Sleep is taken from ahasuerus at precisely the right time 6. The great distress the jews, and their patriots especially, were in thereupon, esther 4. Book of prophecy that reveals gods magnificent plan of salvation through the person and work of jesus christ the book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in. Its one of the most beautiful books in the bible and so full of great takeaways for the modern christian woman today. Do not think that because you are in the kings house you alone of all the jews will escape. The literary technique of foreshadowing is also employed in the book of esther.
The events in the book of esther occurred from 483. Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible. Esther the niv application commentary kindle edition by jobes, karen h download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Hamon, the elevation of esther to queen of persia, the intervention of god through mordacai, esther and king xerxes to deliver the jews from their enemies and institution of purim. Esther isnt too graphic, but any book that prominently features a massacre in this case, both a failed one and a successful one is obviously going to be something more than pg rated. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of esther in easy english. When reading the book of esther, we tend to focus on the beginning, on.
The book of esther may remind you of a classic, once upon a time childrens story with a wealthy king, his beautiful queen, and an evil villain. John bright mentions the book by name but that is all. Esther the queen, hester prynne, and the scarlet letter as biblical. Paton, critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther icc 22.
We might even think that he does not care about us. As queen, esther hides her religious identity and maintains her jewish practices keeping kosher and observing the laws of shabbat and family purity in secret. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the jews will arise from another place, but you and your fathers family will perish. Classical sources such as josephus, the jewish commentary esther rabbah and the christian theologian barhebraeus. Most likely, the book of esther doesnt have the name of god because it shows how god works behind the scenes. Adele berlins commentary in the jps series is better suited for a critical look at the hebrew text. A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther by paton, lewis bayles, 18641932. This book is also the reason why the jewish people created the jewish festivity of purim, which is celebrated annually amongst all jewish people in the world. Through the pages of the bible, god reveals himself to us. God is always active in esther, even though it is behind the scenes.
He was a jew, and dwelt in the city of susa, a great man, who was a servant in the kings court. Esthers repeated receiving of and desire for favor esther 2. Mordecai learned of a plot to kill the king and made it known to esther who passed the news to the king. The books of ezra and nehemiah were written during his reign. The book of esther is part of a special list of five rollsscrolls called the megilloth. The book of esther is one of the most exciting books in all the old testament and is nearly unique in employing a woman as its leading character. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading esther the niv application commentary. Provinces of the king esther 1 1now it came to pass in the days of ahasuerus this was the ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twentyseven provinces, from india to ethiopia, 2 in those days when king ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in shushan the citadel, b. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star. Today we are beginning a new studya new expository sermon serieson the book of esther. Esther is a young and beautiful jewish girl, orphaned but cared for by her. Esther is the last of the historical books of the bible, so its main character is named esther that is, venus, the morning star, which sheds its light after all the other stars have ceased to shine, and while the sun still delays rising.
The pulpit commentary introduces the book of esther with the following. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. In the book of esther this information is casually presented as. Illuminations year one the book of esther family study guide illuminations year one the book of esther from the old testament family study guide by maggie hogan weeks 1 and 2 preparation and supplies you will need the following to get the most out of this family study guide. The book of esther reflects this idea, by referring to vashti as queen vashti 1. For in relating the victory over the amalekites, which he wascommanded by divine authority to record, the language employed, write this for amemorial in a book hebrew, the book, exodus 17. In the hebrew bible, the book of esther is found in the third section of the canon, the writings. On the mystical level king achashverosh alludes to gd, the king of the world. The book of esther excels at violence75,000 people get killed in the provinces and a guy gets hanged to death on a really big gallows. A catena of distinguished mishnaic teachers is then cited in the gemara who testify to the canonical character of esther in order to rebut samuels disturbing statement. Constables notes on esther 7 of israel makes no mention of it, and geo widengren dismisses it in thirteen lines. Overview of the book of esther third millennium ministries. True, when the church took over the bible of the jews as part of its canon, it did embrace the book of esther. The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is.
Esthers mother, he explains, died in childbirth, and her father died only two years later. Xerxes this is the ahasuerus of the book of esther. The canonicity of the book was questioned by some in ancient judaism and early christianity. In the book of esther this information is casually presented as unimportant, but comes up later in the story.
The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control. A story of the providence of god in a pagan land page 4 introduction to the book the book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. Esther a2 classic bible study guide 2 introduction the book of esther is a graphic narrative, which relates how gods people were preserved from ruin during the fifth century b. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. I think we are going to find that esther is a book rich in content for us about god and his plan. Esther introduction commentary commentary critical and. A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther.
Hence it belongs to the bestknown ot books with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. The preservation of the jews the church of christ in. Upon what provocation, and by what arts, haman the amalekite obtained an order for the destruction of all the jews, esther 3. The book of esther was written during the 3 rd year of the reign of ahasuerus 485 465 bc. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament. Book of prophecy that reveals gods magnificent plan of salvation through the person and work of jesus christ the book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in their synagogues to the present day. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. The massorah contains a note calling attention to the acrostics of the names of god in esther, which are found four times in the book. In the english bible esther appears adjacent to ezranehemiah with the. It is the last of the five scrolls ruth, song of songs, ecclesiastes, lamentations, and esther, and is read at the feast of purim. A queen under control when esthers words were reported to mordecai, he sent back this answer.
Contents of book matthew henry divides esther into the following sections based on. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. The book belongs to the socalled five scrolls hebr. Ezra 7 begins in the seventh year of artaxerxes i longimanus i. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. But while the characters might resemble a fairy tale, the book of esther depicts actual events that shaped jewish history and instituted the festival of purim. Fulfilling lifes mission we flounder without a mission leaders guide we flounder without a mission scripture. Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. This paper examines the book of esther, deriving important insights about a variety of approaches to leadership that can be applied to todays crisis in leadership.
Even though you may not see god in your daily circumstances, trust him and follow his plan. Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her.
It is a deeply profound and moving narrative of historical events that displayed the providence of god. The book takes its name from the beautiful, orphaned jewess who became the queen of the persian king ahasuerus. Artaxerxes this man was son of xerxes and stepson of esther. Provinces of the king esther 1 1now it came to pass in the days of ahasuerus this was the ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twentyseven provinces, from india to ethiopia, 2 in those days when king ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which. We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b. Megillat esther tells us precious little about esthers inner world. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. These five small booksruth, ecclesiastes, song of songs, lamentations and estherare part of the writings section of the hebrew canon. Part two fastforwards to esther looking back and explaining how she became queen to her son, and what gods providential purposes were in saving the jews. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a part of his harem. The book of esther excels at violence75,000 people get killed in the provinces and. Paton, a critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther, p. This book is also the reason why the jewish people created the jewish festivity of purim, which is celebrated annually amongst all jewish people in. Esther overview matthew henrys complete commentary on the.
Were not commentary, but textual facts such as the number of times a letter occurs in a book, the middle word of a book, etc. The defeating of hamans particular plot against mordecais life, esther 5. Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history. Esther, jewish diaspora, mordecai, haman, purim it is an unfortunate fact that in the christian world at large the book of esther has not found acceptance. The greek word for revelation comes from apokalupsis, meaning to disclose or. Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew bible, provides the story of the origin of purim, the blueprint for its celebration, and the authorization for its observance in perpetuity.
The commentary, which accompanies the hebrew biblical text and the jps translation, approaches the book of esther from a fresh literary point of view. The book of esther does not mention the name of god. This is my favorite commentary on any book of holy scripture. The book of esther from the greek septuagint in the second year of the reign of ahasuerus the great, on the first day of the month of nisan, mordecai, the son of jair, the son of shimei, the son of kish, of the tribe of benjamin, had a dream. A survey of the content of the book of esther theme. It includes pdf essays entitled when and where was the book of esther written. Esther is ishtar, the femme fatale of mesopotamian goddesses, and marduk mordecai is the creator of the world and king of the gods according to babylonian myth. Scripture says mordecai recorded certain events in order to relate them to jews throughout the kingdom see esth. Jobes volume is best for those seeking a biblicaltheological commentary on the book of esther. Several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. The book is set during the period after the babylonian exile in which the nation of persia present day iran ruled judah. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so in the days of persecution. Clark, 1908 186, was one of the first to regard vv. Most striking is the prediction by hamans wife that he would surely come to ruin because mordecai was a jew esther 6.
She was a jewess named hadassah the myrtle, but when she entered the royal harem she received the name by which she henceforth became known esther 2. May 08, 2020 esthers mother, he explains, died in childbirth, and her father died only two years later. Esther the niv application commentary kindle edition by. What other lessons can be drawn from the book of esther. He eventually chose esther as his queen, and by her influence the jews were saved from destruction. The bible study book of esther, by jenn peppers and tara miller, flow, llc.
The book is named for the star of the story, a young jewish girl named hadassah who was taken from her guardian, mordecai, and forced to compete for the affection of the king. Queen esther came to the throne for just such a time 4. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. Early jewish and christian traditions suggest that among the people named in the book, mordecai, esther s cousin and guardian, was in the best position to record the events.