His name is not written in the book, but his fingerprints, as we say, are all over it. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. Esther commentary john gills exposition of the bible. The prayers of esther and mordecai are especially noteworthy. Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. 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. The book of esther may not directly mention god, yet it clearly reveals god at work. Mordecai learned of a plot to kill the king and continue reading summary of the book of esther. Although we do not know who wrote the book of esther, from internal evidence it is. In this 3part series, i provide commentary on the book of esther, focussing on the heroine at the centre.
The book of esther does not mention the name of god. 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. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star. In addition, according to one opinion esther is already married to mordechai, himself a righteous jew, a prophet and the leader of his generation. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr. It is the only book of the bible that does not mention god specifically. The book of esther is the only one not found in the dead sea scrolls. Esther can represent us, the followers and disciples of our beloved lord jesus. Best esther commentaries updated for 2020 best bible. Esther and the bride of christ a picture of the endtime bride 1.
The book of esther from the greek septuagint holy bible. Esther intro to esther biblica the international bible society. These five small booksruth, ecclesiastes, song of songs, lamentations and estherare part of the writings section of the hebrew canon. We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b. The book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in their synagogues to the present day.
Esther the queen, hester prynne, and the scarlet letter as biblical. The book of esther is renowned for its literary artistry, which functions as the principal vehicle for the book s. This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the jews. Esthers uncle, mordecai, appears first as an adoptive father, whose solicitude for esther leads him to the kings gate, where he foils a plot to assassinate the king. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third. The book of esther was written during the 3 rd year of the reign of ahasuerus 485 465 bc. There are like 40 different amazing truths from the blessed book of esther. Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the kings palace any more than all the other jews. 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 prosthelic a was a necessity of hebrew articulation. The book ends with mordecai as the kings chief minister.
Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible. The book of esther is one of the latest of the canonical books of scripture, having been written late in the reign of xerxes, or early in that of his son artaxerxes longimanus b. All this context is quite significant to the book of esther. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. Esther the niv application commentary kindle edition by. 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. Ahasuerus, in the original akhashverosh, corresponds to khshayarsha the persian name from which the greeks formed their xerxes almost as closely as possible.
Study the bible online using commentary on esther 10 and more. Scripture that same day king xerxes gave queen esther the estate of. On the second page you will see an outline of this commentary. The book of esther is a 20 movie starring jen lilley as queen esther and joel smallbone as king xerxes. John calvin never preached from the book and did not write a commentary on the book. Esther 2 commentary commentary critical and explanatory.
During this time period, the first remnant of jews who had returned to judah were struggling to reestablish temple worship according to the law of moses. Overview of the book of esther third millennium ministries. It is this persian kingdom that forms the backdrop for the book of esther, and xerxes, the king of persia, plays a prominent role. His presence permeates much of the story, as though he were behind the scenes coordinating coincidences and circumstances to make his will happen. Esther then ask the jews to fast about this for three days and three nights esther 4. Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. Another biblical theme in the book of esther is divine providence follows people god that use to serve his purposes, jonah 1. The only unnecessary change was the substitution of v for y vau for yod in the penultimate syllable but this interchange is very common in hebr. This summary of the book of esther will help with many different forms of bible study.
The gathering together of a harem for king ahasuerus. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. Several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. Yet most people today have never heard of john gill. Its one of the most beautiful books in the bible and so full of great takeaways for the modern christian woman today. After these things, when the wrath of king ahasuerus subsided, he remembered vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so. Ezra 7 begins in the seventh year of artaxerxes i longimanus i. Levensons book consists of two parts an introductory essay of 35 pages, followed by a linebyline commentary on the text of esther. Please identify the section you wish to read, and then use your readers searchfind feature to navigate to it. A story of the providence of god in a pagan land page 4 introduction to the book the book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries.
Childs notes the typology which the writer uses in identifying haman and mordecai through genealogies when he writes, haman, the enemy of the jews, is portrayed as the son of hammedatha, the agagite 3. Like song of solomon, obadiah, and nahum, the nt doe. 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. Sadly, many who read and study esther including bible scholars who write commentaries on the book fill in the blanks, rather than leaving them blank and learning from the silence of the author. An exposition, with practical observations, of the book of esther chapter 1. The book belongs to the socalled five scrolls hebr. The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control. The book takes its name from the beautiful, orphaned jewess who became the queen of the persian king ahasuerus. Megillat esther tells us precious little about esthers inner world. Again it was when i wore a kippa, i ceased myself from wearing a kippa because it was not a command of god to israel. The greek septuagint remedied this situation by adding six passages which include the name of god.
Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and published by seven stories press. This chapter presents an exegetical analysis of the book of esther, focusing on the characteristics and actions of esther and mordecai as they related to navigating the crisis of possible jewish. The book of esther is a magnificent allegory that describes the endtime bride of christ. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of esther in easy english. 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 begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her.
Chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five chapter six chapter seven s. The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not mentioned. Esther is more than an amazing story of a young jewish girl who saved her people. This page is being displayed without its intended css styles in web. The book is set during the period after the babylonian exile in which the nation of persia present day iran ruled judah. You will also find options for commentaries on esther that help pastors, teachers, and readers with application of the bible, commentaries that approach the scripture versebyverse, classic christian commentaries, and much more. The lesson here is that gods timing is always immaculate and the book of esther reminds the reader of this and esther s place on the throne at this exact time would save the jews from extermination. Scripture says mordecai recorded certain events in order to relate them to jews throughout the kingdom see esth. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. David guzik commentary on esther 1, where queen vashti refuses to display her beauty at king ahasuerus feast, and is therefore banished. You can find the best commentary on esther for you using the tools on the right side. Early jewish and christian traditions suggest that among the people named in the book, mordecai, esther s cousin and guardian, was in the best position to record the events. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. This paper examines the book of esther, deriving important insights about a variety of approaches to leadership that can be applied to todays crisis in leadership.
In the book of jonah, he used a storm to convince the fleeing prophet, jonah 1. 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. Not one commentary was written on the book of esther in the first seven centuries of the church. Character and ideology in the book of esther, 1991. The book of esther intrigues positively, too, one reason being its containing rationale for the celebration of the feast of purim, the popularity of which can be accounted for in part by the fact that it constitutes the only worldly holiday in the jewish calendar for the expression of the lighthearted side of life harrison 10951096. This book reveals the mighty call that the lord has granted to his end. In 1934 annie became a missionary in china with oms. The book of esther is part of a special list of five rollsscrolls called the megilloth. Esther 10 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading esther the niv application commentary. During world war ii she spent 21 months in a japanese concentration camp as a prisoner. The book of esther this is the most recent movie production of the book of esther. The coincidences, the amazing reversals, and the poetic justice that led to the deliverance of the jews in persia all proclaim the presence of god.
Judaism is the essence of esther and she has no desire to live under further duress by having to maintain her jewish observance in secret, as wife of achashverosh. The manner in which these young women were introduced to the king, and how those were disposed of who were not called again to the kings bed, esther 2. The book of esther would also encourage them to worship the god of israel, though he is not mentioned by name in it ibid. Classical sources such as josephus, the jewish commentary esther rabbah and the christian theologian barhebraeus, as well as the greek. 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 events in the book of esther occurred from 483 bc to 473 bc, during the first half of the reign of king xerxes, who chose esther as his queen.
Introduction from the niv study bible go to esther. Weibe suggests that this translation fits the context of the book of esther much better than the traditional rendering. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a. Baldwin rosscup is a bit less enamored with karen jobes commentary writing jobes will not be clear to some in her view that a biblical book can have legitimate errors in historical matters for the sake of poetic license, without.
May 25, 2011 esther was a jewish woman who was selected by the persian king ahasuerus to be his wife. An integrated digital bible study library including complete notes from the niv study bible and the nkjv macarthur study bible is just a step away. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. He had banished his former wife and chose esther through a contest. The jewish community, and its areas of residence, outside erez israel. In the book of esther, hegai the kings eunuch can symbolize the guidance of the holy spirit, who prepares us to meet with our king, our lord jesus, in his second coming. Commentary from the sages the chabad website gives an illuminating selection of comments from different rabbis and jewish sages on the book of esther. Title esther serves as the title without variation through the ages. Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew. Book of prophecy that reveals gods magnificent plan of salvation through the person and work of jesus christ. Read esther commentary using john gills exposition of the bible. Weibe argues that this phrase should be translated as a rhetorical question, suggesting that the implied answer is no. The introductory essay provides a good overview of the book of esther a summary of the plot, an analysis of the book s structure and themes, and a discussion of the historicity and origins of the various. Esther is a young and beautiful jewish girl, orphaned but cared for by her.
Here is another very old teaching i did that i trust will bless you. Similar to daniel in that the context of the entire book is in captivity with particular emphasis on the court of a pagan king. The book of esther provides us with the greatest illustrations of the providence of god. We might even think that he does not care about us. Number 1 rated commentary esther an introduction and commentary tyndale old testament commentaries joyce g. Book of esther, in the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. This book and the book of ruth are the only ot books named after women. The heroine of the book named for her, esther is a young jewish woman living in exile in the persian lit. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. 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. Read esther 10 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. Esther pleases the king, and is set above all the women. In the book of esther, what is not said is vitally important. Presented here is a verse by verse exposition of the new testament.
On the mystical level king achashverosh alludes to gd, the king of the world. And the declaration of the greatness of mordecai, whereunto the. Esther is the only book in the bible not to mention the name of god. Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. The book of esther is one of the most exciting books in all the old testament and is nearly unique in employing a woman as its leading character. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. Esther said, i myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days meaning she had not seen her husband for an entire month. Esther a2 classic bible study guide 2 introduction the book of esther is a graphic narrative, which relates how gods people were preserved from ruin during the fifth century b. In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the book of esther was illustrated by j. Although his name is never mentioned, we see his providence in each page of this wonderful little book. This book has its name from the person who is the principal subject of it.
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