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Esther
Chapter 9
1
{Summary of Chapter 9}
1~~~Now
in the twelfth month,
that
is the month Adar,
on
the thirteenth day,
when
the king's command
and
his edict were about to be executed . . .
the
enemies of the Jews
hoped
to gain mastery over them . . .
it
was turned to the contrary . . .
so
that the Jews gained the mastery
over
those who hated them.
{Note:
What happened in the 8-9 months from the second edict to the day of
battle is not mentioned. But, this verse is a summary verse of what
will happen in the next 16 verses. Apparently, the Jews did the right
thing. They armed themselves. They trained. They obtained
intelligence on their enemies. And, on the day of battle they were prepared.}
2a~~~
The Jews assembled in their cities
throughout
all the provinces
of
the king {Xerxes}'/'Achashverowsh . . .
to
lay hands on those who sought their harm.
2b~~~Then
no one could stand before them {the Jews} . . .
for
the dread of them {Jews}
had
fallen upon all people.
3~~~Even
all the princes of the provinces,
the
satraps, the governors,
and
those doing the king's business
assisted
the Jews . . .
because
the dread/fear of Mordecai
had
fallen on them.
4~~~
Indeed, Mordecai was great in the king's house,
and
his fame spread throughout all the provinces . . .
for
this man Mordecai became greater and greater.
5~~~Thus
the Jews struck all their enemies
with
the sword . . .
killing
and destroying . . .
and
they did what they pleased
to
those who hated them.
6~~~And
in Shushan, the palace,
the
Jews killed and destroyed
five
hundred men.
{Note:
These 500 men knew the king no longer supported the first edict, but
they attacked the Jews anyway. Their anti-Semitism was so great, they
were just not rational. So, the Jews defended themselves and killed
all 500. From the next verse, we see that these 500 were probably
Haman's men trained by Haman and probably led by his sons.}
7-10a~~~And
also killed were
Parshandatha,
and Dalphon, and Aspatha, 8~~~
and
Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, 9~~~
and
Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha . . . 10a~~~
the
ten sons of Haman,
the
son of Hammedatha,
the
enemy of the Jews.
10b~~~They
killed them
but
they laid not their hands
on
the plunder.
{Note:
This is very important. The Jews did NOT take the property of their
enemies. If they had, people would have said the Jews plotted to
steal the wealth of others! As it stands, this was a witness for the
God of the Jews.}
11~~~
On that day,
the
number of those who were slain in Shushan, the palace,
was
reported to the king.
12a~~~
And the king said unto Esther the queen,
"The
Jews have destroyed and killed
five
hundred men in Shushan, the capital,
and
the ten sons of Haman."
12b~~~"What
then have they done
in
the rest of the king's provinces?"
{Note:
This is a rhetorical question. She could not have known any more
than he did. The king is saying Esther's people must be really
slaughtering a lot of people in his kingdom. This fact did not really
bother the king. This question was only used to set up another
question to Esther. His motivation in all of this was only to please
Esther! Is what is happening to your satisfaction?}
12c~~~
"Now what is your petition?
.
. . and it shall be granted you . . ."
12d~~~
"Or what is your further request?
.
. . and it shall be done."
13~~~Then
said Esther,
"If
it please the king,
let
it be granted to the Jews
who
are in Shushan to do tomorrow
also
according unto this day's edict,
and
let Haman's ten sons be impaled/hanged
upon
the gallows/impaler's pole."
{Note:
Remember these sons are already dead. This is gory, but a very
practical act. This display of the leaders of the enemies of the Jews
will serve as a future deterrent to future anti-Semitic acts. And,
remember that in this day it was normal to impale the dead enemies to
remind others of the penalty of opposition.}
14a~~~So
the king commanded
that
it should be done so.
14b~~~And
the edict was issued at Shushan
and
they hanged/impaled Haman's ten sons.
15~~~And
the Jews who were in Shushan
assembled
also on the fourteenth day of the month Adar,
and
killed three hundred men in Shushan . . .
but
they laid not their hands on the plunder.
16~~~Now
the rest of Jews
who
were in the king's provinces
assembled
themselves together,
to
defend their lives,
and
rid themselves of their enemies,
and
killed seventy and five thousand
of
those who hated them . . .
but
they laid not their hands on the plunder.
{Note:
This is the 3rd time this last phrase was mentioned. It is VERY
important. This was not a government authorized assassination of
people to steal their property (as was Haman's plan for the Jews).}
17~~~On
the thirteenth day of the month Adar;
and
on the fourteenth day of the same
they
rested
and
made it a day of feasting and gladness.
18~~~But
the Jews who were at Shushan
assembled
together on the thirteenth day thereof,
and
on the fourteenth thereof
and
on the fifteenth day of the same
they
rested,
and
made it a day of feasting and gladness.
19~~~Therefore
the Jews of the villages,
who
dwelt in the unwalled towns,
made
the fourteenth day of the month, Adar,
a
day of gladness and feasting,
and
a good day,
and
of sending portions one to another.
{Verses
20-22: Origin of the Feast of Purim (the Feast of 'Lots')}
20-22~~~Then
Mordecai recorded these events,
and
sent letters to all the Jews
who
were in all the provinces
of
the king {Xerxes}'/'Achashverowsh,
both
near and far . . . 21~~~
obliging
them to celebrate,
the
fourteenth day of the month Adar,
and
the fifteenth day of the same {month}, annually . . . 22~~~
because
on those days
the
Jews rid themselves of their enemies,
and
it was a month which turned them from sorrow to gladness,
and
from mourning into a holiday . . .
that
they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing,
and
to send portions of food to one another,
and
gifts to the poor.
{Note:
The feast of Purim is the only feast the Jews celebrate that was not
established by the Mosaic Law. It is really a celebration of their
gift of life and freedom from God - like the 4th of July in the U.S.}
{Celebration
and then Summary of Events that Led to Mordecai's Edict}
23-25~~~Thus
the Jews undertook
what
they had started to do
{to celebrate after their victory over the Anti-Semites}
and
what Mordecai had written unto them . . . 24~~~
{to celebrate God's deliverance - to show gratitude to God}
for/because
Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite,
the
enemy/adversary of all the Jews,
had
schemed against the Jews to destroy them,
and
had cast Pur, that is, the lot,
to
disrupt them, and to destroy them . . . 25~~~
but
when it came to the king's attention,
that
the decree of Haman was going to annihilate you
he
{the king} commanded by letter
that
his wicked scheme,
which
he {Haman} devised against the Jews,
should
return upon his own head,
and
that he and his sons
should
be impaled/hanged on the gallows.
26a~~~Therefore
they called these days Purim
after
the name of Pur.
26b-27~~~
And, because of the instructions
in
this letter,
both
what they had seen
in
this regard
and
what had happened to them, 27 ~~~
the
Jews established and made a custom for themselves
and
for their descendants
and
for all those who allied themselves with them,
so
that they would not fail to celebrate these two days
according
to their regulation
and
according to their appointed time annually
28a~~~
So these days were to be remembered
and
celebrated throughout every generation,
every
family, every province and every city;
and
these days of Purim were not to fail from among the Jews,
or
their memory fade from their descendants
29~~~
Then Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail,
with
Mordecai the Jew,
wrote
with full authority
to
confirm this second letter about Purim.
{Note:
This letter has the full authority of the Prime Minister and now the Queen.}
30-31~~~And,
he sent letters to all the Jews,
to
the 127 provinces of the kingdom of {Xerxes}'/'Achashverowsh,
{namely,}
words of peace and truth, 31~~~
{peace is end of potential holocaust - Truth - that the
deliverance came from the Lord}
to
establish these days of Purim at their appointed times,
just
as Mordecai the Jew
and
Queen Esther
had
established for them,
and
just as they had established for themselves
and
for their descendants
with
instructions for their times of fasting
and
their lamentations.
32~~~The
command of Esther
established
these customs for Purim,
and
it was written in the book.
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