In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the book of esther was illustrated by j. The book of esther is a 20 movie starring jen lilley as queen esther and joel smallbone as king xerxes. Thus esther was the only hope for their deliverance. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. This book and the book of ruth are the only ot books named after women. Like song of solomon, obadiah, and nahum, the nt doe.
Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. The prayers of esther and mordecai are especially noteworthy. The pulpit commentary introduces the book of esther with the following. Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. It is this persian kingdom that forms the backdrop for the book of esther, and xerxes, the king of persia, plays a prominent role. The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not mentioned. Esther the niv application commentary kindle edition by. Ezra 7 begins in the seventh year of artaxerxes i longimanus i. The gathering together of a harem for king ahasuerus. In addition, according to one opinion esther is already married to mordechai, himself a righteous jew, a prophet and the leader of his generation. It is the only book of the bible that does not mention god specifically. Scripture says mordecai recorded certain events in order to relate them to jews throughout the kingdom see esth. Classical sources such as josephus, the jewish commentary esther rabbah and the christian theologian barhebraeus, as well as the greek.
Esther 10 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Book of prophecy that reveals gods magnificent plan of salvation through the person and work of jesus christ. Presented here is a verse by verse exposition of the new testament. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star. There are like 40 different amazing truths from the blessed book of esther. Several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. 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. Esther then ask the jews to fast about this for three days and three nights esther 4. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and published by seven stories press. 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.
The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is. 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. Esther is the only book in the bible not to mention the name of god. Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history.
Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading esther the niv application commentary. Esther is a young and beautiful jewish girl, orphaned but cared for by her. This book reveals the mighty call that the lord has granted to his end. The book belongs to the socalled five scrolls hebr. On the second page you will see an outline of this commentary. The book of esther is renowned for its literary artistry, which functions as the principal vehicle for the book s.
Levensons book consists of two parts an introductory essay of 35 pages, followed by a linebyline commentary on the text of esther. Esther can represent us, the followers and disciples of our beloved lord jesus. Following tradition, the books explanation of purim as a historical event to be. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. The book of esther this is the most recent movie production of the book of esther. All this context is quite significant to the book of esther. Overview of the book of esther third millennium ministries. 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. Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the kings palace any more than all the other jews. 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. We might even think that he does not care about us. Another biblical theme in the book of esther is divine providence follows people god that use to serve his purposes, jonah 1. The book takes its name from the beautiful, orphaned jewess who became the queen of the persian king ahasuerus.
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. This summary of the book of esther will help with many different forms of bible study. The book of esther provides us with the greatest illustrations of the providence of god. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third. The book of esther may not directly mention god, yet it clearly reveals god at work. 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. 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. 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. 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. Chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five chapter six chapter seven s. The heroine of the book named for her, esther is a young jewish woman living in exile in the persian lit. In this 3part series, i provide commentary on the book of esther, focussing on the heroine at the centre. 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.
Similar to daniel in that the context of the entire book is in captivity with particular emphasis on the court of a pagan king. David guzik commentary on esther 1, where queen vashti refuses to display her beauty at king ahasuerus feast, and is therefore banished. When he learns of the edict against the jews, he encourages esther to confront the king. The book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in their synagogues to the present day. After these things, when the wrath of king ahasuerus subsided, he remembered vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete.
Although we do not know who wrote the book of esther, from internal evidence it is. Although his name is never mentioned, we see his providence in each page of this wonderful little book. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. Ahasuerus, in the original akhashverosh, corresponds to khshayarsha the persian name from which the greeks formed their xerxes almost as closely as possible. Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. 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. Esther intro to esther biblica the international bible society. 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. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. In the book of jonah, he used a storm to convince the fleeing prophet, jonah 1. He had banished his former wife and chose esther through a contest. Please identify the section you wish to read, and then use your readers searchfind feature to navigate to it. His presence permeates much of the story, as though he were behind the scenes coordinating coincidences and circumstances to make his will happen.
Weibe suggests that this translation fits the context of the book of esther much better than the traditional rendering. You can find the best commentary on esther for you using the tools on the right side. 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. The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control. 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. This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the jews. Scripture that same day king xerxes gave queen esther the estate of. In 1934 annie became a missionary in china with oms. 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. 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. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a. Read esther 10 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete.
The book is set during the period after the babylonian exile in which the nation of persia present day iran ruled judah. An exposition, with practical observations, of the book of esther chapter 1. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage. May 25, 2011 esther was a jewish woman who was selected by the persian king ahasuerus to be his wife. The book ends with mordecai as the kings chief minister. The book of esther is a magnificent allegory that describes the endtime bride of christ. Not one commentary was written on the book of esther in the first seven centuries of the church. 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. Mordecai learned of a plot to kill the king and continue reading summary of the book of esther. Esther the queen, hester prynne, and the scarlet letter as biblical. 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. 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. The prosthelic a was a necessity of hebrew articulation. On the mystical level king achashverosh alludes to gd, the king of the world.
Esther pleases the king, and is set above all the women. Weibe argues that this phrase should be translated as a rhetorical question, suggesting that the implied answer is no. Commentary from the sages the chabad website gives an illuminating selection of comments from different rabbis and jewish sages on the book of esther. 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. During world war ii she spent 21 months in a japanese concentration camp as a prisoner. Number 1 rated commentary esther an introduction and commentary tyndale old testament commentaries joyce g. Esther is more than an amazing story of a young jewish girl who saved her people. 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. Best esther commentaries updated for 2020 best bible. Study the bible online using commentary on esther 10 and more. Book of esther, in the hebrew bible and the christian old testament.
In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr. Esther 2 commentary commentary critical and explanatory. Esther commentary john gills exposition of the bible. This book has its name from the person who is the principal subject of it.
The book of esther was written during the 3 rd year of the reign of ahasuerus 485 465 bc. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. Hence it belongs to the bestknown otbooks with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. Esther 1, new living translation nlt the bible app. His name is not written in the book, but his fingerprints, as we say, are all over it. 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. In the book of esther god used mordecai an ungodly man to rebuke esther into obedience. Character and ideology in the book of esther, 1991.
Esther and the bride of christ a picture of the endtime bride 1. The book of esther is part of a special list of five rollsscrolls called the megilloth. Its one of the most beautiful books in the bible and so full of great takeaways for the modern christian woman today. 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.
Title esther serves as the title without variation through the ages. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of esther in easy english. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. The book of esther is the only one not found in the dead sea scrolls.
This page is being displayed without its intended css styles in web. We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b. John calvin never preached from the book and did not write a commentary on the book. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. 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. 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.
Yet most people today have never heard of john gill. 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. The jewish community, and its areas of residence, outside erez israel. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. Here is another very old teaching i did that i trust will bless you. The book of esther would also encourage them to worship the god of israel, though he is not mentioned by name in it ibid. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. 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. Introduction from the niv study bible go to esther. Megillat esther tells us precious little about esthers inner world. Read esther commentary using john gills exposition of the bible. He elevated her to the dignity of chief wife, or queen. In the book of esther, what is not said is vitally important. 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 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. The book of esther does not mention the name of god. The greek septuagint remedied this situation by adding six passages which include the name of god. 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. 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. These five small booksruth, ecclesiastes, song of songs, lamentations and estherare part of the writings section of the hebrew canon. 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.
Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible. Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew. The book of esther from the greek septuagint holy bible. Esther is ishtar, the femme fatale of mesopotamian goddesses, and marduk mordecai is the creator of the world and king of the gods according to babylonian myth.