In the normal course of events Esther would have joined them. Esther became queen 4 years after Vashti's rejection and 1 year after Xerxes' defeat at Salamis BC where his expedition against Greece foundered. The month "Tibeth" corresponds to our January on our calendar.
Mordecai not only remains behind the scenes as Esther's guardian but also as an independent role model. In addition to the information we have about him, the author reveals an incident in his life which explains his contribution to later developments.
He saved the king's life by exposing a plot to assassinate him. Esther's well-kept secret worked also to Mordecai's advantage. If it had been common knowledge that he was the queen's cousin, the king's enemies would have been doubly careful to keep their mouths shut in his presence. The last of the principal characters to be introduced is the villain Haman.
Anyone who incurred Haman"s displeasure would find it difficult to survive. He was also ruthless and cruel. Haman "sought to destroy the Jews. Because "he was a Jew" Mordecai refused to accord Haman the honor he expected.
It would appear to have been needlessly foolhardy and provocative for a member of an exiled people to offend the king's fully accredited representative unless the particular act of homage implied a violation of religious principles. Ordinarily a Jew did not need to withhold reverence from kings and rulers. Genesis At this point we have all the necessary background for the high drama which we are about to witness.
The lines of combat are drawn. Esther and Mordecai must match wits with a man bent on murdering an entire people. God is not mentioned but we know that He is at work with His people. It was 5 years after Esther became queen that Haman initiated his vicious program to kill the Jews. Haman planned carefully. Before getting the king's approval, he cast lots to make sure what day would be right for his venture. Next, he proceeded to obtain the king's approval. To get it he had to tell a big lie.
He represented Jews as detrimental to the state because they refused to be assimilated, being different from all other peoples. He suggested furthermore that his proposal would be financially profitable as the property of the executed criminals was forfeit to the crown. Duped by Haman, the king sent out official notices ordering that the Jews "in every province" be executed on the day agreed upon.
The word "Pur" reproduces the sound of a common noun, found in Assyrian records. It designates the kind of pebble used in throwing dice. Its plural form "Purim" becomes the name of the festival which commemorates the fact that divine providence overruled this casting of lots.
Eleven months were to elapse before the execution of the decree. No doubt it was the date determined by lot. The delay would make sure also that the order reached every corner of the empire. No Jew was to escape! Mordecai and his countrymen expressed consternation over their impending doom by wailing and other customary rites of mourning.
Fasting usually was associated with prayer; lying in sackcloth and ashes, with repentance. Dramatic action was required if Haman's wicked designs were to be foiled. Mordecai promptly set in motion a counterplot by enlisting Esther's cooperation. Reluctant at first, she agreed to risk her life ''to go unbidden to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people.
However, she did not present her request to him at once. Only after he was her guest at two banquets did she find the opportune moment to make her appeal.
The result was that the tables were turned on the villain and the decree to kill the Jews was neutralized by another edict which permitted the Jews to defend themselves. Kept secluded in her quarters, Esther had to rely on the eunuch, appointed to attend her, to establish communication with her cousin.
Mordecai's refusal to put on the garment she sent him and his insistence on wearing the sackcloth of mourning "in the open square of the city" alerted her to the fact that the cause of his grief was not a personal bereavement but a "calamity of national proportions', for lamentation for one's private distress was not made in public. Circumstances now demanded that Esther make "known her people or kindred. The penalty for entering the inner court without being called applied even to the queen.
She did not seek an audience through the proper channels apparently because she feared a rebuff. For thirty days the king had not been disposed to see her, either because, for some reason, she was in disfavor with his highness or because she was the victim of court intrigue. Esther had no other choice but to take the calculated risk of an unauthorized appearance before the king.
Mordecai believed that deliverance will rise for the Jews whether through Esther's intervention or in some other way. In the final analysis, more than human effort was necessary if the forces of evil were to be overcome. Help would come from "the place" i. We can learn from Esther. Her willingness to live up to her responsibilities at the risk of losing both honor and life has encouraged people in key positions to put their resources and influence in the service of a righteous cause, come what may.
The King's hall. Remains of such an audience chamber have over the years been uncovered by archaeologists. The only hope of counteracting Haman's plot was to get through to the king.
Fully aware that the prospects of saving her countrymen and her own life were at stake, she entered the royal court in defiance of a rigid protocol. However, instead of incurring the king's displeasure, she "found favor in his sight. Biding her time, she chose to make certain that she was firmly established in his good graces. She made sure also that the villain would be present when the time came to expose him. Therefore she invited the king and evil Haman to a banquet.
That evil Haman was jubilant to be the only other guest at such an exclusive function. Confident that he could count on the queen's support in his revenge on his enemy, he had gallows erected on which to execute Mordecai The king rightly surmised that Esther dared to act "against the law" because she needed his help in a matter of grave concern to her.
Anticipating a costly request, the king used the stereotyped formula of "even to half of my kingdom When Esther asked for nothing more than his and Haman's presence at a banquet, he pressed her for her real "petition" by repeating his earlier question. Esther agreed to "do as the King" wished only after he was her guest at "the dinner" for him and Haman.
At the news that Esther had consented to intervene with the king Mordecai removed his sackcloth. Dressing as decorum demanded he returned to the vicinity of the palace, where he was more apt to keep himself informed about further developments. Meanwhile, Haman did not even dare to proceed without royal authorization.
The invitation to dine with the king and the queen made him so sure that he could obtain orders for Mordacai's immediate execution that "he had the gallows made" in advance. In his rage Haman wanted Mordecai hanged so high--over 80 feet--that all people would take warning not to insult the grand Haman!
In the end, the Jews ironically celebrated Purim equivalent to the way in which Ahasuerus enjoyed his bouts of drinking in his drinking festivals. Alter, Robert and Frank Kermode, eds. The Literary Guide to the Bible. Cambridge, Mass. Beal, Timothy K. Biblical Limits. New York: Routledge, Berg, Sandra B. Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series Missoula, Mont. Berlin, Adele. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, Bechtel, Carol M.
Louisville, Ky. Breneman, Mervin. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. New American Commentary. Nashville, Tenn. Cohen, Jeffery M. Craig, Kenneth. Bauer, W. Danker, W. Arndt, and F. Gingrich, eds. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, Day, Linda. Sheffield: Academic Press, Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries.
De Vaux, Roland. Ancient Israel, Its Life and Institutions. The Biblical Resource Series. Translated by J. Grand Rapids, Mich. Doniach, Nakdimon S. Philadelphia, Pa. Fox, Michael V. Character and Ideology in the Book of Esther. Columbia, S. Gertel, Elliot B. Goldman, Stan. Grossfeld, Bernard. The Two Targums of Esther. The Aramaic Bible Collegeville, Minn. Grossman, Jonathan. Siphrut: Literature and Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures 6. Winona Lake, Ind.
Books I-II. Translated by A. Loeb Classical Library, Koehler, Ludwig and Walter Baumgartner. London: Brill, Laniak, Timothy S. Shame and Honor in the Book of Esther. Atlanta, Ga. Levenson Jon D. Esther: A Commentary. Liddel, Henry G. A Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Oxford University Press, McGeough, Kevin. Mitchell, Larry A. Moore, Carey A. Anchor Bible 7B. Garden City, N. In B. Previously, she was a member of the harem of the Persian king Ahasuerus, who was also known as King Xerxes.
But when the former queen, Vashti, fell into disfavor with her husband, Ahasuerus, the king chose Esther to be his wife and queen. Esther , the beautiful Jewish wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus Xerxes I , and her cousin Mordecai persuade the king to retract an order for the general annihilation of Jews throughout the empire.
The massacre had been plotted by the king's chief minister, Haman, and the date decided by casting lots purim. On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king's hall. How many husbands did Queen Esther have? Yet such a modest woman had two husbands? The Talmud and midrash have various takes on the erotic connection between Mordechai and Esther. For instance, "Mordechai took her unto him as his daughter. What is the main message of the Book of Esther?
The theme of the book of Esther is God's protection of Israel. Although God is actually not mentioned in the book, He clearly saves His people from the scheme of Haman. Throughout history, the Jewish people have been treated unjustly, and the story of Esther tells of one of those occurrences. What is the purpose of the Book of Esther?
The author's main purpose was to write about how the yearly festival of Purim started and to make people remember the saving of the Jewish people during King Xerxes' reign.
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