Nncommentary on the book of esther

The writer of esther clearly intended the book to explain the origin of the celebration of purim, to institutionalize it as a commemoration of the great deliverance of the jews during the persian period see note on esther 9. The events that the first chapter of the book of esther describes happened about 483 bc before christ. It is the last of the five scrolls ruth, song of songs, ecclesiastes, lamentations, and esther, and is read at the feast of purim. The books of ezra and nehemiah were written during his reign. Synopsis the international standard bible encyclopedia, revised. Better is a dinner of herbs with quietness, than this banquet of wine, with all the noise and tumult that must have attended it. Fiction books about and centered around queen esther and her story. The king has one law for any man or woman who goes to the king without being called. A short book consisting of 10 chapters and 167 verses, it is one of only two biblical books in which god does not get a mention. Mordecai is brought into prominence at the right time 6. The original text of the megillah book of esther with a running commentary culled from the talmud and midrash, the great torah commentators and the chassidic masters. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for.

Queen esther came to the throne for just such a time 4. Though absent by name from the pages of this particular book of jewish history, god is present in every scene and in the movement of every event, until he ultimately and finally brings everything to a marvelous climax as he proves himself lord of his people, the jews. Esther 2 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. The old testament library provides fresh and authoritative treatments.

Intro to esther biblica the international bible society. Publication date 1908 topics bible publisher new york. Artaxerxes this man was son of xerxes and stepson of esther. Esther then ask the jews to fast about this for three days and three nights esther 4. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star. The events of the book of esther occurred during the reign of king ahasuerus, xerxes i. The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not mentioned.

Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. The commentary is accessible to laymen, but should be. The author of esther patterned much of his material on the events of the joseph story see notes on 2. The views of modern scholars are significant in so far as the views of modern scholars are significant in any topic an encyclopedia should endeavour to. The lesson here is that gods timing is always immaculate and the book of esther reminds the reader of this and esthers place on the throne at this exact time would save the jews from extermination. Overview of the book of esther third millennium ministries. Frederic bush ruthesther word biblical commentary, 1996. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Her knowledge of the text is extensive, and her insights into current application are valuable. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so in the days of persecution. The lectionary portion tells us only that jews are to celebrate the days on. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible.

Read correctly, the lead character of the book of esther is not even esther. The commentary is accessible to laymen, but should be useful to pastors and scholars as well. You can find the best commentary on esther for you using the tools on the right side. Esther s story is without doubt both an inspiration and one of the great teaching resources of the church. Book of esther, in the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. It belongs to the third section of the judaic canon, known as the ketuvim, or writings, and. Though absent by name from the pages of this particular book of jewish history, god is present in every scene and in the movement of every event, until he ultimately and finally brings everything to a marvelous climax as he proves himself lord of. And king ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. The book of esther shows how the hand of god can move in a supernaturallynatural way. It is a deeply profound and moving narrative of historical events that displayed the providence of god. Megilat ester the book of esther the british library. Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible.

Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Esthers story is without doubt both an inspiration and one of the great teaching resources of the church. The book of esther has been preserved in ancient texts that diverge greatly from each other. But what is the key to unlocking the great lessons of esther. Queen esther continued to be obedient to her uncle mordecai causing her to conceal her race, the kings life to be rescued from an assassination plot, and mordecais good deed to be recorded in the history book 2. The following are five of the most helpful commentaries on. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. In the hebrew bible, the book of esther is found in the third section of the canon, the writings. Esther is described in the book of esther as a jewish queen of the persian king ahasuerus. In the book of esther this information is casually presented as. We might even think that he does not care about us. Karen jobes has written the most engaging, interesting, and helpful commentary on the book of esther presently available. In this way, the book of esther serves to explain and authorize the festival of purim, and also authorizes the use of violence, though regulated, by the hebrew people against their enemies.

Over 100 years earlier, nebuchadnezzar the king of babylon had attacked jerusalem. He overcame the jews and he took many jews to babylon. A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther by paton, lewis bayles, 18641932. Opinion queen esther, a hero for our time the new york times. Tracing the history of the book of esther and jewish festival purim. The purpose of the book of esther is to display the providence of god, especially in regard to his chosen people, israel. Seeking ancient wisdom, i opened a biblical book in which women were also treated as objects. The book of esther forms part of ketuvim writings which is the third section of the tanakh, or hebrew bible. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible.

The book of esther records the institution of the feast of purim and the obligation of its perpetual observation. The traditional view of the book of esther is significant to mention, because it is the traditional view held by millions of believers over several millennia as to the nature of the book. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of media and persia. Esthers name means i will be hidden, just as her identity was obscure even after becoming the wife of ahasuerus. The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control. Esther 110 new king james version nkjv the king dethrones queen vashti. In esther nivac, karen jobes is our guide for an insightful and unexpected look at the book of esthera book brimming with practical lessons, but seemingly without a theology. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israels history from a dark time. A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther. That person must be put to death unless the king holds out his gold scepter to them. In the narrative, ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, vashti.

Add to that a flavor of steampunk youve likely never tried before, blend it all up but keep it kosher. The greek septuagint remedied this situation by adding six passages which include the name of god. All other books of the bible make it obvious who and what is influencing the actions of the characters, namely. 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. His predecessor was king darius 522485 bc who is mentioned in ezra 4. Esther 2 commentary matthew henry commentary on the.

Two things are recorded in this chapter, which were working towards the deliverance of the jews from hamans conspiracy. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. 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. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries.

This book has a record of the feast of purim and commemorates what the jews indicate is the deliverance of the jewish nation by god using esther. The book is named for the star of the story, a young jewish girl named hadassah who was taken from her guardian, mordecai, and forced to compete for the affection of the king. This book has a record of the feast of purim and commemorates what the jews indicate is the. Mordecai learned of a plot to kill the king and made it known to esther who passed the news to the king. Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history. Feasting is another prominent theme in esther, as shown in the outline below. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. The book of esther is renowned for its literary artistry, which functions as the principal vehicle for the books.

Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israel. We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b. Megillah with indepth commentaryside by side version. The advancement of esther to be queen instead of vashti. Yet, the books theological message is powerful and shines through the daily faithfulness of esther as she faithfully obeys the god of israel and saves her people. It has been well said that the book of esther is a record of wonders without a miracle, and therefore, though equally revealing the glory of the lord, it sets it forth in another fashion from that which is displayed in the overthrow of pharaoh by. 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. The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is. If the king does this, that persons life will be saved. Esther commentary john gills exposition of the bible. Esther overview spurgeons verse expositions of the bible. For those seeking a more extensive commentary on the book of esther, frederic bushs work in the wbc series is a good place to start. The book of esther does not mention the name of god. He eventually chose esther as his queen, and by her influence the jews were saved from destruction.

By dr peter pett queen vashti offends king ahasuerus xerxes esther, the ward of mordecai, chosen as queen haman purposes to destroy the jews and casts pur haman impaled and replaced by mordecai the jew the establishment of purim. The events in the book of esther occurred from 483. According to recent research the book of esther was written in the middle of the 4th century bce during the reign of artaxerxes iii. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. In the book of esther this information is casually presented as unimportant, but comes up later in the story. 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. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage, divine. Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more.

The prayers of esther and mordecai are especially noteworthy. 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. Jon levenson capably guides readers through both versions, demonstrating their coherence and their differences. The book of esther is the only one not found in the dead sea scrolls. Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew bible, provides the story of the origin of purim, the blueprint for its celebration, and the authorization for its observance in perpetuity. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her.

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. Xerxes this is the ahasuerus of the book of esther. Mordecai, who was finally exalted as ruler in persia, is at least a faint type of christ when eventually exalted among the nations. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. In the book of esther, it is evident that the author wanted to highlight how divine intervention of god works specifically as it applies to the israelites. Sleep is taken from ahasuerus at precisely the right time 6. Hence it belongs to the bestknown otbooks with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. The book of esther was likely written between 460 and 350 b. Study guide on the book of esther, on line bible commentary for book of esther, niv commentary esther, free esther commentary, best commentaries on esther. Purim remembers and celebrates the deliverance of the jews by queen esther. In esther nivac, karen jobes is our guide for an insightful and unexpected look at the book of esther a book brimming with practical lessons, but seemingly without a theology.