The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not mentioned. Jan 01, 2001 this informative commentary part of jpss bible commentary series dissects the book of esther and, by extension, the jewish holiday of purim. One night with the king esther the bible movie youtube. Queen esther came to the throne for just such a time 4. It is careful not to say that god commanded the observance of purim. In the book of esther this information is casually presented as unimportant, but comes up later in the story. The book of esther shows how the hand of god can move in a supernaturallynatural way. The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control. What follows is an an organized and curated list of content.
Discover purims exciting origins in the book of esther. Esther pleases the king, and is set above all the women. Study esther 1 using matthew henrys bible commentary concise to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israel. The prayers of esther and mordecai are especially noteworthy. Account of mordecai and his cousin esther, esther 2. The events mentioned in esther therefore happened between ezra chapter 6 and chapter 7. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her.
The book of esther does not mention the name of god. This summary of the book of esther will help with many different forms of bible study. Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Date the international standard bible encyclopedia, revised. This region was called ethiopia in graecoroman times, and included within its borders most of modern sudan and some of. People of the roman catholic faith can this useful short summary of these bible scriptures for an online catholic bible study course or biblical studies. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original.
Read esther commentary using john gills exposition of the bible. The book is named for the star of the story, a young jewish girl named hadassah who was taken from her guardian, mordecai, and forced to compete for the affection of the king. Esther is the only book in the bible not to mention the name of god. You can find the best commentary on esther for you using the tools on the right side. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. Book of prophecy that reveals gods magnificent plan of salvation through the person and work of jesus christ the book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in their synagogues to the present day. Timothy laniaks shame and honor in the book of esther attempts to. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. Hebrew bible is referred to as the masoretic text, but the book of esther also. An exegetical and theological exposition of holy scripture the new american commentary book 10 mervin breneman. She was a jewess named hadassah the myrtle, but when she entered the royal harem she received the name by which she henceforth became known. An interpretation of the dream that relates its features to the plot of the book is given in f.
It is a deeply profound and moving narrative of historical events that displayed the providence of god. Esthers relationship with the king is characterized as submissive and. Do not think that because you are in the kings house you alone of all the jews will escape. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. Book of prophecy that reveals gods magnificent plan of salvation through the person and work of jesus christ. Mordecai learned of a plot to kill the king and made it known to esther who passed the news to the king. In the narrative, ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, vashti, refuses to obey him, and esther is chosen for her beauty. We have detailed a brief summary of the book of esther for bible study or sunday school lessons. The greatest controversy revolves around the fact that nowhere in esther does the words god or lord appear. The book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in their synagogues to the present day.
Images of esther tennessee research and creative exchange. It is in this passage in the book of esther that we see a father grieving for his daughter and a daughter, selflessly giving herself for the sake of her people. The book of esther serves as the authorizing document for purim, a holiday that is not mentioned in the torah. It is a syroarabian modification of the persian word satarah, which means a star. Esther 2 one of the princes in the kingdom was haman. Sleep is taken from ahasuerus at precisely the right time 6. Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of media and persia. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. One night with the king original motion picture score licensed to youtube by. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a part of his harem. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press.
Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. Click here for an exhaustive list of content on esther. Esther smith a star, the persian name of hadassah myrtle, daughter of abihail, the son of shimei, the son of kish, a benjamite. Customers who bought this item also bought these digital items. An introduction to the book of esther an argument of the book of esther selected bibliography of the book of esther j. 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. The counsellors advise that a selection of virgins should be made throughout the empire, out of whom the king should choose one to be queen in place of vashti, esther 2. A social literary study of hebrew esther digital commons. The king has one law for any man or woman who goes to the king without being called. Esther is described in the book of esther as a jewish queen of the persian king ahasuerus. The above summary details the bible people and summary of important events which occur in the douay rheims version of the catholic bible scriptures of the book of esther. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. The understanding the bible commentary series helps any reader navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the bible.
Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The book of esther was written during the 3 rd year of the reign of ahasuerus 485 465 bc. Ezra 7 begins in the seventh year of artaxerxes i longimanus i. 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. The book records a story of courage, patriotism, and the providence of god. Berlin, the jewish pulbication societys bible commentary. In the hebrew bible, the book of esther is found in the third section of the canon, the writings. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. Esther, dont think that just because you live in the kings palace you will be the only jew to escape. She was an orphan, and had been brought up by her cousin mordecai, who had an office in the household of ahasuerus king of persia supposed to be the xerxes of history and dwelt at shushan the palac. When he got her message, mordecai sent his answer back. Tom constables expository notes on esther this is also available in the net.
Nov 02, 2011 esther is a jewish woman with her uncle, mordecai, who is a very faithful jew. 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. 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. As a prize for winning the beauty contest, she becomes the queen to. The book of esther is the only one not found in the dead sea scrolls. Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the first cataract of the nile river. Mordecai, sitting at the kings gate, discovers a conspiracy formed against the kings life by two of his chamberlains. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage.
If the king does this, that persons life will be saved. All the trust the king had reposed in haman, he now placed in mordecai. The main purpose of a summary is as a simplification highlighting the major points from the original and much longer version of the subject. Enter for a chance to win this niv cultural backgrounds study bible. We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b. We might even think that he does not care about us. Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. The kings chief adviser, haman, is offended by esthers cousin and guardian, mordecai, and gets permission from the king to have all the jews in the kingdom killed. May 22, 2016 one night with the king original motion picture score licensed to youtube by. It has been well said that the book of esther is a record of wonders without a miracle, and therefore, though equally revealing the glory of the lord, it sets it forth in another fashion from that which is displayed in the overthrow of pharaoh by. Esther has also been a book of controversy for theologians. Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israels history from a dark time. A queen under control when esthers words were reported to mordecai, he sent back this answer. The greek septuagint remedied this situation by adding six passages which include the name of god.
And king ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. The pride of ahasueruss heart rising with the grandeur of his kingdom, he made an extravagant feast. Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. Esther commentary john gills exposition of the bible. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the jews will arise from another place, but you and your fathers family will perish. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr. Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star. Esther is a jewish woman with her uncle, mordecai, who is a very faithful jew. It is the last of the five scrolls ruth, song of songs, ecclesiastes, lamentations, and esther, and is read at the feast of purim. This is why many presume that the book was written in the second half of the fifth century bc.
The events in the book of esther occurred from 483. Several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of esther in easy english. Mordecai is brought into prominence at the right time 6. Esther ebd the queen of ahasuerus, and heroine of the book that bears her name. Addition a has mordecai inform the king directly, whereas in 2. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. Berlin begins with a lengthy introduction, discussing esther as comedy and as diaspora literature. Watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history.
Esther overview spurgeons verse expositions of the bible. That person must be put to death unless the king holds out his gold scepter to them. This informative commentary part of jpss bible commentary series dissects the book of esther and, by extension, the jewish holiday of purim. When ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom was settled in the quiet possession of it, enjoying peace and tranquillity throughout his large dominions. Intertextual ripples of the book of esther vu research portal. The book of esther in the bible is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. She is chosen among the young women, and is placed under the care of hegai, the kings chamberlain, to go through a years. Cd baby sync publishing, and 8 music rights societies.
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