Mordecai is brought into prominence at the right time 6. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the book of esther was illustrated by j. Esther 8 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament.
It is the last of the five scrolls ruth, song of songs, ecclesiastes, lamentations, and esther, and is read at the feast of purim. Jobes volume is best for those seeking a biblicaltheological commentary on the book of esther. Lectures, expository and practical on the book of esther 1859 j r dummelow, ed. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. Esther is the last of the historical books of the bible, so its main character is named esther that is, venus, the morning star, which sheds its light after all the other stars have ceased to shine, and while the sun still delays rising. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. It is a deeply profound and moving narrative of historical events that displayed the providence of god. But the megillahs mandate differs from the torahs in one crucial respect. The survey revealed that meanings of words from the united states or the. The net pastors journal, eng ed, issue 34 winter 2020. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so in the days of persecution.
The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. Esther the niv application commentary kindle edition by jobes, karen h download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. An easyenglish bible version and commentary 2800 word vocabulary on the book of nehemiah. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a part of his harem. But now he was brought before the king, introduced, as we say, to kiss his hand. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr. Feb 08, 2017 the chat with priscilla what men wished women knew part one duration. A word list at the end explains words with a star by them. He that will lose his life for god, shall save it, or find it in a better life. Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Book of esther simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage. Xerxes this is the ahasuerus of the book of esther. The book of esther may remind you of a classic, once upon a time childrens story with a wealthy king, his beautiful queen, and an evil villain. The greek septuagint remedied this situation by adding six passages which include the name of god. The book of esther has been preserved in ancient texts that diverge greatly from each other.
He took esther as the new persian queen, not knowing she was an israelite. Esther put on her royal apparel it was not only natural, but, on such occasions, highly proper and expedient, that the queen should decorate herself in a style becoming her exalted station. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. We can also read more about king xerxes in the book of esther in the bible. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third. Susa was in the area known as eilam, in what is now iran. Better is a dinner of herbs with quietness, than this banquet of wine, with all the noise and tumult that must have attended it. The book of esther is the only one not found in the dead sea scrolls. Keith mathison agrees with the other experts when he says, karen jobes has written the most engaging, interesting, and helpful commentary on the book of esther presently available. On the day that the enemies of the jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred. Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and.
The book of esther page 2languages the literal, physical heart in literature is a reference to the thinking portion of a persons soul. She was brought up at susa by her cousin mordecai, who seems to have held a position among the lower officials of the royal palace. The feast was for all the important men who had authority in the kingdom. Sleep is taken from ahasuerus at precisely the right time 6.
The greek book of esther, included in the septuagint, is a retelling of the events of the hebrew book of esther rather than a translation and. We have already read something about king xerxes and king artaxerxes in the book of ezra ezra 4. All other books of the bible make it obvious who and what is influencing the actions of the characters, namely. Queen esther came to the throne for just such a time 4. Commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible. Esther was a jewish orphan, who became the queen of xerxes, in some respects the greatest of the persian kings. Esther 1 easy english bible easy 1 this happened when king xerxes ruled over 127 parts of the kingdom of persia. Classical sources such as josephus, the jewish commentary esther rabbah and the.
Place of esther in the old testament a critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther canonicity canonical status word biblical commentary, volume 9. It was the actions by esther and mordecai in the book of esther that created the feast of purim which is a jewish holiday to this very day. He eventually chose esther as his queen, and by her influence the jews were saved from destruction. Esther put on her royal apparel it was not only natural, but, on such occasions, highly proper and expedient, that the queen should decorate herself in. This is my favorite commentary on any book of holy scripture.
Esther the niv application commentary kindle edition by. Hence it belongs to the bestknown ot books with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. Following tradition, the books explanation of purim as a historical event to be. The book of esther serves as the authorizing document for purim, a holiday that is not mentioned in the torah. This the book of esther bible study with the book of esther bible study truth will reveal the depth of the message of the book of esther. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of esther in easy english. The book of esther is about a jewish girl adopted by her uncle, mordecai, after her parents died. Esther ester ecter, akin to the zend tstara, the sanskrit stri, the greek aster, a star, esther. Esther 1, english standard version 2016 esv the bible app. The prayers of esther and mordecai are especially noteworthy. On the mystical level king achashverosh alludes to gd, the king of the world. Jon levenson capably guides readers through both versions, demonstrating their coherence and their differences. God had brought many of his people, the jews, back to judah.
The book of esther bible study the book of esther bible. An explanatory commentary on esther 1888 college press. How the providence of god watched over the jews that had returned out of captivity to their own land, and what great and kind things were done for them, we. Translators could also find the translated bible text useful, as the writer translated from the hebrew text. The events detailed in the book of esther took place primarily in shushan, the capital of king ahasueraus empire. Esther 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole.
So hathach returned and told esther the words of mordecai. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. This commentary has been through advanced checking. Esther is the name of a book in the tanakh the hebrew bible and the old testament, and also its title heroine. The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control. Verses 15 the rules of king darius and king xerxes have finished and artaxerxes is the king of persia. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press.
In the hebrew bible, the book of esther is found in the third section of the canon, the writings. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. The canonicity of the book was questioned by some in ancient judaism and early christianity. Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history. Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the kings command and his decree to be executed. Adele berlins commentary in the jps series is better suited for a critical look at the hebrew text. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. The book of esther in the bible is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. Her knowledge of the text is extensive, and her insights into current application are valuable. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. It is careful not to say that god commanded the observance of purim.
We might even think that he does not care about us. Jun 24, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. It is very easy to get many notes on the gospels and none on ezekiel said in jest. The book of esther is a 20 movie starring jen lilley as queen esther and joel smallbone as king xerxes. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading esther the niv application commentary. Artaxerxes this man was son of xerxes and stepson of esther. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. The chat with priscilla what men wished women knew part one duration. An easyenglish translation and commentary 1200 word vocabulary on the book of haggai. In other languages, the heart may be the emotional arena of the soul, and, in still others, heart may refer to the emotional part of the soul in reference to love.
Esther 2 chapter 1 several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. Several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. But while the characters might resemble a fairy tale, the book of esther depicts actual events that shaped jewish history and instituted the festival of purim. For the full text of the book of esther in hebrew and english, click here. Xerxes, the persian king, rejected his wife queen vashti, and fell in love with esther at a beauty contest. Then esther spoke to hathach, and gave him a command for mordecai. The book belongs to the socalled five scrolls hebr. You can find the best commentary on esther for you using the tools on the right side. She sent clothes for mordecai to put on instead of the sackcloth, but he would not accept them. Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. A queen under control when esthers words were reported to mordecai, he sent back this answer. The book of esther is a very realistic commentary on life, and it is possible that its author wanted to make his readers ponder carefully gods involvement in it. We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b.
Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and published by seven stories press. Watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The books of ezra and nehemiah were written during his reign. The book of esther does not mention the name of god. Jehoiakim came to the throne at the end of the year, which jeremiah reckons as the first year, but which daniel leaves out of count, being an incomplete year. Esther commentary scroll down to page 273 for 3 page commentary on esther includes maps seems to be well done.
796 561 1418 1371 763 100 1173 786 925 699 1207 700 204 1113 833 470 279 568 693 1281 665 1184 71 711 288 839 767 1224 30 1407 538 1196