Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Esther
Esther tells how a Jewish orphan became queen of Persia and, at the risk of her life, saved her people from destruction. Famously, God is never named in the book, yet His providence governs every turn of the story. This commentary walks through it verse by verse.
About This Commentary
The Book of Esther is set in the Persian court under King Ahasuerus, widely identified with Xerxes I. It tells how Esther, a Jewish orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai, was chosen as queen and used her position to expose the plot of Haman and save the Jewish people from annihilation. The book explains the origin of the Feast of Purim, still celebrated by the Jewish people today.
This commentary covers Esther verse by verse, with verified historical background and an Apostolic reading. Its great theme is the providence of God: though His name never appears, His unseen hand is at work in every feast, decree, and choice to preserve the line of promise, from which the Messiah would come. References are given at the foot of each chapter.
This book is complete, all ten chapters, from the proud feast of Ahasuerus and the crowning of Esther to the fall of Haman, the great reversal, and the greatness of Mordecai, tracing the hidden providence of God who preserves His people.
Author
Not named; the writer knew the Persian court intimately.
Setting
Shushan (Susa), the Persian citadel, roughly 486 to 465 BC.
Key People
Esther, Mordecai, King Ahasuerus, and Haman the enemy.
Theme
The hidden providence of God preserving His people.
Translation
King James Version (KJV) throughout.
The Chapters
Esther Commentary
The chapters below are available now. The rest are being written and will open here as they are finished and verified.
Esther 1:1-22
A Throne, a Feast, and a Fall
King Ahasuerus displays his glory in a lavish feast, Queen Vashti refuses to be paraded before his guests and is removed, and God quietly empties a throne for the deliverer to come.
Read Chapter 1 →Esther 2:1-23
Esther Obtained Favour
A humble Jewish orphan, Esther, obtains favour in the sight of all who see her, and the king sets the royal crown upon her head, making her queen instead of Vashti, God placing His instrument on the throne before the danger arises. Meanwhile Mordecai uncovers a plot against the king, a faithful deed written in the book of the chronicles for a decisive future moment.
Read Chapter 2 →Esther 3:1-15
Haman Sought to Destroy All the Jews
Haman the Agagite is exalted, and all bow to him, but Mordecai bowed not. Enraged, Haman thinks it beneath him to strike Mordecai alone and plots to destroy all the Jews across the empire, buying a decree of genocide with slander and silver. The death sentence goes out, and the king and Haman sit down to drink while the city Shushan is perplexed.
Read Chapter 3 →Esther 4:1-17
For Such a Time as This
The turning point of the book. Under the decree of death the Jews mourn in sackcloth and ashes, and Mordecai challenges the hesitating Esther: who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther calls the people to fast, then resolves to risk her life before the king, sealing it with immortal words: if I perish, I perish.
Read Chapter 4 →Esther 5:1-14
All This Availeth Me Nothing
Esther approaches the king at the risk of her life, and he holds out the golden sceptre; wisely she invites the king and Haman to a banquet, and then a second. But Haman, though exalted, is consumed by the sight of unbowing Mordecai, all this availeth me nothing, and builds a towering gallows for him, the very gallows on which he himself will hang.
Read Chapter 5 →Esther 6:1-14
On That Night Could Not the King Sleep
The hinge of the deliverance turns on a sleepless night: the king cannot sleep, the chronicles are read, and Mordecai's forgotten loyalty comes to light. Haman, blinded by pride, assumes the honor must be for himself and so designs the very honors he is forced to give Mordecai, arraying and parading his enemy through the city. Even Haman's household foresees his doom: thou shalt surely fall before him.
Read Chapter 6 →Esther 7:1-10
They Hanged Haman on His Own Gallows
At the second banquet Esther pleads for her life and her people, identifying fully with the condemned Jews, and names the villain: the adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. The proud oppressor is seized with dread, and in perfect poetic justice Haman is hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, the enemy fallen into his own pit.
Read Chapter 7 →Esther 8:1-17
Light, and Gladness, and Joy, and Honour
Haman is dead, but his decree still stands, and the law of the Medes and Persians may no man reverse. So Esther pleads, how can I endure to see the evil unto my people, and a greater decree of deliverance is written, letting the Jews defend their lives. The mourning turns to its opposite: the Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour, and many of the people become Jews.
Read Chapter 8 →Esther 9:1-32
It Was Turned to the Contrary
On the very day the enemies hoped to destroy the Jews, it was turned to the contrary, and God's people were preserved. The month Haman marked for their death was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, celebrated with feasting and gifts to the poor, and the feast of Purim was established so the memorial of the deliverance should never perish.
Read Chapter 9 →Esther 10:1-3
Seeking the Wealth of His People
The book closes with the greatness of Mordecai, once in sackcloth at the gate, now next unto the king and great among the Jews. His greatness is measured not by his power but by his heart: seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed, a portrait of true, God-honoring leadership and a foregleam of the greater Ruler, Christ.
Read Chapter 10 →