The king gave the Jews permission to defend themselves by killing their enemies. Evidently this meant that they not only met attack with resistance but in some cases initiated attack against those who they knew would destroy them.97These would have been people such as Haman's sons who would have sought retaliation for their father's death in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion. Anti-Semitism has a very ancient history. Apparently it was wide-spread at this time, but the Jews did not plunder their enemies (vv. 15-16).
"The deliberate decision not to enrich themselves at the expense of their enemies would not go unnoticed in a culture where victors were expected to take the spoil. The very novelty of such self-denial would be remarked upon and remembered, and taken as proof of the upright motives of the Jewish communities."98
The absence of explicit reference in the text to God helping His people does not deny His help. Instead it reflects the attitude of the Jews who chose to refuse God's commands through Isaiah and Jeremiah to return to the land (Isa. 48:20; Jer. 29:10; 50:8; 51:6; cf. Deut. 28). They had pushed God aside in their lives as had Mordecai and Esther. Nevertheless God remained faithful to His promises in spite of His people's unfaithfulness (cf. 2 Tim. 2:13).
Evidently Esther had learned of a plot in Susa to attack the Jews on Adar 14 (March 8; v. 13). The purpose of hanging the bodies of Haman's 10 executed sons on the gallows was to disgrace them and to discourage other enemies of the Jews from attacking them (cf. Deut. 21:22-23; Num. 25:4; 1 Sam. 31:8-12; 2 Sam. 21:6; Num. 16:27, 32-33; Josh. 7:24-25). Almost twice as many people died in the royal precincts of Susa as in the rest of the city. The word "capital"in verse 6 really refers to the acropolis, the royal section of the capital city of Susa.
