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Esther 1 - Utley - Bible Commentary

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Esther 1

1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)

2 that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace,

3 in the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him:

4 when he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.

5 And when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace;

6 where were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble.

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.

8 And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel: for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure.

9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.

10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king,

11 to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on.

12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.

13 Then the king said to the wise men, which knew the times, (for so was the king's manner toward all that knew law and judgment:

14 and the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, which saw the king's face, and which sat the first in the kingdom;)

15 what shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?

16 And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.

17 For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.

18 Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king's princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath.

19 If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.

20 And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.

21 And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:

22 for he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and that it should be published according to the language of every people.

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Esther 1

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Est 1:1-4 1Now it took place in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 12:7 provinces, 2in those days as King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne which was at the citadel in Susa, 3in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his princes and attendants, the army officers of Persia and Media, the nobles and the princes of his provinces being in his presence. 4And he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.

Est 1:1 “Now it took place in the days of” The Handbook on the Book of Esther mentions that this was a common opening term (BDB 22:4 , KB 24:3 Qal IMPERFECT), used to link the current events (or story) with previous events (p. 13). The same term introduces the biblical books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I & 2 Samuel, Nehemiah, Ezekiel, and Jonah. Esther also concludes with a standardized ending used in 1 Kings (cf. 1Ki 14:19 ; 1Ki 14:29 ; 1Ki 15:23 ). The author obviously expects it to be understood as history.

▣ “Ahasuerus” This is the Hebrew spelling of the name (cf. Ezr 4:6 , BDB 3:1 , KB 3:7 ). He is known in history by his Greek name, Xerxes I (486-465 B.C.). The Persian name is Khshayarsha. He is the son of Darius I Hystapes (522-486 B.C.) and grandson of Cyrus (550-530 B.C.). Both the Septuagint and Josephus identify him as Xerxes' successor, Artaxerxes I. Most historians and Bible commentators agree that Esther relates to the reign of Xerxes I.

▣ “India” This would refer to the land of the Indus River, which for us would be in the area of modern Pakistan. It was conquered by Darius I (Herodotus 3.94-106).

▣ “Ethiopia” This would refer to the large territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile, including southern Egypt, Sudan, and parts of Ethiopia (BDB 46:8 I), which was conquered by Cambyses (530-522 B.C.).

▣ “over 12:7 provinces” The Persian Empire covered most of the ancient Near East. It included many ethnic groups and nationalities (cf. Est 9:30 ). The Persians allowed these groups much local autonomy. Over several provinces there was a regional administrator called a satrap and many lesser officials. Xerxes I's father, Darius, had 2:0 satraps (cf. Herodotus 3.89).

Est 1:2 “Susa” Susa (called Sushan in Hebrew) was originally the capital of Elam, located on the Kerkha River. It is an ancient city, even mentioned in early Sumerian documents (3000 B.C.). It became the eastern regional capital of the Persian Empire. The city was expanded and beautified under Darius I. Its climate was so hot that the Persian kings used it primarily in winter.

NASB “the capital”

NKJV, NRSV,

NJB “the citadel”

TEV “capital city”

This Hebrew term (BDB 10:8 , KB 12:3 , from an Assyrian loan word) could refer to a city fortress (cf. Ezr 6:2 ; Neh 2:8 ; Dan 8:2 ), a palace, or even a fortified temple (cf. Neh 7:2 ; 1Ch 29:1 ; 1Ch 29:19 ). Here it refers to the inner fortress in a large, walled city. This city is also the location of chapter 1 of Nehemiah.

Est 1:3 “in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all” We know from history that Xerxes I gave a great feast to plan his military campaign against Greece (cf. Herodotus 7.19). This occurred after his conquest of Egypt. The third year of Xerxes I would be 48:3 B.C.

▣ “Persia and Media” Cyrus is the first king of the combined Media-Persian Empire. The term Media comes first in Daniel because Cyrus was king of Media before he became king of Babylon and Persia. Persia was the more powerful of the two nations and by Esther's time the order of the names had switched (cf. Est 1:3 ; Est 1:14 ; Est 1:18-19 ), however, in Est 10:2 they are reversed.

Est 1:4 “180 days” Some see here two different feasts, one lasting 18:0 days (Est 1:4 ) and one lasting 7 days (Est 1:5 ). A better understanding of the Hebrew text is that these Persian leaders were given 18:0 days to assemble on a certain day for a seven day feast in Susa, the capital.



NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Est 1:5-9 5When these days were completed, the king gave a banquet lasting seven days for all the people who were present at the citadel in Susa, from the greatest to the least, in the court of the garden of the king's palace. 6There were hangings of fine white and violet linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble columns, and couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones. 7Drinks were served in golden vessels of various kinds, and the royal wine was plentiful according to the king's bounty. 8The drinking was done according to the law, there was no compulsion, for so the king had given orders to each official of his household that he should do according to the desires of each person. 9Queen Vasti also gave a banquet for the women in the palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.

Est 1:5 “seven days” Apparently seven was a special number for Persians as it was for Jews (e.g., Est 1:5 ; Est 1:10 ; Est 1:14 ; Est 2:9 ).

NASB “the greatest to the least”

NKJV “from great to small”

NRSV “both great and small”

TEV “rich and poor”

NJB “to high and low”

Literally it is “great and small.” The same two terms (BDB 15:2 & 881 I) are used in Est 1:20 and 1Sa 30:19 ; 2Ch 15:13 (BDB 15:2 & 882). In this context it means that all of the people who worked and served in the fortified, upper city (acropolis) were invited to the palace for a seven day feast.

Est 1:6 NASB “There were hangings”

NKJV “There were . . . curtains”

NRSV “There were . . . curtains”

TEV -------

NJB “There were . . . hangings”

The italics (NASB, NKJV) show how this verse intrudes into the context in a grammatically unrelated way. When moderns read this verse we think of wall hangings, but in this hot and windy climate they may have served as shade canopies or walls (cf. James M. Freeman, Manners and Customs of the Bible, pp. 201-202). Persia's colors were white and purple/blue.

▣ “a mosaic pavement” The list of the stones used in the pavement are

1. NASB, NRSV, NJB, “porphyry”

NKJV, “alabaster”

TEV, “red feldspar”

BDB has porphyry, which denotes a reddish to purple color mixed in with other darker rock.

2. NASB, NRSV, NJB, “marble”

NKJV, TEV, “white marble” (?) another hapax legommenon (BDB 101:0 II )

3. NASB, NRSV, NJB, “mother of pearl”

NKJV, “black marble” (?)

TEV, “shining mother of pearl,” another hapax legommenon (BDB 20:4 )

4. NASB, NJB, “precious stones”

NKJV, NEB, “turquoise” (?)

NRSV, “colored stones”

TEV, “blue turquoise,” another hapax legommenon (BDB 69:5 )

▣ Archaeology has confirmed the wealth of the Persian court (cf. also Herodotus 7.27; 9.82). The Persian kings wanted to impress their people and foreign visitors with their wealth, culture, and power!

There are several words in this verse found only here in the OT. Often the only way to translate these hapax legommenon are (1) cognate languages and (2) ancient translations.

Est 1:7 “in golden vessels of various kinds” This also shows an eyewitness detail. Many of these golden vessels were found when the Greeks overran the Persian military camps (cf. Herodotus 3.96).

Est 1:8 “and the drinking was done according to the law” This ambiguous phrase has caused much confusion. The meaning could be:

1. no one could drink the King's wine, but an exception was made for this event

2. all guests could drink as much as they wanted with no restrictions (TEV)

3. usually all guests drank when the king drank (Herodotus 1.13 and Xenophon Cyropaedia 8.8), but on this occasion this rule was not in effect.

NASB, NJB “official of his household”

NKJV “the officers of his household”

NRSV “the officials of the palace”

TEV “police servants”

This title (BDB 91:3 II) can refer to several types of leaders (cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 1029).

1. royal officials or administrators (cf. Dan 1:3 ; Dan 2:48 ; Dan 5:1 )

2. palace stewards (cf. Est 1:8 )

3. military commanders (e.g., Jer 39:3 ; Jer 39:13 ; Dan 2:14 )

4. professionals (cf. Dan 4:6 ; Dan 5:11 )

5. ship captain (cf. Jon 1:6 )

Est 1:9 “Vasti” The precise etymology of this word is uncertain (BDB 25:5 , KB 26:0 ), but it may come from:

1. a corruption of Avestan term for “best” (BDB 25:5 )

2. FEMININE PASSIVE PARTICIPLE of Avestan term “the beloved” or “the desired one” (H. S. Gehman, taken from Carey A. Moore, Anchor Bible, “Esther,” vol. 13, p. 8).

3. some scholars think that both Amestris and Vasti are attempts to translate one Persian name.

▣ “gave a banquet for the women in the palace” This either refers to the harem (seven eunuchs mentioned in Est 1:10 ) or, more probably, to the wives of the guests of the king.



NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Est 1:10-12 10On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11to bring Queen Vasti before the king with her royal crown in order to display her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was beautiful. 12But Queen Vasti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs. Then the king became very angry and his wrath burned within him.

Est 1:10 “and on the seventh day” The use of the number 7 in Esther 1 is recurrent. See note at Est 1:5 .

▣ “the heart of the king was merry with wine” This context shows the problem of alcohol abuse. See Special Topic at Ezr 7:17 .

The phrase itself was an idiom describing the satisfaction of wine and a full dinner (cf. Jdg 16:25 ; 1Sa 25:36 ; 2Sa 13:28 ; Pro 15:15 , or satisfaction in general, 1Ki 8:66 ).

▣ “eunuchs” This Akkadian term can refer to castrated males (later usage, but possible here because of their dealings with the harem). It was quite common for administrators in the ancient world to have eunuchs and it was a title (e.g., 2Ch 18:8 ; Jer 39:3 ; Jer 39:13 ). It was used of a married man in Genesis 3:9 , which shows it was not always taken literally.

Some of these personal names have been found in Persian documents and monuments. They do not have any connection with Greek names (refuting a supposed second century Greek authoriship) and are probably Persian in origin. This helps substantiate the historical setting as fifth century B.C. from Persia.

Est 1:11 “to bring Queen Vasti before the king with her royal crown” Older Jewish commentators suggest that she was commanded to appear in “only” her crown! Josephus says that in Persia strangers were not allowed to look at a man's wife. Whatever the reason (cultural or personal), Vasti would not come before this large number of drunken men.

Placing the royal crown on someone's head was a sign of affirmation (cf. Est 6:8 ) and status (cf. Est 1:11 ; Est 2:17 ). It was a symbol of Persian royal authority and power.

Herodotus (9.108-113) says the king was married to a strong willed woman named Amestris. Her father was one of the seven special families and an army general. He had helped Darius I (Xerxes I's father) during a time of rebellion (cf. Herodotus 3.61-84). She was the mother of Artaxerxes I, who was born the very year of Vasti's demotion, 483 B.C. She had great influence with her son, even when he became king. The name Vasti does not appear anywhere outside of Esther.

Est 1:12 Kings were not accustomed to being rebuffed (cf. Est 1:15 ). The two VERBS (BDB 89:3 , KB 112:4 , Qal IMPERFECT and BDB 12:8 , KB 14:5 , Qal PERFECT) describe the king's rage growing within him and becoming a settled wrath!



NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Est 1:13-20 13Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times—for it was the custom of the king so to speak before all who knew law and justice 1:4 and were close to him: Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media who had access to the king's presence and sat in the first place in the kingdom—15”According to law, what is to be done with Queen Vasti, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?” 16In the presence of the king and the princes, Memucan said, “Queen Vasti has wronged not only the king but also all the princes and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17For the queen's conduct will become known to all the women causing them to look with contempt on their husbands by saying, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vasti to be brought in to his presence, but she did not come.' 18This day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen's conduct will speak in the same way to all the king's princes, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger. 19If it pleases the king, let a royal edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vasti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she. 20When the king's edict which he will make is heard throughout all his kingdom, great as it is, then all women will give honor to their husbands, great and small.”

Est 1:13 “the wise men who understood the times” This same idiom is used in 1Ch 12:32 . Maybe the best way to make it contemporary would be “they understood the cultural impact” (cf. Est 1:15-18 ).

Some scholars assert that this refers to the seven special family counselors of the Persian kings (cf. Ezr 7:14-15 ; Ezr 7:28 ; Ezr 8:25 ).

▣ “before all who knew law and justice” This phrase either characterizes the wise men mentioned above or is a second group of wise men who were specialists in the law (cf. Est 1:15 ). Herodotus says there was a group of judges who were appointed for life who advised the Persian kings on matters of law.

Est 1:14 “the seven princes of Persia” We learn from Herodotus 3.84 that there were seven special families who made up Persian nobility (cf. Ezr 7:14 ; Herodutus 3.84; Xenophon, Anabasis 1.4.6). Members of these families were the close counselors of the Persian kings.

Est 1:15-16 Ahasuerus's advisors made this event a national threat (not only of the king, but potentially of the other husbands) because of Vasti's precedent of disobedience in the presence of the other assembled wives.

Est 1:18 “there will be plenty of contempt and anger” The TEV catches the implication of this phrase by attributing the contempt to the wives of the nobility, and the anger to their husbands.

Est 1:19 “the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed” This historical addition is only known from the Bible (cf. Est 8:8 ; Dan 6:8 ; Dan 6:12 ; Dan 6:15 ). This may have been a literary device used by the writer to ridicule the Persian government. Their unchanging laws were “changed” by YHWH's powerful presence with His covenant people!

In this context it is stated so that Xerxes will not change his mind about the beautiful Vasti when he sobers up (cf. Est 2:1 ).

▣ “that Vasti should come no more into the presence fo the King” Vasti remained in the harem, but could not physically be with the king anymore. This was like an official separation.

NASB “who is more worthy”

NKJV, NRSV “who is better”

TEV “to some better woman”

NJB “worthier”

The Hebrew term (BDB 37:3 II) has a wide semantic field, but in this context it means more obedient or to show proper respect to the king.



NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Est 1:21-22 21This word pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. 22So he sent letters to all the king's provinces, to each province according to its script and to every people according to their language, that every man should be the master in his own house and the one who speaks in the language of his own people.

Est 1:22 This verse seems unusual, out of place, but possibly it fits exactly into the ancient, multi-racial Persian context where the native language of the father (whatever the language of the wife) was spoken in the home and taught to the children. Therefore, this decree being written in the many languages of the empire was, in a sense, a way to reinforce the authority of the husband (which was the purpose of Vasti's removal from office).

This thought may connect to Neh 13:24 and shows the dominance of the Canaanite women.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.

1. Why did the book of Esther have such problems being accepted as Scripture?

2. Are we certain of the exact identity of Ahasuerus, and if so, who is he?

3. How does the image of the king change from the beginning of Esther 1 to the end?

4. What extravagant items are found in this chapter that make some scholars think this is a novel or comedy?




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Rights in the Authorized (King James) Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Published by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
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