4 When he shewed H7200 the riches H6239 of his glorious H3519 kingdom H4438 and the honour H3366 of his excellent H8597 majesty H1420 many H7227 days, H3117 even an hundred H3967 and fourscore H8084 days. H3117
Thou, H607 O king, H4430 art a king H4430 of kings: H4430 for the God H426 of heaven H8065 hath given H3052 thee a kingdom, H4437 power, H2632 and strength, H8632 and glory. H3367 And wheresoever H3606 the children H1123 of men H606 dwell, H1753 the beasts H2423 of the field H1251 and the fowls H5776 of the heaven H8065 hath he given H3052 into thine hand, H3028 and hath made thee ruler H7981 over them all. H3606 Thou H607 art this head H7217 of gold. H1722 And after H870 thee shall arise H6966 another H317 kingdom H4437 inferior H772 to thee, H4481 and another H317 third H8523 kingdom H4437 of brass, H5174 which shall bear rule H7981 over all H3606 the earth. H772 And the fourth H7244 kingdom H4437 shall be H1934 strong H8624 as iron: H6523 forasmuch as iron H6523 breaketh in pieces H1855 and subdueth H2827 all H3606 things: and as H6903 iron H6523 that breaketh H7490 all H3606 these, H459 shall it break in pieces H1855 and bruise. H7490 And whereas thou sawest H2370 the feet H7271 and toes, H677 part H4481 of potters' H6353 clay, H2635 and part H4481 of iron, H6523 the kingdom H4437 shall be H1934 divided; H6386 but H4481 there shall be H1934 in it of H4481 the strength H5326 of the iron, H6523 forasmuch as H3606 H6903 thou sawest H2370 the iron H6523 mixed H6151 with miry H2917 clay. H2635 And as the toes H677 of the feet H7271 were part H4481 of iron, H6523 and part H4481 of clay, H2635 so the kingdom H4437 shall be H1934 partly H4481 H7118 strong, H8624 and partly H4481 H7118 broken. H8406 And whereas H1768 thou sawest H2370 iron H6523 mixed H6151 with miry H2917 clay, H2635 they shall mingle themselves H1934 H6151 with the seed H2234 of men: H606 but they shall H1934 not H3809 cleave H1693 one H1836 to H5974 another, H1836 even H1888 as iron H6523 is not H3809 mixed H6151 with clay. H2635 And in the days H3118 of these H581 kings H4430 shall the God H426 of heaven H8065 set up H6966 a kingdom, H4437 which shall never H5957 H3809 be destroyed: H2255 and the kingdom H4437 shall not H3809 be left H7662 to other H321 people, H5972 but it shall break in pieces H1855 and consume H5487 all H3606 these H459 kingdoms, H4437 and it H1932 shall stand H6966 for ever. H5957
For G1063 we have G1811 not G3756 followed G1811 cunningly devised G4679 fables, G3454 when we made known G1107 unto you G5213 the power G1411 and G2532 coming G3952 of our G2257 Lord G2962 Jesus G2424 Christ, G5547 but G235 were G1096 eyewitnesses G2030 of his G1565 majesty. G3168 For G1063 he received G2983 from G3844 God G2316 the Father G3962 honour G5092 and G2532 glory, G1391 when there came G5342 such G5107 a voice G5456 to him G846 from G5259 the excellent G3169 glory, G1391 This G3778 is G2076 my G3450 beloved G27 Son, G5207 in G1519 whom G3739 I G1473 am well pleased. G2106
I beheld H1934 H2370 till H5705 the thrones H3764 were cast down, H7412 and the Ancient H6268 of days H3118 did sit, H3488 whose garment H3831 was white H2358 as snow, H8517 and the hair H8177 of his head H7217 like the pure H5343 wool: H6015 his throne H3764 was like the fiery H5135 flame, H7631 and his wheels H1535 as burning H1815 fire. H5135 A fiery H5135 stream H5103 issued H5047 and came forth H5312 from H4481 before H6925 him: thousand H506 thousands H506 ministered H8120 unto him, and ten thousand H7240 times ten thousand H7240 stood H6966 before H6925 him: the judgment H1780 was set, H3488 and the books H5609 were opened. H6606 I beheld H1934 H2370 then H116 because H4481 of the voice H7032 of the great H7260 words H4406 which the horn H7162 spake: H4449 I beheld H1934 H2370 even till H5705 the beast H2423 was slain, H6992 and his body H1655 destroyed, H7 and given H3052 to the burning H3346 flame. H785 As concerning the rest H7606 of the beasts, H2423 they had their dominion H7985 taken away: H5709 yet their lives H2417 were prolonged H3052 for H5705 a season H2166 and time. H5732 I saw H1934 H2370 in the night H3916 visions, H2376 and, behold, H718 one like the Son H1247 of man H606 came H858 with H5974 the clouds H6050 of heaven, H8065 and came H4291 to H5705 the Ancient H6268 of days, H3118 and they brought him near H7127 before H6925 him. And there was given H3052 him dominion, H7985 and glory, H3367 and a kingdom, H4437 that all H3606 people, H5972 nations, H524 and languages, H3961 should serve H6399 him: his dominion H7985 is an everlasting H5957 dominion, H7985 which shall not H3809 pass away, H5709 and his kingdom H4437 that which shall not H3809 be destroyed. H2255
Thine, O LORD, H3068 is the greatness, H1420 and the power, H1369 and the glory, H8597 and the victory, H5331 and the majesty: H1935 for all that is in the heaven H8064 and in the earth H776 is thine; thine is the kingdom, H4467 O LORD, H3068 and thou art exalted H4984 as head H7218 above all. Both riches H6239 and honour H3519 come of thee, H6440 and thou reignest H4910 over all; and in thine hand H3027 is power H3581 and might; H1369 and in thine hand H3027 it is to make great, H1431 and to give strength H2388 unto all.
To make known H3045 to the sons H1121 of men H120 his mighty acts, H1369 and the glorious H3519 majesty H1926 of his kingdom. H4438 Thy kingdom H4438 is an everlasting H5769 kingdom, H4438 and thy dominion H4475 endureth throughout all H1755 generations. H1755
[[To the chief Musician H5329 on Neginoth, H5058 A Psalm H4210 or Song H7892 of Asaph.]] H623 In Judah H3063 is God H430 known: H3045 his name H8034 is great H1419 in Israel. H3478 In Salem H8004 also is his tabernacle, H5520 and his dwelling place H4585 in Zion. H6726 There brake H7665 he the arrows H7565 of the bow, H7198 the shield, H4043 and the sword, H2719 and the battle. H4421 Selah. H5542 Thou art more glorious H215 and excellent H117 than the mountains H2042 of prey. H2964
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Esther 1
Commentary on Esther 1 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 1
Es 1:1-22. Ahasuerus Makes Royal Feasts.
1. Ahasuerus—It is now generally agreed among learned men that the Ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the Xerxes who figures in Grecian history.
3. made a feast unto all his princes and his servants—Banquets on so grand a scale, and extending over so great a period, have been frequently provided by the luxurious monarchs of Eastern countries, both in ancient and modern times. The early portion of this festive season, however, seems to have been dedicated to amusement, particularly an exhibition of the magnificence and treasures of the court, and it was closed by a special feast of seven days' continuance, given within the gardens of the royal palace. The ancient palace of Susa has been recently disinterred from an incumbent mass of earth and ruins; and in that palace, which is, beyond all doubt, the actual edifice referred to in this passage, there is a great hall of marble pillars. "The position of the great colonnade corresponds with the account here given. It stands on an elevation in the center of the mound, the remainder of which we may well imagine to have been occupied, after the Persian fashion, with a garden and fountains. Thus the colonnade would represent the 'court of the garden of the king's palace' with its 'pillars of marble.' I am even inclined to believe the expression, 'Shushan the palace,' applies especially to this portion of the existing ruins, in contradistinction to the citadel and the city of Shushan" [Loftus, Chaldaea and Susiana].
6. Where were white, green, and blue hangings, &c.—The fashion, in the houses of the great, on festive occasions, was to decorate the chambers from the middle of the wall downward with damask or velvet hangings of variegated colors suspended on hooks, or taken down at pleasure.
the beds were of gold and silver—that is, the couches on which, according to Oriental fashion, the guests reclined, and which were either formed entirely of gold and silver or inlaid with ornaments of those costly metals, stood on an elevated floor of parti-colored marble.
7. they gave them drink in vessels of gold—There is reason to believe from this account, as well as from Es 5:6; 7:2, 7, 8, where the drinking of wine occupies by far the most prominent place in the description, that this was a banquet rather than a feast.
9. Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women—The celebration was double; for, as according to the Oriental fashion, the sexes do not intermingle in society, the court ladies were entertained in a separate apartment by the queen.
10-12. On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine—As the feast days advanced, the drinking was more freely indulged in, so that the close was usually marked by great excesses of revelry.
he commanded … the seven chamberlains—These were the eunuchs who had charge of the royal harem. The refusal of Vashti to obey an order which required her to make an indecent exposure of herself before a company of drunken revellers, was becoming both the modesty of her sex and her rank as queen; for, according to Persian customs, the queen, even more than the wives of other men, was secluded from the public gaze. Had not the king's blood been heated with wine, or his reason overpowered by force of offended pride, he would have perceived that his own honor, as well as hers, was consulted by her dignified conduct.
13-19. Then the king said to the wise men—These were probably the magi, without whose advice as to the proper time of doing a thing the Persian kings never did take any step whatever; and the persons named in Es 1:14 were the "seven counsellors" (compare Ezr 7:14) who formed the state ministry. The combined wisdom of all, it seems, was enlisted to consult with the king what course should be taken after so unprecedented an occurrence as Vashti's disobedience of the royal summons. It is scarcely possible for us to imagine the astonishment produced by such a refusal in a country and a court where the will of the sovereign was absolute. The assembled grandees were petrified with horror at the daring affront. Alarm for the consequences that might ensue to each of them in his own household next seized on their minds; and the sounds of bacchanalian revelry were hushed into deep and anxious consultation what punishment to inflict on the refractory queen. But a purpose was to be served by the flattery of the king and the enslavement of all women. The counsellors were too intoxicated or obsequious to oppose the courtly advice of Memucan was unanimously resolved, with a wise regard to the public interests of the nation, that the punishment of Vashti could be nothing short of degradation from her royal dignity. The doom was accordingly pronounced and made known in all parts of the empire.