman (ch 6). Then, at the banquet, Esther revealed that Haman’s plot was a personal attack on her people. Haman was impaled on his own poleput to death on his own gallows (ch 7).

King Xerxes then allowed the Jewish people to defend themselves against their enemies (8:1-14). The Jews rejoiced, Mordecai was promoted, and Haman’s sons were executed (9:1-17). The Jewish people then defended themselves successfully and celebrated God’s marvelous deliverance at the first Festival of Purim.

Authorship and Date

The text of Esther does not indicate who wrote the book or when it was written. Some early church fathers thought that Ezra wrote Esther, but Clement of Alexandria suggested Mordecai. Since there are many Persian words in the book and there is no Greek influence, the book was probably written between 460 BC (i.e., after the conclusion of Xerxes’ reign) and 331 BC (i.e., before Alexander the Great conquered Persia).

Genre: History or Fiction?

The book of Esther is a biographical narrative similar to the account of Joseph (Gen 37–48) and the book of Ruth. Some question the historicity of this account because of the implausibility that (a) a Persian king would issue a decree for widespread extermination of the Jews, (b) the Jews would slaughter seventy-five thousand enemies in one day, (c) a non-Persian like Esther would be queen, and (d) a large number of improbable coincidences would take place.

On the other hand, the historical accuracy of the book is supported because (a) the book uses authentic Persian names, titles, and customs; (b) elsewhere God works behind the scenes to use improbable coincidences to his glory (e.g., Gen 37–48; Ruth 1–4); (c) Esther hid her identity as a Jew until long after she became queen; and (d) kings do not usually oppose the slaughter of their enemies, especially at the suggestion of their highest officials.

Additions to the Book of Esther

The Hebrew text of Esther is defined by a strong and consistent Hebrew manuscript tradition. Nevertheless, the Targums and Midrash (interpretation and commentary on the Hebrew Old Testament), the Greek Old Testament, the Latin Vulgate, and Josephus (a first-century Roman Jewish historian) all include additional stories that are not included in the Hebrew text but were composed later. The additions mention God numerous times, whereas the Hebrew text does not. None of the additions contain authoritative original information; some just repeat information from the Hebrew version of Esther, while some contradict information. Other additions are based on the imagination of later authors. Instead of inserting these additions where they fit chronologically and making them look like an authentic part of the story, Jerome, who translated and edited the Latin Vulgate, collected them together at the end of the Old Testament in the deuterocanonical books, which are included in Roman Catholic and Orthodox translations.

Meaning and Message

Although the book of Esther never mentions God, its central purpose is to demonstrate that God works providentially to take care of his people. God used Xerxes’ drunken arrogance to elevate Esther to a position of influence (chs 1–2). Haman’s evil plans to kill the Jews were brought back on his own head through a series of unique and ironic circumstances, and the day of execution became a day of joy for God’s people. The book of Esther reminds us that God providentially directs people and events to accomplish his purposes.

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Book of Esther

How the providence of God watched over the Jews that had returned out of captivity to their own land, and what great and kind things were done for them, we read in the two foregoing books; but there were many who staid behind, having not zeal enough for God's house, and the holy land and city, to carry them through the difficulties of a removal thither. These, one would think, should have been excluded the special protection of Providence, as unworthy the name of Israelites; but our God deals not with us according to our folly and weakness. We find in this book that even those Jews who were scattered in the provinces of the heathen were taken care of, as well as those who were gathered in the land of Judea, and were wonderfully preserved, when doomed to destruction and appointed as sheep for the slaughter. Who drew up this story is uncertain. Mordecai was as able as any man to relate, on his own knowledge, the several passages of it; quorum pars magna fuit - for he bore a conspicuous part in it; and that he wrote such an account of them as was necessary to inform his people of the grounds of their observing the feast of Purim we are told (Est 9:20, Mordecai wrote these things, and sent them enclosed in letters to all the Jews), and therefore we have reason to think he was the penman of the whole book. It is the narrative of a plot laid against the Jews to cut them all off, and which was wonderfully disappointed by a concurrence of providences. The most compendious exposition of it will be to read it deliberately all together at one time, for the latter events expound the former and show what providence intended in them. The name of God is not found in this book; but the apocryphal addition to it (which is not in the Hebrew, nor was ever received by the Jews into the can on), containing six chapters, begins thus, Then Mordecai said, God has done these things. But, though the name of God be not in it, the finger of God is, directing many minute events for the bringing about of his people's deliverance. The particulars are not only surprising and very entertaining, but edifying and very encouraging to the faith and hope of God's people in the most difficult and dangerous times. We cannot now expect such miracles to be wrought for us as were for Israel when they were brought out of Egypt, but we may expect that in such ways as God here took to defeat Haman's plot he will still protect his people. We are told, I. How Esther came to be queen and Mordecai to be great at court, who were to be the instruments of the intended deliverance, ch. 1, 2. II. Upon what provocation, and by what arts, Haman the Amalekite obtained an order for the destruction of all the Jews, Est 3:1-15. III. The great distress the Jews, and their patriots especially, were in thereupon, ch. 4. IV. The defeating of Haman's particular plot against Mordecai's life, ch. 5-7. V. The defeating of his general plot against the Jews, ch. 8. VI. The care that was taken to perpetuate the remembrance of this, ch. 9, Est 10:1-3. The whole story confirms the Psalmist's observation (Psa 37:12, Psa 37:13), The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him; he sees that his day is coming

ESTHER derives its name from the Jewess, who, having become wife of the king of Persia, employed her royal influence to effect a memorable deliverance for the persecuted Church of God. Various opinions are embraced and supported as to the authorship of this book, some ascribing it to Ezra, to Nehemiah, or to Mordecai. The preponderance of authorities is in favor of the last. The historical character of the book is undoubted, since, besides many internal evidences, its authenticity is proved by the strong testimony of the feast of Purim, the celebration of which can be traced up to the events which are described in this book. Its claim, however, to canonical authority has been questioned on the ground that the name of God does not once occur in it. But the uniform tradition both of the Jewish and the Christian Churches supports this claim, which nothing in the book tends to shake; while it is a record of the superintending care of divine providence over his chosen people, with which it is of the utmost importance the Church should be furnished. The name of God is strangely enough omitted, but the presence of God is felt throughout the history; and the whole tone and tendency of the book is so decidedly subservient to the honor of God and the cause of true religion that it has been generally received by the Church in all ages into the sacred canon.

Next: Esther Chapter 1