Esther 9

On the thirteenth day of t he twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. Esther 9:1

The dreaded thirteenth day of the twelfth month finally arrived and the edicts of the king were put into effect. Despite the second decree, there were plenty of Persians who still rose up to attack the Jews, but they were surprised to find the Jews well prepared and well-armed. Quickly the Jews gained victory over those who attacked them. Utley says: “This phrase shows that anti-Semitism was pervasive throughout the empire, not just Haman and his family…Although Haman was dead, there was still a large, organized group of anti-Semites (or at least opportunists who wanted their possessions) in the empire.” [1]

In this section, we see the folly of laws that are made for selfish purposes. Anders comments: “But if laws are not grounded in general principles if they just address a current crisis or narrow concern, they become either ludicrous or counterproductive…principle gave way to imperial whim; values were subordinated to personal feelings and ambitions.” [2] How blessed are the people whose laws are based on the eternal Word of God! There is a great promise of God’s word: “But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil.” (Jer. 30:16). As Clarke says, “None are ever too low for God to lift up, or too high for God to cast down.” [3]

“The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them” (9:2). Anders comments: “In the months following Mordecai’s decree, a political shift had apparently occurred throughout the empire, one that recognized the Jews as increasingly powerful…” [4] We see that a fear of the Jews had fallen upon many people. This was not too much different than the early days when the fear of God and the Jewish people fell on people and nations. In Deuteronomy 11:25 we read: “No one will be able to stand against you. The LORD your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.”

“And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful” (9:3-4). When God decides to lift a person up it is an almost astounding sight. We have already seen that Mordecai was a good man with strong principles and the fear of God. Today the Lord is searching for such people who are submitted to him and he will exalt and use them in mighty ways. “Though the book bears Esther’s name, it concludes by praising Mordecai, a man devoted to the welfare of the Jews.” [5] He most certainly made a great administrator and that was a role that the king was probably happy to give up.

We can likely imagine the problem that Persian rulers faced having two conflicting decrees from their king. Pfeiffer & Harrison comment: “The tenor of the second decree made it perfectly clear to Persian officials that the king, to say nothing to Mordecai, his prime minister, now favored the Jews. To have joined in the attack against the Jews now would surely have brought wrath upon them.” [6] Of course, by this time it was probably known throughout much of the kingdom that Queen Esther was Jewish.

Scripture tells us that the fear of the Jews and Mordecai fell on the local rulers. As we have said, this is an aspect of Israel’s holy wars that we often see in the Bible (cf. Exod. 15:14-15; 23:27; Deut. 2:25; 7:24; 11:25; Jos. 2:9; 6:2; 10:23). We read of Israel in Genesis 35:5: “Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.” As a result of their fear, the Persian rulers helped the Jews in their defense.

The Battle Is Engaged

The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. Esther 9:5

Wiersbe says: “…the fact that these people were even willing to attack when they knew the Jews would protect themselves is proof that anti-Semitism was very strong throughout the empire.” [7] The Jews fought with great certainty that the king was with them. Such knowledge should help us win battles today. The King of Kings is on our side as we battle in faith. “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). Breneman says: “A people in a foreign land like the Jews in Persia could never have survived without the grace and power of God, and yet God is still not mentioned explicitly.” [8]

“In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men” (9:6). It is surprising that so many men were killed in the capital. However, this was likely the area of Haman’s greatest influence. He probably strutted before the capital folks and gave them plenty of favors. [9] Of course, the battle at Susa was not over as we will see in verse 13.

“They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder” (9:7-10). It looks like the ten sons of Haman were some of the first to fall prey to Israel. In the Hebrew Bible, they are given special treatment and listed in two columns. When the Book of Esther is read in the synagogue at Purim, these ten names are read in one breath because they all died together. [10]

We cannot help but feel the burning anger of the Lord against the Amalekites. The number ten symbolizes completeness. In a very real sense, the Lord’s extermination of the Amalekite race was now complete (cf. Exo. 17:16; Deut. 25:17-19; 1 Sam. 15:3). [11] This reminds us once more the grave danger of messing with the Lord’s chosen people. The great preacher Spurgeon once said: “Now it was God’s intent that a last conflict should take place between Israel and Amalek: the conflict which began with Joshua in the desert was to be finished by Mordecai in the king’s palace.” [12]

Coffman notes that these ten names are all traceable to old Persian roots. He mentions how senseless it is that some people attempt to classify the Book of Esther as fiction, written in Maccabean times. He asks, “…who, on earth, three hundred years after the events related, would have remembered, or could have invented, ten authentic Persian names for the sons of Haman?” [13] We note that the Jews did not touch the plunder. They probably wanted to make plain that their main interest was in preserving their safety rather than gaining wealth with the property of their enemies.

“The number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day” (9:11). The citadel of Susa can be understood in two ways. It can be seen as the whole walled city (9:13-15) or the inner fortress (9:6, 11, 12). [14] The report was one of great slaughter.

“The king said to Queen Esther, ‘The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted’” (9:12). It is amazing that the king is no longer standing aloof from his queen but seems to be interested in granting all her requests. The king has had several months to observe the great and faithful work of Mordecai and to learn much more about his own queen. Most surely some acquaintances of the king had fallen in the battle, but he is still supportive. The estimated population of the city of Susa was around half a million people and the total population of the empire was approximately one hundred million people. [15]

“‘If it pleases the king,’ Esther answered, ‘give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day’s edict tomorrow also, and let Haman’s ten sons be impaled on poles’” (9:13). There might have been a very good reason that Esther wanted to extend the edict by one more day. Pfeiffer and Harrison say: “Apparently, Esther heard of a Persian plot to attack the Jews on the following day as well, and therefore she asked permission for the Jews to defend themselves again.” [16] Some have judged Esther as cruel and vindictive by requesting Haman’s sons to be impaled even after their deaths. We need to remind ourselves that the death of Haman and his sons was all part of an ancient divine vengeance on the Amalekites. It would also let all Susa know about their fate and would be a sure deterrent to antisemitism. [17]

“So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they impaled the ten sons of Haman” (9:14). Apparently, bodies could not be impaled without an imperial edict. The fact that the queen could request and get such an edict says a lot about her growing power in the kingdom. [18]

“The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder” (9:15). So, there were more plotters and Esther seems justified in her request. The three hundred plus the original five hundred makes a total of eight hundred enemies killed in Susa. Once again it is mentioned that they did not touch the plunder. After all, Saul lost his kingdom by taking spoil from the enemy in 1 Samuel 15:12-23. [19]

“Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder” (9:16). The Septuagint version gives the number at only 15,000 and this may seem in proportion to the eight hundred slain in Susa. [20] However, the Masoretic Text (MT or Hebrew text), the Peshitta (ancient Syriac) and Josephus the historian all support the larger number. [21]

The Celebration Of Purim

This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy” (9:17). Breneman says: “The author was leading up to the institution of the Feast of Purim described in the following sections.” [22] There would continue to be a difference in the days that Purim was celebrated in Susa (or in walled cities) and in all other places.

“The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy” (9:18). Breneman reminds us that there are two main themes in this book. One is the deliverance of God’s people from destruction and the other is the celebration of Purim. [23] There is an often-confusing difference in the dates for Purim. The Jews in Susa fought their enemies for two days, the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then celebrated on the fifteenth. The Jews in other places fought on the thirteenth and celebrated on the fourteenth. “Apparently after several years had passed, Mordecai reviewed the events relating to their victory and decreed that there should no longer be two distinct holidays…that both days should be observed as the Feast of Purim.” [24]

“That is why rural Jews – those living in villages – observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other” (9:19). The author wishes to lessen the confusion about the dates for Purim. As we go on, we will see that Mordecai was in charge of instituting the celebration worldwide. Of course, Purim is still celebrated among the Jews. Mordecai’s plan did not entirely work out. Today in the US, Purim is a one-day festival and happens on the 14th of the Jewish month of Adar (around the month of March). In Israel it is a two-day affair with the walled city of Jerusalem celebrating on the 15th and the unwalled cities like Tel Aviv celebrating on the 14th of Adar.

“Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor” (9:20-22). We see here that Mordecai played a key role in the founding of the Purim festival. [25] He sent letters of instruction to the Jews in all the provinces of the vast Persian Empire. He instructed that Purim would be a time of joy and celebration for the Jews. They would not only feast but they would be required to send food portions to the needy and gifts to the poor. Today these customs continue. One special food eaten during this celebration is called hamantashen or Haman’s ears. These are tri-cornered dough cookies filled with poppy seed or jam.

“So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them” (9:23). So today Purim is still celebrated. The holiday is like a strange combination of Mardi Gras and perhaps New Years Eve rolled into one. In Israel, the streets are filled with merrymakers and virtually all the children are in costume of some sort. There are little Queen Esthers and Mordecais on almost every street in downtown Jerusalem. There are even a few Evil Hamans running around, usually being booed and mocked by the crowds. Of course, the costume ideas are by no means limited to the themes of Esther. There are also clowns, spacemen, cowboys, and many other outlandish creations of those young Israeli minds.

The main feature of the Purim celebration is the reading of the megillah (scroll) of Esther. Because Esther is the only book in the Bible where the name of God is not mentioned, great liberties are taken with the reading, and with the whole celebration for that matter. In contrast to other synagogue services, the Purim service is conducted in an almost frivolous manner. Since evil Haman was of Amalekite origin, and it is a command of God to blot out the memory of Amalek, great care is given by everyone, to drown out the name of Haman (boo!) as the scroll is read. The hearers yell, stamp their feet and make noises with special instruments called graggers. However, great attention is paid to the reading of the scroll, and the reader may not proceed until the noise has subsided.

“For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. But when the plot came to the king’s attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles” (9:24-25). Guthrie points out that verses 24 and 25 may well be a quotation from Mordecai’s letter to the Jews. [26] We note that the letter is careful to give Xerxes credit for putting an end to Haman’s scheme. That was merely good court etiquette.

“(Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur). Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, the Jews took it on themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed” (9:26-27). We see much repetition in this section which indicates that it all might have been derived from Mordecai’s letter explaining the festival and instructing all the Jewish people to keep the festival through the ages. It is of interest that the Talmudic Tractate Meghilla gives instructions for observing the Feasts of Purim…” [27] This may have been an effort of later people to keep Mordecai’s instruction alive and ongoing.

“These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews – nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants” (9:28). Mordecai was making great efforts to ensure that the festival of Purim would continue down through the generations. Wiersbe comments: “The church is always one generation short of extinction, and if we don’t pass on to our children and grandchildren what God has done for us and our fathers, the church will die of apathy and ignorance… Santayana was right when he said, ‘Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it.’” [28]

Summary

So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim. And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of Xerxes’ kingdom – words of goodwill and assurance – to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting and lamentation. Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records. Esther 9:29-32

Breneman comments: “The purpose of this section is to reinforce the official authority for the institution of the Feast of Purim.” [29] It is thought by several commentators that this is a second letter in addition to the one mentioned in verse 20. Esther also is involved in sending this letter (v. 29). It is interesting that this letter mentions fasting. We remember that Esther fasted before going to the king in the first place. It is perhaps this section that caused the Fast of Esther to be included in the Purim celebration. The day before Purim is a fast day. It is reminiscent of the fast mentioned in Esther 4:15 and is called the Fast of Esther. This one is different from other fasts and holidays in Israel, in that it begins at sunrise rather than on the previous evening.

With this we leave one of the most exciting and interesting books in the Old Testament.

Above the roar of the crowds one can almost hear the laughter of God himself, as if God were laughing at Haman and his brood. Scripture does say: “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath…” (Psa. 2:4). Yes, the Lord actually laughs at Haman and the host of other men and nations who have dared stand against his own beloved covenant people.

Footnotes

1. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Esther, v. 9:1.

2. Anders, g. ed. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Holman Old Testament Commentary, p. 367.

3. Clarke, The Adam Clarke Commentary, Commentary on Esther, v. 9:1.

4. Anders, g. ed. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Holman Old Testament Commentary, p. 368.

5. Ibid., p. 372.

6. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 456.

7. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 819.

8. Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther, The New American Commentary, p. 359.

9. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 821.

10. Ibid., p. 821.

11. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Esther, vs. 9:7-10.

12. Quoted in Guzik, Enduring Word Bible Commentary, Esther, vs. 9:11-17.

13. Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Commentary on Esther, v. 9:10.

14. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Esther, v. 9:11.

15. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 819.

16. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 456.

17. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Esther, vs. 9:13-14.

18. Anders, g. ed. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Holman Old Testament Commentary, p. 369.

19. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 821.

20. Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible, Commentary on Esther, v. 9:16.

21. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Esther, v. 9:16.

22. Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther, The New American Commentary, p. 361.

23. Ibid., p. 363.

24. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 456.

25. Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther, The New American Commentary, p. 364.

26. Guthrie, et. al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 419.

27. Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther, The New American Commentary, p. 364.

28. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, pp. 821-822.

29. Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther, The New American Commentary, p. 366.