Esther 9
9:1 a on March 7: When that fateful day arrived, there were many enemies of the Jews who wanted to carry out Haman’s wishes.Summary for Esth 9:3-4: 9:3-4 b People saw that Mordecai was the man in charge, so they knew it would not be wise to oppose him.
9:5 c They killed and annihilated their enemies: It was not an attack on defenseless people or a ruthless uncontrolled killing spree, but a victorious self-defense against their attackers. The phrase used here repeats the terminology of Haman’s original decree (3:12 d).
9:6 e Although most people in the fortress of Susa itself supported Mordecai, the Jews killed 500 men, a mini-revolt that probably consisted of killing Haman’s relatives and close supporters.
Summary for Esth 9:7-10: 9:7-10 f They also killed ... the ten sons of Haman: Now everything that Haman had boasted about (5:11 g) was gone, even his ten sons.
9:10 h But they did not take any plunder: Although taking plunder from those who attacked was permitted (8:11 i), the Jews did not want anything to do with the defiled wealth of Haman’s sons. Many years earlier, Abram had refused his portion of the plunder from the king of Sodom (Gen 14:21-23 j).
9:12 k If the king had been disturbed by the high numbers, he would not have allowed another day of fighting (9:14-15 l). It seems more likely that the king was astonished that there were so many people who followed Haman and opposed the new regime directed by Mordecai. He was thinking of the political stability of the empire.
9:13 m Possibly Esther knew that some of the people in Susa who had attacked Jews on the first day had gotten away and would be planning additional attacks to avenge the death of Haman.
9:14 n So the king agreed, and the decree was announced in Susa: It was not in the king’s interest for there to be warring parties within the palace plotting to kill one another.
9:15 o Once again, the Jews took the high moral ground and took no plunder from their enemies, though it was legally permitted (8:11 p; 9:10 q).
9:16 r 75,000 seems like quite a large number. The Old Greek translation has 15,000 and the Targum has 10,107 men. The Hebrew word translated thousands can also indicate an extended family or lineage, so it is possible that 75 extended families were killed.
9:17 s they rested, celebrating their victory with a day of feasting and gladness: God is not mentioned, but surely they thanked God on this day for their rescue. This was the beginning of a new festival, later called Purim (9:19-32 t).
9:19 u The annual festival and holiday of Purim celebrates God’s blessing of peace from their enemies (see Deut 25:19 v; Josh 21:44 w; 1 Sam 7:11-14 x). The narrator reports that the festival was celebrated to this day. Now, more than 2,400 years later, it is still celebrated annually by Jewish people.
• The exchange of gifts of food demonstrated the unity of the people and their care for one another and helped them to spread an atmosphere of joy for everyone celebrating the festival.
Summary for Esth 9:23-26: 9:23-26 y These verses summarize the events leading to the Festival of Purim.
Summary for Esth 9:26-28: 9:26-28 z This paragraph justifies Purim as an approved Jewish festival even though Moses did not authorize it along with other festival days.
Summary for Esth 9:29-32: 9:29-32 aa The letter that Queen Esther ... wrote provided further official endorsement to Mordecai’s proposal (9:20-23 ab).
Copyright information for
TNotes