Esther 2:5-18
2:6 a His family (literally He): Since King Jehoiachin was exiled in 597 BC (2 Kgs 24:6-16 b), over 100 years earlier, it was probably one of Mordecai’s ancestors who was part of the group taken into Babylonian captivity.2:7 c Hadassah is a Hebrew name that means myrtle; Esther is a Persian name that means star.
2:9 d ordered a special menu ... beauty treatments: Hegai knew the king’s taste and singled out the best prospects for special attention.
• Hegai assigned seven of the best assistants to Esther, indicating that he thought she was one of the very best candidates for becoming the queen.
2:10 e Mordecai had probably already experienced some prejudice against Jews. Esther’s Jewish background would later become the key to her exposing Haman’s terrible plot.
2:12 f The twelve months of preparation no doubt involved training in court customs as well as beauty treatments, but the focus here is on physical beauty.
2:14 g the second harem: Each woman would spend one night with the king in his bedroom and then live essentially as a widow the rest of her life unless the king remembered her name and called for her. The women in the second harem lived an easy life in a luxurious setting under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch.
2:15 h Hegai apparently knew the king’s preferences, so he was able to give Esther good advice, which she wisely accepted and followed.
2:17 i he set the royal crown on her head: Now Esther had access to the king’s heart as his favored wife. She was now in a place where God could use her to impact the thoughts and actions of the king.
2:18 j he gave a great banquet in Esther’s honor: Now the king honored his wife instead of putting her on display (cp. 1:11 k).
• declaring a public holiday: The Hebrew word translated “public holiday” (hanakhah) is related to the verb that means “rest” (nukh). The book as a whole describes how the Jewish people obtained rest from the threats of their enemies (see 9:16-22 l).
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