Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Esther 2:15 - 2:23

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Esther 2:15 - 2:23


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Esther Chosen Queen

v. 15. Now, when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Regal, the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed,
she called for no excessive cosmetics or jewelry, for she had no desire to practice any blandishments upon the king. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her, for modesty is the brightest jewel of female beauty.

v. 16. So Esther was taken unto King Ahasuerus, into his house royal,
into the king's apartments, in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, about four years after the degradation of Vashti, and after Xerxes had returned from his unsuccessful expedition against the Greeks.

v. 17. And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins,
he chose her above all her competitors, who were retained merely as secondary wives, so that he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti, formally and officially elevated her to that position.

v. 18. Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast,
in honor of the queen, to celebrate his marriage; and he made a release to the provinces, he relieved them from certain obligations, probably in the line of taxes, and gave gifts according to the state of the king, in agreement with his wealth and his bounty.

v. 19. And when the virgins were gathered together the second time,
this having reference to the time before Esther's marriage, then Mordecai sat in the king's gate, in his capacity as official of the court.

v. 20. Esther had not yet showed her kindred nor her people,
had not divulged her nationality, as Mordecai had charged her; for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai like as when she was brought up with him, since the Fourth Commandment applies to the relation to guardians also.

v. 21. In those days, while Mordecal sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door,
guardians of the threshold, watchmen of the palace, were wroth and sought to lay hand on the King Ahasuerus, they planned his assassination.

v. 22. And the thing was known to Mordecal,
he got hold of the information in some way, as Josephus states, through the Jewish slave of one of the conspirators, who told it unto Esther, the queen; and Esther certified the king thereof, giving him the information concerning the plot, in Mordecai's name.

v. 23. And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out,
the charge was found to be true; therefore they were both hanged on a tree, either hanged on a stake or impaled; and it was written in the book of the chronicles, the royal annals, before the king, deposited in the royal archives after being recorded in his presence. Apparently small and insignificant things, which are nevertheless guided by the hand of God, have often had a deciding influence upon the welfare of the Church of God.