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Texts -- Esther 1:1-10 (NET)
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
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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.
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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 ...
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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...
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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,...
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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.
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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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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.
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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.
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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...
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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
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India
[ebd] occurs only in Esther 1:1 and 8:9, where the extent of the dominion of the Persian king is described. The country so designated here is not the peninsula of Hindustan, but the country surrounding the Indus, the Punjab. The p...
[isbe] INDIA - in'-di-a (hoddu: he Indike): The name occurs in canonical Scripture only in Est 1:1; 8:9, of the country which marked the eastern boundary of the territory of Ahasuerus. The Hebrew word comes from the name of the Ind...
[smith] The name of India does not occur in the Bible before the book of Esther where it is noticed as the limit of the territories of Ahasuerus in the east, as Ethiopia was in the west. (Esther 1:1; 8:9) The India of the book of Est...
[nave] INDIA, probably the eastern limit of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, Esth. 1:1; 8:9.
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ESTHER, BOOK OF
[isbe] ESTHER, BOOK OF - 1. The Canonicity of Esther 2. Its Authorship 3. Its Date 4. Its Contents 5. The Greek Additions 6. The Attacks upon the Book 7. Some of the Objections 8. Confirmations of the Book This book completes the h...
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Carcas
[isbe] CARCAS - kar'-kas (karkac): One of seven chamberlains, ordered to summon Queen Vashti before King Ahasuerus (Est 1:10). The Targum allegorizes the first five of the names.
[smith] (severe), the seventh of the seven "chamberlains," i.e. eunuchs, of King Ahasuerus. (Esther 1:10) (B.C. 483.).
[nave] CARCAS, a Persian chamberlain, Esth. 1:10.
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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.
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Harbona
[ebd] (a Persian word meaning "ass-driver"), one of the seven eunuchs or chamberlains of king Ahasuerus (Esther 1:10; 7:9).
[smith] (ass-driver), the third of the seven chamberlains or eunuchs who served King Ahasuerus. (Esther 1:10) (B.C. 483-475.)
[nave] HARBONA, called also Harbonah. A chamberlain of Ahasuerus, Esth. 1:10; 7:9.
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Zethar
[isbe] ZETHAR - ze'-thar (zethar; Oppert, Esther, 25, compares Persian zaitar, "conqueror"; see BDB; Septuagint Abataza): A eunuch of Ahasuerus (Est 1:10).
[smith] (star), one of the seven eunuchs of Ahasuerus, (Esther 1:10) (B.C. 453.)
[nave] ZETHAR, one of the seven chamberlains of the king of Persia, Esth. 1:10.
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Biztha
[isbe] BIZTHA - biz'-tha (Septuagint Mazan; also Bazan and Bazea): One of the seven eunuchs or chamberlains of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes). It is possible that the name is derived from the Persian besteh, "bound," hence, "eunuch" (Est ...
[smith] (eunuch), the second of the seven eunuchs of King Ahasuerus? harem. (Esther 1:10) (B.C. 483.)
[nave] BIZTHA, a Persian chamberlain, Esth. 1:10.
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Food
[nave] FOOD. Articles of Milk, Gen. 49:12; Prov. 27:27; butter, Deut. 32:14; 2 Sam. 17:29; cheese, 1 Sam. 17:18; Job 10:10; bread, Gen. 18:5; 1 Sam. 17:17; parched grain, Ruth 2:14; 1 Sam. 17:17; flesh, 2 Sam. 6:19; Prov. 9:2; fi...
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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....
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LINEN
[ebd] (1.) Heb., pishet, pishtah, denotes "flax," of which linen is made (Isa. 19:9); wrought flax, i.e., "linen cloth", Lev. 13:47, 48, 52, 59; Deut. 22:11. Flax was early cultivated in Egypt (Ex. 9:31), and also in Palestine (Jo...
[isbe] LINEN - lin'-en (badh, "white linen," used chiefly for priestly robes, buts, "byssus," a fine white Egyptian linen, called in the earlier writings shesh; pesheth, "flax," cadhin; bussos, othonion, linon, sindon): Thread or c...
Arts
Questions
- I found these remarks in the Bible Knowledge Commentary, which may be of interest: Historical Setting. The Book of Esther is unique in several ways. For one thing it is a book with several historical problems. The book ...
Sermon Illustrations
Resources/Books
Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)
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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 ...
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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"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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
