Geek commentary on the book of esther

Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew bible. Use highlighting, underlining, and take notes while you study the bible. It is reprinted with permission from the jps bible commentary. Thus esther was the only hope for their deliverance. He had banished his former wife and chose esther through a contest. And king ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. The book of esther does not mention the name of god. Esther is a young and beautiful jewish girl, orphaned but cared for by her. Esther was a jewish woman who was selected by the persian king ahasuerus to be his wife. Best commentaries and books on esther logos bible software.

The book ends with mordecai as the kings chief minister. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. The jews have already weathered some pretty tough and crazy babylonian kings, but have endured long enough to see more kindly persian rulers. 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 book of esther is renowned for its literary artistry, which functions as the principal vehicle for the books.

Artaxerxes this man was son of xerxes and stepson of esther. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. In addition, according to one opinion esther is already married to mordechai, himself a righteous jew, a prophet and the leader of his generation. A selection of the best commentaries and bible study resources on the book of.

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 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. The book of esther shows how the hand of god can move in a supernaturallynatural way. Not only is it a great story with all the drama and. Esther, the feast of purim was established to celebrate that day, but this explanation. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The whole history of this book in its connected order, with the occurrences in the persian empire at that time, will be found. Overview of the book of esther third millennium ministries. Esther 2 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is one of the most respected interdenominational commentaries ever written.

In the greek versions of esther, which deemphasize purim, the comic. Esther the niv application commentary kindle edition. He eventually chose esther as his queen, and by her influence the jews were saved from destruction. We might even think that he does not care about us. Designed for both jewish and nonjewish readers alike, the israel bible offers a unique commentary that seeks to explain gods focus on the land of israel alongside the original hebrew text, transliteration of select hebrew verses, and the new jewish publication society translation. The greek book of esther, included in the septuagint, is a retelling of the events of the hebrew book of esther rather than a translation and records additional traditions which do not appear in the traditional hebrew version, in particular the identification of ahasuerus with artaxerxes and details of various letters. Hence it belongs to the bestknown otbooks with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. According to baldwin, hegai is specifically mentioned by the greek historian herodotus as being an officer of king ahasuerus. A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther.

Several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. Esther pleases the king, and is set above all the women. He overcame the jews and he took many jews to babylon. 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. 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.

Esther is one of the greatest women of the hebrew bible, after all. Esther commentary, sermon, illustration, devotional. Weibe argues that this phrase should be translated as a rhetorical question, suggesting that the implied answer is no. Mordecai learned of a plot to kill the king and continue reading summary of the book of esther. In this 3part series, i provide commentary on the book of esther. 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. Opposition to the book of esther is not a modern phenomenon.

The book of esther is unusual gods name is not mentioned once, yet gods hand is clearly present and active. Fiction books about and centered around queen esther and her story. Coat of many colors is what you get when you take a geekseyeview of the bible, the worlds most popular book. When he learns of the edict against the jews, he encourages esther to confront the king. You can find the best commentary on esther for you using the tools on the right side. Esther published by the jewish publication society. He was a jew, and dwelt in the city of susa, a great man, who was a servant in the kings court. See all of our coronavirus resources here toggle navigation. Greek books of esther are independent traditions stemming from, and aimed at. The book of esther is the only one not found in the dead sea scrolls. Classical sources such as josephus, the jewish commentary esther rabbah and the christian theologian barhebraeus, as well as the greek septuagint.

Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history. Book of esther, in the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. All other books of the bible make it obvious who and what is influencing the actions of the characters, namely. The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not mentioned. 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. There are also signs that this book has a deeply comic undercurrent to it. Weibe suggests that this translation fits the context of the book of esther much better than the traditional rendering. The events that the first chapter of the book of esther describes happened about 483 bc before christ. 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. The book was originally written in hebrew, but the ancient greek translation known as the septuagint abbreviated lxx is also a very important witness to the text. Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b. Join me for biblical commentary, fun charts, and an occasional excessive dig into details as i explore the foundations of judeochristian faith. The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is.

This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the jews. Interest in the book of esther has been both negative and positive. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. Esther 1, new living translation nlt the bible app. Esther the niv application commentary kindle edition by. The books of ezra and nehemiah were written during his reign. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of persia and thwarts a genocide. Esther commentary john gills exposition of the bible. 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. On the mystical level king achashverosh alludes to gd, the king of the world.

Keith mathison agrees with the other experts when he says, karen jobes has written the most engaging, interesting, and helpful commentary on the book of esther presently available. Coat of many colors is what you get when you take a geek seyeview of the bible, the worlds most popular book. Xerxes this is the ahasuerus of the book of esther. Following tradition, the books explanation of purim as a historical event to be. Esther is the only book in the bible not to mention the name of god. For over one hundred years, the international critical commentary series has held a special place among works on the bible. Levensons book consists of two parts an introductory essay of 35 pages, followed by a linebyline commentary on the text of esther. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. The greek title for this book is esther latin hester.

Book of prophecy that reveals gods magnificent plan of salvation through the person and work of jesus christ. In 1934 annie became a missionary in china with oms. During world war ii she spent 21 months in a japanese concentration camp as a prisoner. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. This article is excerpted from a longer, footnoted item. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. The book of esther is a very realistic commentary on life, and it is possible that its author wanted to make his readers ponder carefully gods involvement in it. It has sought to bring together all the relevant aids to exegesislinguistic and textual no less than archaeological, historical, literary and theologicalwith a level of comprehension and quality of scholarship unmatched by any other series. The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. The whole history of this book in its connected order, with the occurrences in the persian empire at that time, will be found in the introduction. This very fact was fully acknowledged by the greek historian herodotus and by the excavations of the past hundred years. His presence permeates much of the story, as though he were behind the scenes coordinating coincidences and circumstances to make his will happen. 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.

Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israels history from a dark time. The jewish community, and its areas of residence, outside erez israel. Vashti is sent for by the king, but refuses to come, esther 1. Interestingly enough, in the new testament no allusions to esther exist gordis 361. It has been observed that the name of god does not once occur in this book. Esther 10 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. She was taken to the king of the persian empire to become a part of his harembut because there was something special about esther, he made her queen. The greek septuagint remedied this situation by adding six passages which include the name of god. Read esther 10 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. I read the book of esther in the septuagint, the ancient greek version of the.

The greek additions to esther have many explicit references to god, as well as explicit. Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. And esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star.

Such a reading would, however, limit the resources of god, who brought this about, and transplant the. As scripture reveals, esther is a jewish woman living in persia and reared by her cousin mordecai. 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. 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. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. Esther is the only book of the hebrew bible not represented among the dead sea scrolls. The heroine of the book named for her, esther is a young jewish woman living in exile in the persian lit.

Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. The book of esther is counted as an historical book in our english bibles, but in the jewish scriptures it is among the writings. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading esther the niv application commentary. Character and ideology in the book of esther, 1991. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of esther in easy english. Over 100 years earlier, nebuchadnezzar the king of babylon had attacked jerusalem. 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. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for. The book is set during the period after the babylonian exile in which the nation of persia present day iran ruled judah. The septuagint is a window onto how greekspeaking jews of the early prechristian centuries read and understood the story of esther. 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. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so in the days of persecution.

May 25, 2011 esther was a jewish woman who was selected by the persian king ahasuerus to be his wife. The book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in their synagogues to the present day. 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. It is entirely possible that the writer of the book of esther is playing with the idea of theomachy war between gods, a racy theme for a late biblical book.

This is true of the hebrew text, and all translations from it. In the book of esther, what is not said is vitally important. I always appreciate it when there is clear consensus on the best commentary on any given book of the bible. Presented here is a verse by verse exposition of the new testament. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. Study the bible online using commentary on esther 10 and more. The prayers of esther and mordecai are especially noteworthy.