Esther 2:19-23
2:19 a Even after all the young women had been transferred to the second harem: Since the queen had been chosen, those in waiting would join the other concubines.• Mordecai had become a palace official (literally Mordecai was sitting in the gate of the king): Court cases were decided and much official business was conducted at the gate. There Mordecai was able to hear about the plot against the king (2:21-23 b).
2:20 c keep her family background and nationality a secret: That this is mentioned twice (see also 2:10 d) indicates how important it was for the rest of the story.
• With humility, she was still following Mordecai’s directions. She did not become conceited and forget her people or the family that raised her.
2:21 e Bigthana might be the Bigtha of 1:10 f, one of the king’s seven eunuchs. He and Teresh guarded the king’s bedroom, so it would not have been hard for them to carry out their plot if they hadn’t been discovered.
2:22 g gave the information to Queen Esther: The quickest, safest way for the information to get to the king was through the queen.
• Although Esther could have promoted herself by taking credit for this information, she gave Mordecai credit for the report, an important point later in the story (6:1-3 h).
2:23 i impaled on a sharpened pole (literally hanged on a tree, or hanged on wood): This phrase has traditionally been translated hanged on a gallows, but inscriptions from ancient Persia show that impalement was a standard form of execution. Xerxes’ father, Darius I, claimed to have impaled 3,000 Babylonians when he conquered Babylon. Sometimes criminals were executed first and then displayed on a stake, as with the execution of Haman’s sons (9:5-14 j).
• This was all recorded: Mordecai was not rewarded until much later (6:1-14 k).
• While various records of Xerxes’ reign have been found, the particular book mentioned here no longer exists.
Esther 3
Summary for Esth 3:1-15: 3:1-15 l Haman’s hatred for Mordecai develops into a plot to kill all the Jewish people.3:2 m It was a common custom to bow down before a superior (e.g., Gen 33:3 n). Since Mordecai served at the large gate to the palace and Haman entered the king’s court through that gate, there were many opportunities for Mordecai to break the king’s command and not bow before Haman.
3:6 o Haman was not interested in justice; he wanted revenge. He was determined to do everything in his power to crush Mordecai, including exterminating his entire people—the Jews.
3:7 p lots were cast ... (the lots were called purim): Throwing the purim was like throwing dice. The Hebrews used lots from time to time to understand God’s will (Lev 16:8-10 q; Neh 10:34 r). Persian astrologers used purim in the first month of the year to determine which days that year would bring good fortune.
3:8 s who keep themselves separate: Jews intermarried within tight-knit communities and resisted integration into the larger culture.
• Their laws are different: They had a unique set of laws (eating and religious customs) and were to be separate from the sinful customs of the people around them (Lev 14:42-45 t; 15:31 u; 19:2 v, 26-37 w).
• they refuse to obey the laws of the king: This accusation, which is false in general, probably refers to Mordecai’s refusal to bow to Haman.
• So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live: Haman played on the king’s fears and interests as Memucan had done in Esth 1:16 x. Intolerance toward any particular group of people ran against the general Persian tendency to be respectful of other people’s cultural and religious differences.
3:9 y Haman tipped his hand by offering to bribe the king with a large sum of silver, which should have made the king suspicious of Haman’s motives. The value of the proposed gift is so astronomical that Haman may have been exaggerating to show his intended generosity.
Summary for Esth 3:10-11: 3:10-11 z The king agreed with no inquiry. The king is presented as someone very irresponsible and easily manipulated. By removing his signet ring, the king gave up his control over official policies; by giving it to Haman, he signified that Haman had complete authority to seal the decree.
• the enemy of the Jews: The narrator’s new title for Haman is an ominous note regarding his power to persecute the Jews (see also 8:1 aa; 9:10 ab, 24 ac).
• The money and the people are both yours: It may appear that the king did not want the bribe, but 4:7 ad suggests that Haman did give the money. The king was following a customary protocol to make the bribe and his greed less obvious (cp. Gen 23:10-16 ae). For the sake of public appearance the king pretended not to be interested in the money, but in reality he was.
3:12 af So on April 17: Haman’s choice of the day before the Jewish Passover began (see Exod 12:6 ag) was probably calculated to terrorize and demoralize the Jews. But as he did at the Exodus, God would deliver the Jews miraculously from a tyrant who was trying to destroy them.
3:13 ah The phrase killed, slaughtered, and annihilated is repeated with ironic effect in 8:11 ai and 9:5 aj.
• on March 7 of the next year: Haman’s “lucky day” that was chosen by casting lots (3:7 ak) was eleven months after the decree, by God’s providence, giving time to overcome the decree.
• The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them: Haman ingeniously bribed the would-be executioners.
Summary for Esth 3:14-15: 3:14-15 al This decree carried the full weight of Xerxes’ royal authority.
• The foolish king and wicked Haman celebrated this occasion, but the people of the fortress of Susa were perplexed, bewildered, and confused at such a ruthless and unjust decree.
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