In the book of esther, hegai the kings eunuch can symbolize the guidance of the. Memucan then appealed, not only to the matter of the kings authority in his own house, but his authority also over the kingdom, for prompt action in this case would have the beneficial effect of moving wives to honor their husbands v. 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. Sep 01, 2015 esther is the second book by rebecca kanner. Comments on the book of esther chapter 2 from the king james bible online. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. This book is also the reason why the jewish people created the jewish festivity of purim, which is celebrated annually amongst all jewish people in the world. Update 2142014my new book esther and her elusive god. The book of esther records the institution of the feast of purim and the obligation of its perpetual observation. It is probable that it was part of hiding her jewish identity at the command of mordecai. Jul 14, 2011 martin luther was not the only person to doubt or reject the book of esther as holy scripture, although he may have been the first to ignite massconfusion surrounding the book. Jun 18, 2019 the book of esther is one of only two books in the bible named for women. Esther 4 commentary matthew henrys complete commentary on.
Esthers name means i will be hidden, just as her identity was obscure even after becoming the wife of ahasuerus. God is always active in esther, even though it is behind the scenes. He may not always do it in the way we think he should, but the book of esther shows that he is in control even when we dont see him. She was the nonpracticing jewish heroine of the story and an orphan raised by her cousin mordecai. In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the book of esther was illustrated by j. Jan 02, 2020 book of esther bible survey why doesnt the book of esther mention god.
We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b. In fact, god is not directly mentioned by name in the book of esther. The book of esther is a hodgepodge of different genres. Book of esther bible survey why doesnt the book of esther mention god. I really enjoyed her first book, sinners and the sea so i was anxious to read this book. Studying the book of esther is well worth your time. May 25, 2011 11 comments on summary of the book of esther esther was a jewish woman who was selected by the persian king ahasuerus to be his wife. The book of esther in the hebrew scriptures is a story of how queen esther.
A literary analysis of the book of esther, based on midrashic. Following luthers lead, 19th century german scholarship continued an strongly antijewish assault on both the old and new testaments, attacking the authorship, date. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. How a secular story functions as scripture is now available. The purpose of the book of esther is to display the providence of god, especially in regard to his chosen people, israel. The book of esther was likely written between 460 and 350 b. His comments on the difference between canonicity and theological. Mordecai, who was finally exalted as ruler in persia, is at least a faint type. Why did queen vashti refuse to appear before xerxes. Esther s name means i will be hidden, just as her identity was obscure even after becoming the wife of ahasuerus.
The book of esther and gods providence jack wellman. Hadassah was her given jewish name, but she went by esther. 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. March 24, 2019 1 commentin scriptural reflections by dwayne.
He is a notorious antisemite 6 and when slighted by one jew, he plots the destruction of all the jews esther 3. Note that the dramatic events of the book of esther take place between the events of ezra 6 and ezra 7. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. The greek title for this book is esther latin hester. My posts on this site represent stages in the development of my thinking about esther. Some of these words are the hardtopronounce achashdarpanim, which means satraps or governors. As the events of the book of esther unfold, haman is catapulted to a. Martin luther was not the only person to doubt or reject the book of esther as holy scripture, although he may have been the first to ignite massconfusion surrounding the book. One is that his own wife had not been invited to vashtis feast, and another, because he wanted his own daughter promoted and become the queen the book of esther, page 86. Esther is also named in the gemara as one of the four most beautiful women of all time.
Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israel. He had banished his former wife and chose esther through a contest. Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. The book of esther is unusual gods name is not mentioned once, yet.
Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. The book of esther and martin luther baptist christian forums. In the book of esther, what is not said is vitally important. As you may have guessed by the title, in this book kanner takes on queen esther. Hence it belongs to the bestknown otbooks with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. 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.
Most likely, the book of esther doesnt have the name of god because it shows how god works behind the scenes. There are like 40 different amazing truths from the blessed book of esther. Esther is noted as being the most beautiful woman in the land. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is. The most famous esther is queen esther, born hadassah, the heroine who helped save the jews. The dramatic saga was written down so that jewish people could read about the amazing turn of events every year on the holiday of purim, the anniversary of the jews victory. Jews read the book of esther every year during the festival of purim, which began wednesday evening.
I really did not know much about her before reading this book. Mordecai, who was finally exalted as ruler in persia, is at least a faint type of christ when eventually exalted among the nations. The book of esther says mordechai was exiled from judah with king jeconiah. Mordecai urges her to intercede with the king for a revocation of the edict, esther 4. You can work through this bible study on your own or with your small group, and you can go through this in ten days, or over a tenweek or semester long schedule. Esther is the heroine of the purim story, in which the jewish people who live in the sprawling persian empire are saved from haman s evil scheme to annihilate them. Now in shushan the palace there was a certain jew, whose name was mordechai who had been carried away from jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with jeconiah king of judah, whom nebuchadnezzar the king of babylon had carried away esther 2. 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. Comments the bible book of esther is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. Esther then ask the jews to fast about this for three days and three nights esther 4.
The events in the book of esther occurred from 483. Esther objects the danger of addressing the king uncalled, esther 4. Esther kim, a real life esther is the author of the fascinating book entitled if i perish amazon 4. In the story of esther, youll meet a beautiful, young queen who risked her life to serve god and save her people. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. The book of esther records the origin of the holiday called purim. 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. Matters are concerted between mordecai and esther for the preventing of it. Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. I am encouraged when i read of her obedience to her uncle m. I am indebted to arthur bradley for his comments on early drafts of this article.
Esther bible story summary what christians want to know. Esther 4 commentary matthew henrys complete commentary. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage, divine. In the book of esther, gods name is never mentioned, but you can clearly see the fingerprints of gods sovereignty throughout the book. Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and published by seven stories press. Esther 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. However, since it was written by jews who had been exiled in persia and dealt with persian court proceedings, it is only natural that it borrows words from the vernacular.
Esther commentary, sermon, illustration esther commentaries. 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. Weve created a 10day study guide for you, each day working through a chapter of the exciting story of esther. Mar 20, 2019 as the events of the book of esther unfold, haman is catapulted to a position of power. T he story of esther reads like a novel and is full of great spiritual lessons. Jews throughout the world, after 2,500 years, still celebrate this feast. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star. Esther 2 chapter 1 several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. Did esther have sex with xerxes before they were married. Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible.
The book of esther is one of only two books in the bible named for women. Its one of the most beautiful books in the bible and so full of great takeaways for the modern christian woman today. The book of esther does not mention the name of god. The books happy ending is the cause of the establishment of the feast of purim, which celebrates the jews deliverance from destruction.
Evangelicals love esther and think trump is like her the. This is very fantastic question and answers on the book of esther but i would. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. As the events of the book of esther unfold, haman is catapulted to a position of power. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Esther enquires into this case, and receives a particular account of it, esther 4. Add to that a flavor of steampunk youve likely never tried before, blend it all up but keep it kosher. For a video based on the book of esther, scroll to the bottom of this article. The forward welcomes reader comments in order to promote thoughtful discussion on issues of. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people.