Esther 1
PATchapter to’ prove that dar signifies a pearl; which, though very precious, it is not incredible was used in this Persian luxury, among other stones, to adorn this pavement. Which he justifies by many good arguments; and shews there are examples of* such profuseness in other histories, (Hierozoicon, par. ii. lib. v. cap. 8.) Drusius also hath said a great deal about sochereth, to which I refer the learned reader, Miscellanea, cent. i. cap. 74. < original from Daniel, who, being in great power under Darius the Mede, and having a great hand in framing the government of that state, caused the Persian court (as Mr. Mede conjectures) to resemble that of heaven, ordaining seven chief princes to stand before the king, as seven great angels are said in Scripture to stand before the throne of God.. (Sec book i. discourse x.) Which saw the king’s face."] Who were his principal ministers, and admitted into his presence; which was not allowed to every one, but only to the great men of the kingdom. (See Grotius upon Matt, xviii. 10.) And tohich sat the first in the kingdom)*) Next to the king; being his royal judges, who determined what was right among the Persians, and were the interpreters of the laws of the country. Of whom Herodotus makes mention, lib. iii. cap. 14. 31. and Plutarch, in Artaxerxes, as primate Usher observes.
Esther 1:7
And they gave them drink in vessels of gold (the vessels being diverse one from another), and royal wine in abundance, according Jo the state of the king. There was a great variety of wines, it is likely, as well as great plenty; and great variety of vessels to drink in, different from all that they had seen. So Drusius translates those words in the parentheses, variantia diversa vasa, as the Jews arc said, chap. iii. 8. to have laws different from all other people, where there is the same word. (Miscellanea, cent. i. cap. 16.) Strabo saith, these princes w T ere so luxurious, that they had their wine from Syria, called chalyboniium; and the water they drank with it, from Eulasus, it being Travroyv tkatpporarov, the lightest of all other waters.
Esther 1:8
And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel. The plainest translation seems to be, the drinking according to custom, none did compel.. It was customary to compel men to drink more than they had a mind to’do; but this. prince left every man to his liberty, that no man should incur any displeasure if he did not drink what others would impose upon him. But Drusius thinks the word dath never signifies a custom. For so the king had appointed to alt the officers of his> house, that, they should do according to every man’s pleasure.] Which made the feast most acceptable, when every one drank for his own pleasure, and not for other men’s. And such had been the custom of the ancient Persians, who (as Xcnophon tells us) were very sparing in eating and drinking, though in his time they were grown extremely riotous. But nothing was more barbarous than their pressing men to drink beyond their inclinations; which the son of Sirach expresses by the word SAijSwv, (Ecclus. xxxi. 37.) it being no less inhuman to force a man to drink when he is not thirsty, than to deny him drink when he is. ready to perish with thirst. According to an ancient saying of Sophocles in Athenaeus, lib. x. To irphg fiiav irlvuv, 1<tov icak-iv t$ §t\p$v j&V To compel a man to drink by force, is as bad as to compel him to endure thirst for want of drink.
Esther 1:9
Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women. I have before said, it is not likely (as primate Usher thinks) that this was Atossa the daughter of Cyrus, whom Darius Hystaspes married: for the reason of that match being to strengthen himself in the kingdom, he would not have so lightly parted with her. Jacobus Capellus thinks, by the addition of the word’Par to her name, she. was called by the Persians Par- Vashti,, which by the Greeks is pronounced Parysatis, the mother of Artaxerxes Mnemon. But she could not be the wife of Ochus, who was his son. In the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.] Where she entertained the wives of the princes, and other women; not in the open air, as tho men were, but more privately, as was fit for women, who were not wont to cat together with men.
Esther 1:10
On the seventh day.j Which was in the conclusion of this feast.’ When the heart of the king was merry with wine. Which made him a little forget himself, and not consider what became both his own state and that of the queen. He commanded Mehuman, Biztlia, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains tfutt served in the presence of AKasuerus the king.] These eunuchs (as the word is translated in the margin) were men of principal authority in the court; where they had great offices about the king. And therefore hie did her honour enough, in sending so many of them to wait upon her, and let her know his pleasure..
Esther 1:11
To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the croiun-royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty; for she was fair to look on. It is a very absurd conceit of the former Targum, who saith, he commanded her to be brought quite naked, that her comely proportions might be seen, as well as her face. And yet in Pirke Eliezcr they are so hold as to say, it was the custom of the Persian kings to have’ their wives publicly dance before them naked. It was too much, she thought, that he should expose her countenance’ to be beheld, especially by all the people: which was contrary to the custom of that country; where they kept their wives very close from the sight of all men but themselves.. Ver.’ 12. But the queen Vashti refused to come at tlie king’s commandment by his chamberlains.] Which she might do out of modesty, not pride: because, as I said, it was contrary to the custom; and the great men, inflamed with wine, might be provoked by her beauty (as Jacobus Capellus speaks) to lust after her. Therefore teas the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.] It was the more immoderate, because his blood was heated with wine; which made his passion too strong for his reason. Otherwise he would not have thought it decent for the queen, nor safe for himself, to have her beauty (which was very great), exposed in this unusual manner. Josephus saith, he was the more enraged, because he sent more than once to her, but still she refused to come. Which is not probable; for though it would have become him to send again to know her reason for refusing, yet he persisting in his command/ one would think she would have yielded obedience.
Esther 1:13
Tlien tlie king said to the wise men, ivhich knew, the times. What had been done in former days; or, what was fit to be done on all occasions: men well versed in ancient histories (as Vitringa explains it), and in the laws and customs of their country; who were able to give counsel in all dubious and perplexed Ceases, such as this was, which rarely happened. (De Synag. Veteri, par. ii. lib. i. cap. 8.) (For so was the king’s manner towards all that knew law and judgment.] It was his constant practice; and he did not forget this laudable custom even in his drink, to consult with his counsellors before he resolved any thing; who were skilled in tho laws of their country, and could judge what advice was to be given in all cases.
Esther 1:14
And the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Mcmucau, the seven princes of Persia and Media. These are called the king’s seven counsellors in Ezra vii. 14. who took their
Esther 1:15
Wliat shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?. These, words make it plain, that the forenamed great persons were the supreme judges what was law"; and that the king did not govern arbitrarily, by his own will and pleasure, but by the laws of the kingdom… Ver. 1G. And Memucan answered before the king and the princes.’] He is the last of the seven princes, mentioned ver. 14. which inclines mc to think, that the puny judge, as wc now speak, delivered his opinion first (as they do here), and so they spake in order till they came to the first. And thus I find the latter Targum takes it, He was the least of them, and therefore gave his opinion first. But others take it quite contrary, that Memucan was the president of the.council, or the king asked him first what he thought of the matter. ■., Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.’] He declared it to be a crime of such a dangerous nature, that it would have a mischievous influence upon the whole kingdom, if it were not severely punished.
Esther 1:17
For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women. This transgression of the king’s commandment (as Maimonides explains it, in More Nevoch. par. i. cap. 23.) will be known every where; for it could not be concealed, being a public affront to his majesty. So that they sltall despise their husbands in their, eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not J] His opinion was, that, then they, would take upon them to disobey their husbands, and slight their commands, when they heard what Vashti had done, and was not punished, for it.
Esther 1:18
Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king’s princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. He repeats it again, that it would have this effect immediately, especially on the great women, who, from this time forward, would take example by the queen, and say to their lords, Aro you more honourable than Ahasuerus the king, whose wife would not come when she was sent for? So the latter Targum. Tims shall there arise *too much contempt and wrath.] Contempt in the wives, and wrath in their husbands, which would make great brawlings and contentions in all" families.
Esther 1:19
If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes. He would not have a mere order given, but a law made, which, as it follows, should stand inviolable. The same Targum saith, that Memucan had married a wife, who, being richer than himself, was very proud, and would not speak to him but in her own language; and now he took this opportunity to be ^revenged of her, and make her do whatever he pleased. Jliat it be not altered.] This was cunningly done, saith the same Targum; for if she had recovered the king’s fayour, when his anger was over, this counsel might have cost him his head. But what made laws unalterable among them is uncertain. The Targum saith, because the king confirmed it by an oath, and then it became immutable: or, it was sealed, not only by the king, but by all the princes, as one would guess from Dan. vi. 8. 12. 15. That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.], This was a very rigorous decree. But Drusius observes, that the Persians were inclined to be severe to their wives..
Esther 1:20
And when, the king’s decree, which he shall make, shall be published throughout all his empire (for it is great), all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to. great and small.] For none would dare.to disobey, when they heard that the greatness of the queen could not preserve her from such a heavy punishment.
Esther 1:21
And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan. With whom all the other six judges concurred in their opinion.
Esther 1:22
For he sent letters into all the king’s provinces; into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language. The meaning seems to be, that this decree was published in every province, after the manner that such things used to be proclaimed, and in their own tongue, that every one, wonien as well as men, might understand it. Tliat every man should bear ride in his own house; and that it should be published according to the language of every people.] The decree runs thus in the Hebrew, That every man should bear rule in his own house, and speak in the language of his people. It seems the Persians had yielded so much to their wives, that when they had married a stranger, they suffered her to bring her own language into the family. But this decree altered that custom, and allowed no other language to be spoken in the family nut that of the man, and of the people among whom he lived. (See De Dieu.) And thus the former Targum, Every man shall rule in his own house, and compel his wife to speak in the language of her husband, and in the language of his people. Which, indeed, was a token of dominion; all conquerors endeavouring to bring in their own language’ into the country which they have conquered. The latter Tar-r gum hath only these words, that every man shall be honoured in his own house, and speak according to the language of his people; that is, give his commands in his own language, which every one was bound to learn. (b) 4Z2 [chap. II.