Advanced Commentary
Texts -- Esther 5:1-13 (NET)

Pericope

NET
- Est 5:1-8 -- Esther Appeals to the King for Help
- Est 5:9-14 -- Haman Expresses His Hatred of Mordecai
Bible Dictionary

-
Tact
[nave] TACT Prov. 15:1; 25:15. In preaching, 1 Cor. 9:19-22; 2 Cor. 12:6. Of Gideon, Judg. 8:1-3. Of Saul, in managing malcontents, 1 Sam. 10:27; 11:7, 12-15. Nabal's wife, Abigail, 1 Sam. 25:18-37. In David's popular methods:...
-
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...
-
SCEPTRE; SCEPTER
[isbe] SCEPTRE; SCEPTER - sep'-ter (shebheT, sharbhiT, expanded form in Est 4:11; 5:2; 8:4; rhabdos (Additions to Esther 15:11; Heb 1:8), skeptros): A rod or mace used by a sovereign as a symbol of royal authority. The Hebrew shebh...
-
Malice
[nave] MALICE. Gen. 3:15; Lev. 19:14, 17, 18; Deut. 27:17, 18; Deut. 32:32, 33; 2 Kin. 6:21, 22; Job 31:29, 30; Psa. 4:2; Psa. 7:14-16 Job 15:35. Psa. 10:7-10, 14; Psa. 21:11; Psa. 22:7, 8; Psa. 35:15, 16, 19-21; Psa. 38:16, 19; P...
-
MEALS
[smith] Our information on the subject of meals is but scanty. The early Hebrews do not seem to have given special names to their several meals, for the terms rendered "dine" and "dinner" in the Authorized Version ((Genesis 43:16; Pr...
-
King
[nave] KING Called King of kings, Ezra 7:12; Ezek. 26:7; Dan. 2:37. Divinely authorized, Deut. 17:15; 1 Sam. 9:16, 17; 16:12; 1 Chr. 22:10; 2 Chr. 2:11, 12; Prov. 8:15; Dan. 2:21, 37; 4:17; 5:20; Hos. 8:4; 13:11. How chosen: By d...
-
Israel
[nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...
-
Haman
[nave] HAMAN Prime minister of Ahasuerus, Esth. 3:1. Plotted against Esther and the Jews, thwarted by Esther and Mordecai, hanged, Esth. 3-9.
-
HEAD
[isbe] HEAD - hed (ro'-sh, Aramaic re'sh, and in special sense gulgoleth, literally, "skull," "cut-off head" (1 Ch 10:10), whence Golgotha (Mt 27:33; Mk 15:22; Jn 19:17); mera'ashah, literally, "head-rest," "pillow," "bolster" (1 K...
-
GOOD
[isbe] GOOD - good (Tobh, Tubh, yaTabh; agathos, agathon, kalos, kalon): In English "good" is used in various senses, most of which are represented in the Bible. (1) In the Old Testament the commonest word is Tobh, occurring very f...
-
FETCH
[isbe] FETCH - fech (laqach): Has generally the meaning of "to bring"; it is commonly the translation of Hebrew laqach, "to take" or "lay hold of," Hoph. "to be brought, seized or snatched away" (Gen 18:4, etc.; 27:9, etc.; 42:16; ...
-
Esther
[nave] ESTHER, called also Hadassah. Niece of Mordecai, Esth. 2:7, 15. Chosen queen, Esth. 2:17. Tells the king of the plot against his life, Esth. 2:22. Fasts on account of the decree to destroy the Israelites; accuses Haman to ...
-
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...
-
Courage
[nave] COURAGE Enjoined upon Joshua, Deut. 31:7, 8, 22, 23; Josh. 1:1-9; the Israelites, Lev. 26:6-8; 2 Chr. 32:7, 8; Solomon, 1 Chr. 22:13; 28:20; Asa, 2 Chr. 15:1-7. Enjoined by Jehoshaphat upon the judicial and executive office...
-
Colour
[ebd] The subject of colours holds an important place in the Scriptures. White occurs as the translation of various Hebrew words. It is applied to milk (Gen. 49:12), manna (Ex. 16:31), snow (Isa. 1:18), horses (Zech. 1:8), raiment...
-
BIRTHDAY
[isbe] BIRTHDAY - burth'-da: (1) The custom of observing birthdays of great men, especially of kings, was widespread in ancient times (see Gen 40:20 f, "the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday," etc.; compare 2 Macc 6:7; and He...
-
BANQUET
[ebd] a feast provided for the entertainment of a company of guests (Esther 5; 7; 1 Pet. 4:3); such as was provided for our Lord by his friends in Bethany (Matt. 26:6; Mark 14:3; comp. John 12:2). These meals were in the days of C...
[isbe] BANQUET - ban'-kwet. 1. The Ancient Hebrew Customs: (1) "Banquet" and "banqueting" in the King James Version always include and stand for wine-drinking, not simply "feast" or "feasting" in our sense. Thus (Song 2:4), "He bro...
-
Ambition
[nave] AMBITION Falsely charged against Moses, Num. 16:13. Parable of the thistle, illustrating, 2 Kin. 14:9. Unclassified Scriptures Relating to Job 20:6, 7; Psa. 49:11-13; Isa. 5:8; Hab. 2:5, 6, 9; Matt. 4:8-10 Luke 4:5-8. Mat...
-
AVAIL
[isbe] AVAIL - a-val' shawah, "to be equal," hence "to be enough," "to avail"): Used in the sense of "satisfy" (Est 5:13). Queen Esther's exceptional favor availed not to satisfy Haman, because of his insane jealousy of his rival M...
-
ATTITUDES
[isbe] ATTITUDES - at'-i-tuds: Customs change slowly in Bible lands. This becomes clear by a comparison of the many references found in the Bible and other literatures of the Orient with existing circumstances and conditions. The s...
Arts

Questions

- There has been a long standing debate over the meaning of Matthew 12:40, "for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart ...
- In Esther 2:5-6 we are told: 2:5 Now there happened to be a Jewish man in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai. He was the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 2:6 who had been taken into ex...
Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)
-
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...
-
Chapters 5-7 carry us to the climax of our story. They show how God providentially preserved and protected His people.
-
Here we have another remarkable example of how God controls the hearts of kings (v. 2; Prov. 21:1; cf. Gen. 39-41; Ezra 1:1-4; Neh. 2; Dan. 2; 3; 4; 5; Acts 2:23). "To half of the kingdom"(v. 3) is hyperbole and means, "I wil...
-
God had obviously kept Haman from discovering Esther's relationship to Mordecai."It was an unusual honor to be invited to a banquet with the queen, for Persian officials were protective of their wives."80The Persians placed g...
-
14:1-2 "At that time"is again a loose connective not intended to communicate chronological sequence necessarily. Herod Antipas lived primarily at Tiberias on the west shore of Lake Galilee.579Word about Jesus' ministry reache...
Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)
-
The orphan girl who had grown up into beauty under the care of her uncle Mordecai, and was lifted suddenly from sheltered obscurity into the fierce light that beats upon a throne,' like some flower culled in a shady nook and ...