5 Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and de- || struction, and did what they would unto those that hated them. 3 B. C. 509. 11 On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace 3 was brought before the king. 12 And the king said unto Esther the 6 And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed and destroyed five hundred men. five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and 7 And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done Aspatha, 8 And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, 9 And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha, h 10 The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew #2 Sam. iii. 1; 1 Chronicles xi. 9; Prov. iv. 18.- - Hebrew, according to their will. decai fell upon them-He having manifestly the countenance both of God and the king. For Mordecai was great-The greatest in place, and power, and favour with the king, both for his near relation to the queen, and for the good service he had done || for the king himself, in preserving his life, and managing his affairs; and for those excellent abilities and virtues which the king discovered in him. And his fame went throughout all the provincesHe was not only great in the king's house, and caressed by the courtiers, as many are who have no intrinsic worth to support their reputation; but his fame for wisdom and virtue went out from thence throughout all the king's dominions, and in all places he was extolled as a great man, and as one that was waxing greater and greater. Hence all, even the king's officers, saw it to be their interest to help his friends. Verse 5. Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword-The second decree "allowed the Jews to defend themselves, and therefore may account, in some measure, for the slaughter which they made of their enemies: and, no doubt, the great sum which Haman had offered to gratify his revenge against the Jewish nation, was an additional provocation to them to slay every one that came to annoy them. But still it should be remembered, that in this they acted by virtue of a royal edict, which authorized them to stand upon their own defence: that they were not the first aggressors, but only opposed those who openly assaulted them, and were for putting in execution an unjust and cruel decree against them. And as the Amalekites, who might be dispersed through the Persian empire, were the known and inveterate enemies of the Jews, and, following the fortune of Haman, might probably be forward enough to execute the decree which he had procured against them; it is, therefore, reasonably presumed, that most of those whom the Jews destroyed, in their necessary defence, both at Shushan, and in the provinces, were of that devoted nation, and that by this their slaughter, the prophecies against Amalek were k in the rest of the king's provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done. 13 Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shuh Chapter v. 11; Job xviii. 19; xxvii. 13, 15; Psalm xxi. 10. Chap. viii. 11. 3 Heb. came. -k Chap. v. 6; vii. 2. remarkably accomplished."-Bishop Patrick and Dodd. And did what they would with those that hated them-It seems that the people in general perceived, by the second edict, that it would not be agreeable to the king for them to rise against the Jews, though he did not repeal the first edict, because it was not customary to repeal any thing that had been signed by the king's seal; and therefore, it is probable, that but a very inconsiderable number, in respect of the whole, rose up against the Jews, otherwise it is hardly credible that they could have been superior to them in every place. Verse 6. In Shushan the palace-That is, in the city where the palace was; it not being probable, either that they would make such a slaughter in the palace itself, or that they would be permitted so to do; the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men-These, and the rest killed in other places, either were men who did not conceal their wicked inclinations, but openly assaulted the Jews, and whom therefore the king's edict gave them power to destroy; or, they were persons whom the Jews knew to be their avowed enemies, and such as would watch all opportunities to assault and destroy them. Verse 10. But on the spoil laid they not their hand-The king had granted them leave to take it, chap. viii. 11, but they declined to do it; that it might appear what they did was not done out of malice or covetousness, but out of mere necessity, and according to the great law of self-preservation; that they might not so much as seem to desire any thing but their own safety; and that the king might have the greater kindness for them, in whose exchequer these goods were to come, if he pleased so to appoint, or to go to the children of such as were slain. Verse 12. What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces ?-In which, doubtless, many more were slain. So that I have fully granted thy petition: and yet, if thou hast any thing further to ask, I am ready to grant it. Verse 13. Let it be granted to the Jews to do to morrow also according to this day's decree-To kill their implacable enemies. For it is probable that the greatest and worst of them had hidden themselves for that day; after which, the commission granted to the Jews being expired, they confidently returned to their houses, where they were taken and slain, by virtue of this private and unexpected order. And let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows-They were slain before; now let their bodies be hanged on their father's gallows, for their greater infamy, and the terror of all others who shall presume to abuse the king in like manner, or to persuade him to execute such cruelties upon his subjects. "It is not unlikely," says Dr. Dodd, "that many might be enraged at Haman's death, and his sons, in particular, might set themselves at the head of those who were bold enough to attempt the destruction of the Jews at Shushan, being resolved to revenge their father's death, though in so doing they were sure to meet with their own. This seems to suggest one reason why Esther was so solicitous to have their dead bodies hung on the gallows, because they had shown more malice and indignation against the Jews, and, on the day when the cruel edict came to take place, had made more desperate attacks upon them, than any others; though the reason of state, in this severity, might be to expose the family to greater infamy, and to deter other counsellors at any time from abusing the king with false representations. For though the Jews suffered none to hang on the tree, as they called the gallows, longer than till the evening of the day whereon they were executed, yet other nations let them hang till they were consumed, (as appears from the story of the Gibeonites, 2 Sam. xxi. 9,) or devoured by crows, vultures, or other ravenous creatures." See Patrick. Verse 16. And had rest from their enemies-Who could not stand before them, and therefore ceased Verses 11, 15.— Deut. - Verse 22; Nehemiah viii. to molest them. But they laid not their hands on the prey-It is probable Mordecai, in his letters, had charged them not to make use of the liberty the king had given them to take the spoil, inasmuch as it appears they universally avoided it. Verses 17, 18. On the thirteenth day of the month Adar-This is to be referred to the foregoing words, and the meaning is, the slaughter was made in the provinces on the thirteenth day of this month, when they had reason to expect they should have been destroyed themselves. On the fifteenth day of the same they rested-That is, the Jews in the city of Shushan made the fifteenth day a festival, because they had liberty to avenge themselves of their enemies, not only on the thirteenth, but also on the fourteenth day, which were both days of slaughter, and therefore they rested not till the fifteenth day. Verse 19. The Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns-Hebrew, in the cities of the vil lages; that is, in the lesser cities and villages, which are here opposed to the great city Shushan, and those who dwelt in it. Made the fourteenth day a day of gladness, &c.-Namely, because they did their whole work upon the thirteenth day, as was observed verse 17, to which this manifestly relates, the 18th verse coming in by way of parenthesis. And a good day, and of sending portions one to another-A day of thanksgiving and praise to God, as well as of feasting one with another, and of sending meat from their tables to their neighbours, that the meaner sort might feast and rejoice also. Hence the Jews have a rule, that they should make a collection of money, at this time of the year, to send to the poor, to enable them to provide for themselves things necessary to make a feast ; which money they judge it unlawful to apply to any other use. Verse 20. Mordecai wrote these things, &c. Appointment of the B. C. 509. B. C. 509. A. M. 3495. 21 To establish this among them, || the Agagite, the enemy of all the A. M. 3495. that they should keep the fourteenth Jews, a had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, 22 As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor. 23 And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them; 24 Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, come unto them, 7 Psa. xxx. 11. Verse 19; Neh. viii. 11.- -a That is, the history of these things, which was the ground of the feast here spoken of. Mordecai knew very well these things ought to be had in remembrance, and to be told to their children and posterity through all ages, according to the many commands of God to that purpose, and the constant practice of the holy men of God in such cases. And sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces-Signifying what a mighty deliverance God had vouchsafed them, and appointing, in commemoration thereof, an annual festival to be observed. 10. It is not to our kinsmen and rich neighbours only that we ought to send tokens of our love and friendship at such times, but also and especially to the poor and the maimed, Luke xiv. 12, 13. Thus they that have received mercy, must, in token of their gratitude, show mercy; and there never wants occasion, for the poor we have always with us. Thanksgiving and almsgiving should go together, that, when we are rejoicing and blessing God, the hearts of the poor may rejoice with us, and their loins may bless us. Verse 23. The Jews undertook to do as they had Verse 21. To establish this-to keep the four-begun-That is, to keep these days as festivals teenth day, and the fifteenth day of the month everywhere. Having by this means an opportunity Adar-The twelfth month; just a month before the of gathering themselves together, on any occasion, passover. Thus the first and the last month of the chief of them assembled, and freely and unanithe year were kept in remembrance of the days mously consented to Mordecai's desire in this matthen God preserved them. They were enjoined ter, and bound it upon themselves and posterity. to keep two days together, because both those days had been set apart this year, the latter at Shushan, and the former in other parts; and because that victory over their enemies, which was to be the ground of this festival, had been achieved on both the thirteenth and fourteenth days. Let us not be niggardly in our returns of praise to him, who bestows his favours so liberally upon us. Verse 22. As the days wherein the Jews rested They did not keep the days on which they fought, but those on which they rested. On the fourteenth day the country Jews rested, and on the niteenth those in Shushan, and these days they kept. The sabbath was appointed, not on the day when God finished his work, but on the day he rested from it. The month which was turned unto them-from mourning into a good day-A day of cheerfulness, praise, and thanksgiving. And of sending portions one to another-In token of mutual respect, and their being knit by this, and other public common dangers and deliverances, so much the closer to each other in love. And gifts to the poor-Which they were wont to give also on other days of thanksgiving, of which see Neh. viii. Verse 24. Because Haman had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot-Haman had, by lot, determined this to be the time of the Jews' destruction; but the Lord, at whose disposal the lot is, had determined it to be the time of their triumph. The name of this festival, therefore, would remind them of the sovereign dominion of the God of Israel, who served his own purposes by the foolish superstitions of the heathen, and outwitted the monthly prognosticators in their craft, Isa. xlvii. 14, frustrating the tokens of the liars, and making the diviners mad, Isa. xliv. 26. Verse 26. They called these days PurimNamely, these two festival days; after the name Pur-A Persian word signifying a lot. For ali the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen, and which had come unto them-Because of what was contained in the letter of Mordecai, and the respect which they justly bore to it; and because of what they themselves had seen, when these things happened, and God so wonderfully delivered them; and of what they heard reported concerning these matters, in the places where they could not see them, they unanimously The feast of Purim is A. M. 3495. 9 B. C. 509. 30 And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred and twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, 27 The Jews ordained, and took || 12 all authority, to confirm this second A. M. 3195. upon them, and upon their seed, and letter of Purim. upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year; 28 And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not 10 fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them 11 perish from their seed. 29 Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with 31 To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed 13 for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry. 32 And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim ; and it was written in the book. 12 Heb. all strength. - Chap. viii. 10; Verse 20.Li 13 Heb. for their souls. Chap. iv. 3, 16. i. 1. hChap. or sincerity, which is the rather observed, because it was, as it still is, not very usual with great courtiers, such as Mordecai now was, to write so. Or the meaning may be, that he saluted them with hearty wishes for the continuance of those two great blessings of God, truth and peace, among them, namely, the true religion, and peace among themselves, and with all men; or, that they might peaceably and quietly enjoy and profess the truth. Or if the matter, rather than the manner, or form of his writing be intended, the sense is, that he directed and endea Verse 27. The Jews took upon them and upon their seed-To the latest generations; and upon all such as joined themselves unto them-That is, the Gentile proselytes, who were obliged to submit to other of the Jewish laws, and therefore to this also; the rather, because they enjoyed the benefit of this day's deliverance, without which the Jewish nation and religion had been in a great measure, if not wholly, extinct in the world. That they would keep these two days according to their writing-voured to persuade them to keep both peace and According to that writing which was drawn up by Mordecai with Esther's consent, (verses 23, 29,) and afterward confirmed by the consent of all the Jews in the several places. So that the observation of this feast was to be both universal and perpetual: even the proselytes were to observe it, in token of their sincere affection to the Jewish nation, and their having interests twisted with theirs. A concurrence in joys and praises is one branch of the communion of saints. Verse 28. That these days should be remembered and kept-That the memorial of these great things, which God had done for his church, might never perish. For if God work wonders for a day, it is that they may be had in everlasting remembrance. Every family, every province, every city-Accordingly, even the women and little children, nay, such as were base-born and servants, were bound to keep this feast. truth, that is, both to live peaceably and lovingly one with another, and with all their neighbours, not insulting over them upon a confidence in Mordecai's great power, or upon this their late and great suc cess, nor giving them any fresh provocation; and yet holding fast the true religion, in spite of all the artifices or hostilities of the Gentiles, among whom they lived. Verse 31. The matters of their fasting, and of their cry-For and concerning those great and overwhelming calamities which had been decreed to befall all the Jews, and for the removing of which, not only Esther and the Jews of Shushan, but all other Jews, in all places, as soon as they heard of those dismal tidings, did doubtless, according to the precepts of Scripture, and the constant practice of their godly predecessors in all ages, flee to that last and only refuge, of seeking to God by fasting and earnest prayers, and strong cries, which God was Verse 29. Then Esther and Mordecai wrole with pleased graciously to hear, and in answer thereunto all authority-As well they might, Esther being to give them this amazing deliverance. And this queen, and Mordecai prime minister of state. The was that which they were now to remember, nameformer letter (verse 20) did only recommend, but ly, the greatness of their danger, and of their rescue this enjoins the observance of this solemnity. And from it. And, accordingly, the Jews used to observe it was not only the act of the queen and Mordecai,|| the first of those days with fasting, and crying, and but also the act of all the Jews, binding themselves other expressions of vehement grief, imitating hereand their posterity to it. in the example of Esther and Mordecai, who had Verse 30. With words of peace and truth-Though || fasted and prayed in their distress, and the latter of they wrote with authority, they wrote also with the days with feasting, and thanksgiving, and all depeace, that is, with friendship, tenderness, and kind-monstrations of joy and triumph. ness, not in imperious and imposing language, but in Verse 32. And the decree of Esther-Who had an affectionate and conciliating style: and with truth, || received authority and commission from the king to Ahasuerus lays a CHAPTER X. tribute on the empire. impose this upon all the Jews; confirmed these || a supper, not of flesh, but of spoon-meat. Next mornthings-She commanded the forementioned decree, ing they arise early, and return to the synagogue, which confirmed or established the observance of where, after they have read that passage in Exodus the days of Purim, to be recorded and made a pub- which mentions the war of Amalek, they begin again lie act; and it was written in the book-Either in || to read the book of Esther, with the same ceremothe records of the kingdom, or in those which thenies as before, and so conclude the services of the Jews kept of the most memorable passages of their day, with curses against Haman and his wife, with own history. This feast of Purim, the reader will blessings upon Mordecai and Esther and with praises observe, is celebrated among the Jews to this very to God for having preserved his people. Their restday, and that with several peculiar ceremonies, most ing on this day is observed so religiously that they of which, however, says Dr. Dodd, are "reducible to will not so much as set or sow any thing in their these three things, reading, resting, and fasting. || gardens, being fully persuaded that it would not come Before the reading, which is performed in the syna- up if they did; and therefore they either play at gogue, and begins in the evening as soon as the stars chess, or such like games, or spend their time in muappear, they make use of three forms of prayer. In sic or dancing, till it be proper to begin their feastthe first of these they praise God for counting them ing, wherein they indulge themselves to such an worthy to attend this divine service; in the second || immoderate degree, that their feast of Purim has, they thank him for the miraculous preservation of with great justice, been called the Bacchanals of the their ancestors; and in the third they bless his holy Jews. They allow themselves to drink wine to exname for having continued their lives for the cele- || cess; nay, even to such a pitch as not to be able to bration of another festival in commemoration of it. distinguish between the blessing of Mordecai and Then they read over the whole history of Haman, the curse of Haman, as they themselves speak. from the beginning to the end; not out of any print- Among the other sports and diversions of the day, ed book, for that is not lawful, but out of a Hebrew they used formerly to erect a gibbet, and burn upon manuscript, written on parchment. There are five it a man of straw, whom they called Haman; but it places in the text wherein the reader raises his voice being surmised that they might have a design herein with all his might: when he comes to the place that to insult the Christians, Theodosius the Second formentions the names of the ten sons of Haman, he bade them to use this ceremony, under the penalty repeats them very quick, to show that they were all of forfeiting all their privileges. See Calmet's Dicdestroyed in a moment; and every time that the tionary, under the word Purim. The most laudaname of Haman is pronounced, the children, with ble particular in the feast of Purim, is the abundant great fury, strike against the benches of the syna- charities, in money and food, which the rich bestow gogue with mallets brought for that purpose. After upon the poor, in order to put them in a capacity to the reading is finished, they return home, and have celebrate the festival." A. M. 3509. AN CHAPTER X. The greatness of Ahasuerus and of Mordecai, 1-3. a B. C. 495. ND the king Ahasuerus laid a tri- || Mordecai, whereunto the king 1ad- A. M. 3509. isles of the sea. Verse 1. King Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land-That is, he laid a tax upon every part of his dominions, both on the continent, and on the islands over which his power extended. By the isles here mentioned are meant those in the Ægean sea, conquered by Darius Hystaspes. Verse 2. All the acts of his power, and of his might, and of the greatness of Mordecai-These words signify, that as this king did great things, so they were to be ascribed very much to the management of Mordecai after he was advanced to the highest authority in the kingdom. But it was not the design of the author of this history to relate such 3 For Mordecai the Jew was next unto King 1 Heb. made him great. e Gen. xli. 40; 2 Chron. xxviii. 7. things, for which he refers to the public records of the kingdom, which were kept in some part of the king's house, as appears from chapter vi. 1, and were extant in those days, when this book was written. But they are lost long since, and buried in oblivion, while the sacred writings remain throughout the world. When the kingdoms of men, monarchs and their monarchies, are destroyed, and their memorial is perished with them, the kingdom of God among men, and the records of that kingdom, shall remain as the days of heaven. Verse 3. Mordecai the Jew was next unto King Ahasuerus-Long had he sat contentedly at the king's gate, but now at length he is arrived at the |