Jewish commentary on book of esther chapter 4

Scripture that same day king xerxes gave queen esther the estate of read more the book of esther bible study. Esther bible study chapter 5 prayer and the power of the. Learning that mordecai is in mourning greatly distresses esther. God may graciously give powerful, immediate deliveranceor he may give grace to persevere. All that we have seen about this young womanher beauty, her lovely demeanor, her desire to please, her respectful devotion to mordecaihas been through. To this day, when the feast of purim is celebrated and the book of esther is read, the very mention of hamans name elicits a strong response.

Background in chapter three we are introduced to haman, a man whose hatred and abusive use of power throws the empire into confusion and brings the jewish people to the brink of disaster. Bible prophecies predicting the source of our savior as the tribe of judah. Perhaps the most radical recent jewish commentary on the book comes from the. While it is always important to understand the context of a particular scripture text, it is especially critical with this one. 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. Esther 4 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. According to the book of esther and its commentaries. After these things, when the wrath of king ahasuerus subsided, he remembered vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. Over 100 years earlier, nebuchadnezzar the king of babylon had attacked jerusalem. Public calamities, that oppress the church of god, should affect our hearts more than any private affliction, and it is peculiarly distressing to occasion sufferings to others.

Esther 4 niv mordecai persuades esther to help bible gateway. Scripture that same day king xerxes gave queen esther the estate of. Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history. The hebrew term bdb 187, kb 215 can have several familial references. Esther 4 we left gods isaac bound upon the altar and ready to be sacrificed, and the enemies triumphing in the prospect of it. 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. Study questions what can you expect from god when he calls you to live by faith, giving your life on behalf of his kingdom and people. Until chapter four, none of esthers words have been recorded. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her.

And she sent garments to clothe mordecai that he might remove his sackcloth from him, but he did not accept them esther 4. Josephus and jewish tradition assert that mordecai was her uncle. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star. Esther s story is retold by josephus in book 11, chapter 6 of the jewish antiquities. Many others were candidates for the honour esther 2. In fact, god is not directly mentioned by name in the book of esther. Esther 4 commentary esther undertakes to plead for the jews.

When mordecai perceived all that was donerelying on the irrevocable nature of a persian monarchs decree daniel 6. The jewish feast of purim celebrates this particular deliverance of the jews. Introduction in the last study we were introduced to a rather unlovely character by the name of haman. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a. It also opened the way for the establishment of later holidays that, like purim, could be instituted without divine command if they commemorated an important event or served an important function in the life of the jewish people.

You might wonder if esther is a little nervous and trying to delay. As the days of feasting draw to a close, he summons his wife, vashti, to show off. When christians are disposed to consult their own ease or safety, rather than the public good, they should be blamed. The king loved esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him 2. Rabbinic readings part 4 esther in ancient jewish thought. Book of esther bible study chapter 4 if i perish, i perish book of esther bible study chapter 5 prayer and the power of the third day book of esther bible study chapter 6 the sleepless king and the providence of god book of esther bible study chapter 7 the downfall of haman the wicked. Scripture passages are provided along with the relevant chapters in the book.

Esther 4 is the fourth chapter of the book of esther in the hebrew bible or the old testament of. Book of esther, book of the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. Esther chapter 4 judaica press translation with rashis commentary at. The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control. She sent clothing with which to clothe mordechai, to replace his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.

Chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five chapter six chapter seven s. Read esther 4 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. In conveying the message from esther to mordecai who was known to be jewish, he would become aware of the fact that esther was also a jew see esther 4. This chapter relates the mourning of mordecai, and of the jews in every province, on account of the edict to destroy them, esther 4. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the hebrew text would have been formed by the second century bce.

Study the bible online using commentary on esther 4 and more. The heroine of the book named for her, esther is a young jewish woman living in exile in the persian lit. Babylonian god marduk, meaning worshipper of marduk or. Here is the story of esther through a summary of each of the 10 chapters. But when the cause of christ and his people demand it, we must take up our cross, and follow him. The advancement of esther to be queen instead of vashti. 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. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. Esther 4 commentary john gills exposition on the whole. Bible study commentary in the book of esther esther chapter 4. Esther bible story summary what christians want to know.

Megillah with indepth commentary side by side version. He overcame the jews and he took many jews to babylon. He may not always do it in the way we think he should, but the book of esther shows that he is in control even when we dont see him. The gathering together of a harem for king ahasuerus. Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew bible. We saw in the last study that queen esther had, after some initial resistance, obeyed mordecai and made the decision to go to the king without being summoned. Following tradition, the books explanation of purim as a historical event to be. The events in the book of esther occurred from 483. The book of esther is a story, and these brief passages from chapters 7 and 9. The book of esther, according to the original text, and original chapter and verse system, explained in modern terms. Esther kim, a real life esther is the author of the fascinating book entitled if i perish amazon 4. Esther 3 commentary commentary critical and explanatory. On his own account, as well as on that of his countrymen, this astounding decree.

The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. Where do you see the hand of god at work in esthers story. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third. She did not know why mordecai was making such a public outcry. Since purim is not a holiday ordained by moses in the first five books of the bible, scholars have wondered if jews of ancient time indeed observed it annually. In the jewish bible, esther follows ecclesiastes and lamentations and is read on the festival of purim, which commemorates the rescue of the jews from hamans plottings. Esther 4 commentary commentary critical and explanatory on. We are prone to shrink from services that are attended with peril or loss. When mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. Esther is the jewish maiden who became queen of persia and rescued her people from a murderous plot to annihilate them. The book of esther does not mention the name of god.

It belongs to the third section of the judaic canon, known as the ketuvim, or writings. After these things did king ahasuerus promote haman. Public calamities, that oppress the church of god, should affect our hearts more than any private affliction, and it is peculiarly distressing to occasion sufferings to. Despite such questions the book of esther sits comfortably in the hebrew. We might even think that he does not care about us. The book of esther is wellknown as being the only book of the bible that does not mention the name of god. Classical sources such as josephus, the jewish commentary esther rabbah and. Finally, the book of esther may not mention god because the emphasis is on gods providence. Esther chapter 4 matthew henry complete commentary on. Other sources ascribe the book of esther to ezra or nehemiah.

When mordecai hears about this evil plot, he reacts the way any decent biblical character would react. The book of esther consists of an introduction or exposition in chapters 1. A story of the providence of god in a pagan land page 4 introduction to the book the book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god. Mordecai informed esther of law and advised her to speak with the king. The events that the first chapter of the book of esther describes happened about 483 bc before christ. A story of courage as part of a book club or discussion group, you may want to use some of these questions to guide your discussion. The jewish community, and its areas of residence, outside erez israel. As we begin our study of chapter 4, i want to ask you to make a commitment. The jewish historian josephus names mordecai as author of the book. Chapter introduction to the rabbinic literature on esther. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. Esther 4 commentary john gills exposition on the whole bible. Chapter 1 the book of esther opens with a description of an enormous 180day party thrown by king achashverosh in his 3rd year as king of the persian empire, ruling over 127 provinces. Chapters 3 4, mordecai esther s guardian refused to bow down and pay homage to haman a high official of the king.

Bible studies in the book of esther esther chapter 5. It portrays a chapter in the life of a jewish woman who endured great hardship, yet ultimately turned a catastrophic situation for herself and her people into an astounding story of personal growth and national salvation. The following study explores what really happened to esther. Perhaps inevitably the final chapter notes that the king imposes a.

Read esther 4 commentary using commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible. As with most of the ot writings the author of the book of esther esther meaning star is not mentioned. Esther 4 is the fourth chapter of the book of esther in the hebrew bible or the old testament of the christian bible. The original text of the megillah book of esther with a running commentary culled from the talmud and midrash, the great torah commentators and the chassidic masters. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. Book of daniel chapters 16 and the apocryphal books of judith and tobit. Esther chapter 2 verse by verse bible commentary matthew. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p.

Esther 4 niv mordecai persuades esther to help bible. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Esther 4 commentary commentary critical and explanatory. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible.

Studying the book of esther, chapters 49 no greater joy. Just what did the decree mean to the average jewish family. At his instruction, esther kept her jewish origins and her relationship to. In fact, the book of esther, more than anything else, is responsible for the continued celebration of purim. Esther 4 new international version niv mordecai persuades esther to help. Megillah with indepth commentaryside by side version. Her story is recorded in the old testament book bearing her name. The jews friends lay to heart the danger and lament it, esther 4.