In other languages, the heart may be the emotional arena of the soul, and, in still others, heart may refer to the emotional part of the soul in reference to love. Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. This book and the book of ruth are the only ot books named after women. This setting of megillat esther is an imaginative, humorous rendition of the story of purim. The canonicity of the book was questioned by some in ancient judaism and early christianity. Even though you may not see god in your daily circumstances, trust him and follow his plan. Book of prophecy that reveals gods magnificent plan of salvation through the person and work of jesus christ. 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. The book of esther has been preserved in ancient texts that diverge greatly from each other. Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a. This little gem, tucked away in an obscure corner of the old testament is a very rich book. 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.
Further artificialities are clear in the way characters are paired e. The feast was for all the important men who had authority in the kingdom. In 1934 annie became a missionary in china with oms. Over 100 years earlier, nebuchadnezzar the king of babylon had attacked jerusalem. Classical sources such as josephus, the jewish commentary esther rabbah and the. You can find the best commentary on esther for you using the tools on the right side.
Name the book is named for the jewish orphan girl who became queen of persia. God had brought many of his people, the jews, back to judah. 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. 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. 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. We have already read something about king xerxes and king artaxerxes in the book of ezra ezra 4. An explanatory commentary on esther 1888 college press. The book of esther this is the most recent movie production of the book of esther. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Read esther 4 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete.
Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israels history from a dark time. Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. The book of esther tells the story of a plot to exterminate the entire jewish nation in the days of the persian king ahasuerus xerxes, and how it was thwarted. Esther 4 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. Esther bible story summary what christians want to know. 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. He took esther as the new persian queen, not knowing she was an israelite. The book of esther is about a jewish girl adopted by her uncle, mordecai, after her parents died. There is hardly anything in the literature of mankind that presents a more dramatic contrast of the highest status and the lowest ever attained by a man on one single day than that which is here revealed in the person of haman the great prime minister of the persian empire under. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. Book of esther simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 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.
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. The book of esther is counted as an historical book in our english bibles, but in the jewish scriptures it is among the writings. Overview of the book of esther third millennium ministries. We can also read more about king xerxes in the book of esther in the bible. The book of esther a survey of the content of the book of esther theme.
Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle. On the mystical level king achashverosh alludes to gd, the king of the world. With purim come and gone, women in judaism reflects on its essence, by taking a deeper look at queen esther. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading esther the niv application commentary. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of esther in easy english. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so in the days of persecution. We can see how accurately it illustrates what is happening to us when god is at work in the human heart. Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. Esther is the name of a book in the tanakh the hebrew bible and the old testament, and also its title heroine. Esther was originally written in hebrew, which is represented by ch. Lectures, expository and practical on the book of esther 1859 j r dummelow, ed.
Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. Read esther 10 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. Esther commentary scroll down to page 273 for 3 page commentary on esther includes maps seems to be well done. Although there are five books of jewish scripture that can be called megillahs. Each verse has been translated into an english sentence that means what the original hebrew verse means.
Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. Several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. Verses 15 the rules of king darius and king xerxes have finished and artaxerxes is the king of persia. He overcame the jews and he took many jews to babylon. The book of esther is known as the megillah, which means scroll. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. The book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in their synagogues to the present day. For many, this is an ideal way to communicate the meaning of the hebrew text. Vashti is sent for by the king, but refuses to come, esther 1. Study the bible online using commentary on esther 4 and more. Commentary from the sages the chabad website gives an illuminating selection of comments from different rabbis and jewish sages on the book of esther.
Today we are beginning a new studya new expository sermon serieson the book of esther. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. Esther 1 easy english bible easy 1 this happened when king xerxes ruled over 127 parts of the kingdom of persia. The book of esther intrigues positively, too, one reason being its containing rationale for the celebration of the feast of purim, the popularity of which can be accounted for in part by the fact that it constitutes the only worldly holiday in the jewish calendar for the expression of the lighthearted side of life harrison 10951096. The book of esther is a 20 movie starring jen lilley as queen esther and joel smallbone as king xerxes. Book of esther, book of the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. The events that the first chapter of the book of esther describes happened about 483 bc before christ. The book of esther is unusual gods name is not mentioned once, yet gods hand is.
It is a syroarabian modification of the persian word satarah, which means a star. The book of esther page 2languages the literal, physical heart in literature is a reference to the thinking portion of a persons soul. 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. The story of esther reads like a novel and is full of great spiritual lessons. In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the book of esther was illustrated by j.
Esther 1, new living translation nlt the bible app. I always appreciate it when there is clear consensus on the best commentary on any given book of the bible. The book of esther never mentions god by name, there is never the word prayer. The old testament library provides fresh and authoritative. 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. Esther ebd the queen of ahasuerus, and heroine of the book that bears her name. He not only did good, but he did it in a humble condescending way, was easy of access, courteous and affable in his behaviour, and spoke peace to all that made their. Here are 5 important lessons that i learned from the book of esther. Esther 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and published by seven stories press. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third. During world war ii she spent 21 months in a japanese concentration camp as a prisoner. Xerxes, the persian king, rejected his wife queen vashti, and fell in love with esther at a beauty contest.
Our sometimes misconstrued image of her often instilled in us as children is of a beautiful woman, lucky enough to be chosen as queen of the vast persian empire, who later becomes heroine. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. Title esther serves as the title without variation through the ages. Esther 10 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. 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. Hence it belongs to the bestknown otbooks with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. Jon levenson capably guides readers through both versions, demonstrating their coherence and their differences. The book of esther is renowned for its literary artistry, which functions as the principal vehicle for the books. The book of esther, according to the original text, and original chapter and verse system, explained in modern terms. Esther the niv application commentary kindle edition.
811 431 300 151 1384 277 1216 784 331 487 1050 921 1378 1323 53 1060 905 69 1119 1089 1069 1084 696 1151 830 1371 578 1088 1287 767 1311 1260 149 1119 1364 1396 1247 1104