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Texts -- Esther 1:1-22 (NET)

Context
The King Throws a Lavish Party
1:1 The following events happened in the days of Ahasuerus . (I am referring to that Ahasuerus who used to rule over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces extending all the way from India to Ethiopia .) 1:2 In those days , as King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa the citadel , 1:3 in the third year of his reign he provided a banquet for all his officials and his servants . The army of Persia and Media was present , as well as the nobles and the officials of the provinces . 1:4 He displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his majestic greatness for a lengthy period of time – a hundred and eighty days , to be exact! 1:5 When those days were completed , the king then provided a seven-day banquet for all the people who were present in Susa the citadel , for those of highest standing to the most lowly . It was held in the court located in the garden of the royal palace . 1:6 The furnishings included linen and purple curtains hung by cords of the finest linen and purple wool on silver rings , alabaster columns , gold and silver couches displayed on a floor made of valuable stones of alabaster , mother-of-pearl , and mineral stone . 1:7 Drinks were served in golden containers , all of which differed from one another . Royal wine was available in abundance at the king’s expense . 1:8 There were no restrictions on the drinking , for the king had instructed all of his supervisors that they should do as everyone so desired . 1:9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in King Ahasuerus ’ royal palace .
Queen Vashti is Removed from Her Royal Position
1:10 On the seventh day , as King Ahasuerus was feeling the effects of the wine , he ordered Mehuman , Biztha , Harbona , Bigtha , Abagtha , Zethar , and Carcas , the seven eunuchs who attended him, 1:11 to bring Queen Vashti into the king’s presence wearing her royal high turban . He wanted to show the people and the officials her beauty , for she was very attractive . 1:12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s bidding conveyed through the eunuchs . Then the king became extremely angry , and his rage consumed him. 1:13 The king then inquired of the wise men who were discerners of the times – for it was the royal custom to confer with all those who were proficient in laws and legalities . 1:14 Those who were closest to him were Carshena , Shethar , Admatha , Tarshish , Meres , Marsena , and Memucan . These men were the seven officials of Persia and Media who saw the king on a regular basis and had the most prominent offices in the kingdom . 1:15 The king asked, “By law , what should be done to Queen Vashti in light of the fact that she has not obeyed the instructions of King Ahasuerus conveyed through the eunuchs ?” 1:16 Memucan then replied to the king and the officials , “The wrong of Queen Vashti is not against the king alone , but against all the officials and all the people who are throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus . 1:17 For the matter concerning the queen will spread to all the women , leading them to treat their husbands with contempt , saying , ‘When King Ahasuerus gave orders to bring Queen Vashti into his presence , she would not come .’ 1:18 And this very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media who have heard the matter concerning the queen will respond in the same way to all the royal officials , and there will be more than enough contempt and anger ! 1:19 If the king is so inclined , let a royal edict go forth from him , and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media that cannot be repealed , that Vashti may not come into the presence of King Ahasuerus , and let the king convey her royalty to another who is more deserving than she. 1:20 And let the king’s decision which he will enact be disseminated throughout all his kingdom , vast though it is. Then all the women will give honor to their husbands , from the most prominent to the lowly .” 1:21 The matter seemed appropriate to the king and the officials . So the king acted on the advice of Memucan . 1:22 He sent letters throughout all the royal provinces , to each province according to its own script and to each people according to its own language , that every man should be ruling his family and should be speaking the language of his own people .

Pericope

NET
  • Est 1:1-9 -- The King Throws a Lavish Party
  • Est 1:10-22 -- Queen Vashti is Removed from Her Royal Position

Bible Dictionary

  • Shushan

    [ebd] a lily, the Susa of Greek and Roman writers, once the capital of Elam. It lay in the uplands of Susiana, on the east of the Tigris, about 150 miles to the north of the head of the Persian Gulf. It is the modern Shush, on the...
    [isbe] SHUSHAN - shoo'-shan (shushan; Sousan, Sousa): 1. Position, Eytmology and Forms of Its Name: This city, the Susu or Susan of the Babylonians, and the native (Elamite) Susun, is the modern Shush (Sus) in Southwestern Persia, ...
    [nave] SHUSHAN 1. Capital of the Medo-Persian empire, Esth. 1:2, 3; 8:15. 2. King's palace at, Neh. 1:1; Esth. 1:2, 5; 2:5, 8; 4:8, 16; 8:14, 15; 9:11, 15.

  • Vashti

    [ebd] beautiful, the queen of Ahasuerus, who was deposed from her royal dignity because she refused to obey the king when he desired her to appear in the banqueting hall of Shushan the palace (Esther 1:10-12). (See ESTHER.)
    [isbe] VASHTI - vash'-ti (washti; Astin; Old Persian "beautiful woman"): The former queen of Xerxes, whom he divorced. On the 7th day of a great feast which the king was giving to the assembled nobles of the empire and others, he c...
    [smith] (beautiful), the "queen" of Ahasuerus, who, for refusing to show herself to the king?s guests at the royal banquet, when sent for by the king, was repudiated and deposed. (Esther 1:1) ... (B.C. 483.) Many attempts have been m...
    [nave] VASHTI, wife of king Ahasuerus. Put away for refusing to exhibit herself at a royal banquet, Esth. 1:9-22; 2:1, 4, 17.

  • Medes

    [isbe] MEDES - medz (madhi; Assyrian Amada, Mada; Achaem. Persian Mada; Medoi (Gen 10:2; 2 Ki 17:6; 18:11; 1 Ch 1:5; Ezr 6:2; Est 1:3,14,18,19; 10:2; Isa 13:17; 21:2; Jer 25:25; 51:11,28; Dan 5:28; 6:1,9,13,16; 8:20; 9:1; 11:1)): M...
    [nave] MEDES Inhabitants of Media. Israelites distributed among, when carried to Assyria, 2 Kin. 17:6; 18:11. Palace in the Babylonian province of, Ezra 6:2. An essential part of the Medo-Persian empire, Esth. 1:1-19. Supremacy ...

  • Servant

    [nave] SERVANT Distinguished as bond servant, who was a slave, and hired servant. Bond Laws of Moses concerning, Ex. 21:1-11, 20, 21, 26, 27, 32; Lev. 19:20-22; 25:6, 10, 35-55; Deut. 15:12, 14, 18; 24:7. Kidnapping forbidden, D...

  • Persia

    [isbe] PERSIA - pur'-sha, (parats; Persia; in Assyrian Parsu, Parsua; in Achemenian Persian Parsa, modern Fars): In the Bible (2 Ch 36:20,22,23; Ezr 1:1,8; Est 1:3,14,18; 10:2; Ezek 27:10; 38:5; Dan 8:20; 10:1; 11:2) this name deno...
    [nave] PERSIA An empire which extended from India to Ethiopia, comprising one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, Esth. 1:1; Dan. 6:1. Government of, restricted by constitutional limitations, Esth. 8:8; Dan. 6:8-12. Municipal gov...

  • Memucan

    [ebd] dignified, one of the royal counsellors at the court of Ahasuerus, by whose suggestion Vashti was divorced (Esther 1:14, 16, 21).
    [isbe] MEMUCAN - me-mu'-kan (memukhan; derivation unknown but probably of Persian origin (Est 1:14,16,21)): One of "the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and sat first in the kingdom." Ahasuerus consults t...
    [smith] (dignified), one of the seven princes of Persia in the reign of Ahasuerus, who "saw the king?s face," and sat first in the kingdom. (Esther 1:14,16,21)
    [nave] MEMUCAN, one of the seven princes of Ahasuerus who counsels the king to divorce Queen Vashti, Esth. 1:14-21.

  • Queen

    [nave] QUEEN The wife of a king, 1 Kin. 11:19. Crowned, Esth. 1:11; 2:17. Divorced, Esth. 1:10-22. Sits on the throne with the king, Neh. 2:6. Makes feasts for the women of the royal household, Esth. 1:9. Exerts an evil influe...

  • Divorce

    [nave] DIVORCE. Ex. 21:7-11; Deut. 21:10-14; Deut. 24:1-4; Ezra 10:1-16; Neh. 13:23-30; Jer. 3:1; Mic. 2:9; Mal. 2:14-16; Matt. 5:31, 32; Matt. 19:3-12 Mark 10:2. Luke 16:18; 1 Cor. 7:10-17 Disobedience of the wife to the husband,...

  • Family

    [nave] FAMILY. Of Saints Blessed, Psa. 128:3, 6. Should be taught God's word, Deut. 4:9, 10. Worship God together, 1 Cor. 16:19. Be duly regulated, Prov. 31:27; 1 Tim. 3:4, 5, 12. Live in unity, Gen. 45:24; Psa. 133:1. Live ...

  • Husband

    [nave] HUSBAND. Gen. 2:23, 24 Matt. 19:5; Mark 10:7. Num. 5:11-31; Deut. 22:13-21; Deut. 24:5; Prov. 5:15-19; Eccl. 9:9; Mal. 2:14-16; 1 Cor. 7:3, 5; 1 Cor. 7:14, 16, 33; 1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:22-33; Col. 3:18, 19; 1 Tim. 5:8; 1 Pet...

  • Women

    [nave] WOMEN Creation of, Gen. 1:27; 2:21, 22. Named, Gen. 2:23. Fall of, and curse upon, Gen. 3:1-16; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14. Promise to, Gen. 3:15. Had separate apartments in dwellings, Gen. 24:67; 31:33; Esth. 2:9, 11. Ve...

  • Wife

    [nave] WIFE Called Desire of the Eyes, Ezek. 24:16. Help, Gen. 2:18, 20. Fruitful Vine, Psa. 128:3. The judgment denounced against Eve, Gen. 3:16. Relation of, to husband, Gen. 2:18, 23, 24; 1 Cor. 11:3-12. Domestic duties of,...

  • Chamberlain

    [ebd] a confidential servant of the king (Gen. 37:36; 39:1). In Rom. 16:23 mention is made of "Erastus the chamberlain." Here the word denotes the treasurer of the city, or the quaestor, as the Romans styled him. He is almost the ...
    [isbe] CHAMBERLAIN - cham'-ber-lin: In the Old Testament the word rendered chamberlain, caric, is more properly "eunuch," an officer which oriental monarchs placed over their harems (Est 1:10,12,15; 2:3,14,21; 4:4 f; 6:2,14; 7:9; 2...
    [nave] CHAMBERLAIN, an officer of a king, 2 Kin. 23:11; Esth. 1:10-15; 2:3-21; 4:4, 5; Acts 12:20; Rom. 16:23.

  • Babylon

    [nave] BABYLON City of Built by Nimrod, Gen. 10:10. In the land of Shinar, Gen. 10:10; 11:2. Tower of, Gen. 11:1-9. Capital of the kingdom of Babylon, Dan. 4:30; 2 Kin. 25:13; 2 Chr. 36:6, 7, 10, 18, 20. Gates of, Isa. 45:1, 2...

  • Feasts

    [nave] FEASTS Ancient customs at: Men alone present at, Gen. 40:20; 43:32, 34; 1 Sam. 9:22; Esth. 1:8; Mark 6:21; Luke 14:24; women alone, Esth. 1:9. Men and women attend, Ex. 32:6, with vs. 2,3;Dan. 5:1-3. Riddles propounded at,...

  • Marble

    [ebd] as a mineral, consists of carbonate of lime, its texture varying from the highly crystalline to the compact. In Esther 1:6 there are four Hebrew words which are rendered marble:, (1.) Shesh, "pillars of marble." But this wor...
    [isbe] MARBLE - mar'-b'-l (shayish, shesh, 'abhne shayish, "stones of marble" (1 Ch 29:2); ritspath bahat wa-shesh we-dhar we-cochareth, "a pavement of red, and white, and yellow, and black marble," or, according to the margin, "a ...
    [smith] The Hebrew shesh , the generic term for marble, may probably be taken to mean almost any shining stone. The so-called marble of Solomon?s architectural works may thus have been limestone. There can be no doubt that Herod both...
    [nave] MARBLE In the temple, 1 Chr. 29:2. Pillars of, Esth. 1:6; Song 5:15. Merchandise of, Rev. 18:12. Mosaics of, Esth. 1:6.

  • PURIM; PUR

    [isbe] PURIM; PUR - pur'-rim, pur (purim, "lots"; Septuagint Phrourai): The name of a Jewish festival celebrated on the 14th and 15th days of the month Adar, the final month of the Biblical year, corresponding to February-March. 1....

  • Bigtha

    [ebd] garden, or gift of fortune, one of the seven eunuchs or chamberlains who had charge of the harem of Ahasuerus (Esther 1:10).
    [isbe] BIGTHA - big'-tha (bighetha'; Septuagint Barazi; Codex Vaticanus, Boraze; Codex Alexandrinus, Oareboa): One of the seven eunuchs or chamberlains having charge of the harem of King Xerxes ("Ahasuerus") and commanded to bring ...
    [smith] (gift of God), one of the seven chamberlains or eunuchs of the harem of King Ahasuerus. (Esther 1:10) (B.C. 483.)
    [nave] BIGTHA Esth. 1:10

  • Abagtha

    [ebd] one of the seven eunuchs in Ahasuerus's court (Esther 1:10; 2:21).
    [isbe] ABAGTHA - a-bag'-tha ('abhaghetha', perhaps meaning "fortunate one"): One of the seven eunuchs, or "chamberlains," of Xerxes mentioned in Est 1:10. The name is Persian, and is one of the many Persian marks in the Book of Est...
    [smith] (God-given), one of the seven eunuchs in the Persian court of Ahasuerus. (Esther 1:10)
    [nave] ABAGTHA, a Persian chamberlain, Esth. 1:10.

  • Mehuman

    [ebd] faithful, one of the eunchs whom Ahasuerus (Xerxes) commanded to bring in Vashti (Esther 1:10).
    [isbe] MEHUMAN - me-hu'-man (me`human (Est 1:10)): A eunuch of Ahasuerus, the first of the seven chamberlains.
    [smith] (faithful), one of the seven eunuchs of Ahasuerus. (Esther 1:10)
    [nave] MEHUMAN, a chamberlain of Ahasuerus, Esth. 1:10.
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • While Joab was continuing to subdue the Ammonites the following spring by besieging Rabbah (modern Amman, the capital of Jordan; cf. 10:7), David was residing in Jerusalem (11:1). By mentioning the fact that normally kings le...
  • The month Chislev (v. 1) corresponds to our late November and early December. The year in view was the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign (i.e., 445-444 B.C.). Susa (or Shushan, in Hebrew) was a winter capital of Artaxerxes ...
  • The events of the Book of Esther took place during the Persian period of ancient history (539-331 B.C.) and during the reign of King Ahasuerus in particular (486-464 B.C.).Chronology of the Book of Esther483Ahasuerus' militar...
  • I. God's preparations 1:1-2:20A. Vashti deposed ch. 11. The king's feast 1:1-92. The queen's dismissal 1:10-22B. Esther elevated 2:1-201. The plan to replace Vashti 2:1-42. Esther's selection 2:5-113. The choice of Esther as ...
  • This chapter records the providential circumstances whereby Esther was able to rise to her influential position with the Persian king."Though no mention is made of God's providence, it nevertheless plays a prominent part, and...
  • Ahasuerus is the Hebrew name of the Persian king, Khshayarsha, whom we know better in ancient history by his Greek name, Xerxes.22He reigned over the Persian Empire from 486 to 464 B.C. and was the son of Darius I (521-486 B....
  • The Persian kings castrated many of the men who served the king and his family (v. 10) so they could not have sexual relations with the female members of the royal court and start dynasties of their own."Vashti"("best,""the b...
  • Ahasuerus had second thoughts about having deposed Vashti (v. 1), but he evidently concluded that the action he had taken against her needed to stand. The attendants' plan doubtless appealed to the king's ego (vv. 2-4). The w...
  • Esther again had to argue her case, this time for clemency for the Jews. Her request involved expense to the king. Esther would not have been sure he would grant it. Ahasuerus could have spared the life of the queen and Morde...
  • "The setting of the Mesopotamian dream-visions--which occurred in both the Assyrian period and the Babylonian period . . . --consisted of four elements: (1) the date, (2) the place of reception, (3) the recipient, and (4) the...
  • 40:17-19 The passageway in the eastern gate complex led into a courtyard. This was the outer court that contained an inner court within it. Around the perimeter of this outer court were 30 rooms. It is not clear if they were ...
  • 5:1 Older critical scholars have claimed that Belshazzar was never a king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.167However modern discoveries have shown that Belshazzar acted as king during his father's frequent and prolonged absences...
  • 6:1-2 When the Medo-Persian alliance overthrew the Neo-Babylonian Empire, it acquired much geographic territory that it proceeded to incorporate into its kingdom. The Persian Empire became the largest that the world had yet s...
  • 6:4 The text does not say why the other officials wanted to get rid of Daniel. Perhaps his integrity made it difficult for them to get away with graft and political corruption. Maybe since he was quite old they wanted to elim...
  • 8:2 Evidently Daniel was in Babylon when he had this vision, but what he saw, including himself, was in Susa (Shushan, AV; cf. Ezek. 8:3; 40:1).293Daniel probably knew where he was in his vision because he had visited Susa. I...
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