Esther 6 bible commentary wesleys explanatory notes. He eventually chose esther as his queen, and by her influence the jews were saved from destruction. Although his name is never mentioned, we see his providence in each page of this wonderful little book. Scripture that same day king xerxes gave queen esther the estate of read more the book of esther bible study. Esther bible study chapter 1 the invitation of the king. Esther 1 new international version niv queen vashti deposed. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. Engage the challenging books of ruth and esther utilizing the dynamic. Bible studies in the book of esther esther chapter 1.
Frederic bush, word biblical commentary wbc, thomas nelson, 1996, 528 pp. God is always active in esther, even though it is behind the scenes. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. Number 1 rated commentary esther an introduction and commentary tyndale old testament commentaries joyce g. Weve created a 10day study guide for you, each day working through a chapter of the exciting story of esther.
Commentary on esther 1 by matthew henry blue letter bible. Esther commentary, sermon, illustration esther commentaries. The book of esther serves as the authorizing document for purim, a holiday that is not mentioned in the torah. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. The bible book of esther is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives.
Although there are unfortunately those today who suggest that some of the stories in the old testament are legends, there is substantial evidence that the events of esther. Although we do not know who wrote the book of esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author and the date of composition. If the king had now forgotten that esther had an errand to him, and had not again asked what it was, she could scarcely have known how to renew it herself. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. Baldwin rosscup is a bit less enamored with karen jobes commentary writing jobes will not be clear to some in her view that a biblical book can have legitimate errors in historical matters for the sake of poetic license, without. The books of ezra and nehemiah were written during his reign.
The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage, divine timing. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. 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. The events in the book of esther occurred from 483. The niv application commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in todays context. Studying the book of esther is well worth your time. When i wrote my study on the book of ruth 1, i started by saying that it was a fantastic book that had it all well, apart from a nasty villain, but we cant ask for everything. An exposition, with practical observations, of the book of esther chapter 1.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading esther tyndale old testament commentaries book. Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. Study scripture verses with commentary, concordances, and use highlighting, underlining, take notes in the bible. The book is named for the star of the story, a young jewish girl named hadassah who was taken from her guardian, mordecai, and forced to compete for the affection of the king. Most likely, the book of esther doesnt have the name of god because it shows how god works behind the scenes. This is my favorite commentary on any book of holy scripture. It is careful not to say that god commanded the observance of purim.
It purports to explain how the feast of purim came to be celebrated by the jews. The book belongs to the socalled five scrolls hebr. You can work through this bible study on your own or with your small group, and you can go through this in ten days, or over a tenweek or semester long schedule. Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israels history from a dark time. Over 100 years earlier, nebuchadnezzar the king of babylon had attacked jerusalem. The book of esther may remind you of a classic, once upon a time childrens story with a wealthy king, his beautiful queen, and an evil villain. The king urged esther, a third time, to tell him what her request was, for he longed to know, and repeated his promise that it should be granted, esther 7. Several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. Jan 01, 2001 this informative commentary part of jpss bible commentary series dissects the book of esther and, by extension, the jewish holiday of purim. Xerxes this is the ahasuerus of the book of esther. Better is a dinner of herbs with quietness, than this banquet of wine, with all the noise and tumult that must have attended it. The book of esther does not mention the name of god.
Esther a2 classic bible study guide 2 introduction the book of esther is a graphic narrative, which relates how gods people were preserved from ruin during the fifth century b. Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. Book of prophecy that reveals gods magnificent plan of salvation through the person and work of jesus christ the book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in their synagogues to the present day. The detailed descriptions of court life and traditions. Esther chapter 2 verse by verse bible commentary matthew. But while the characters might resemble a fairy tale, the book of esther depicts actual events that shaped jewish history and. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of esther in easy english. You will also find options for commentaries on esther that help pastors, teachers, and readers with application of the bible, commentaries that approach the scripture versebyverse, classic christian commentaries, and much more. Esther 1 niv queen vashti deposed this is what bible. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. The book of esther is designed to show gods providential care of his people.
We find in this book that even those jews who were scattered in the provinces. Title esther serves as the title without variation through the ages. With scripture memory, daily study, and group discussion questions, this resource is ideal for both individual and group study. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The book of esther provides us with the greatest illustrations of the providence of god. It belongs to the third section of the judaic canon, known as the ketuvim, or writings, and also appears in the protestant canon and in the roman catholic canon. Vashti is sent for by the king, but refuses to come, esther 1. Top 5 commentaries on the book of esther ligonier ministries. Publication date 1908 topics bible publisher new york.
This commentary is based on the premise that the book of esther is written with the intention of presenting factual history, something supported by the fact that it was as a factual history that it was received into the jewish canon, even though it. 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. Girls of marriageable age in the ancient world were much younger than brides today in the western world. Esther bible study chapter 6 the sleepless king and the. Jobes volume is best for those seeking a biblicaltheological commentary on the book of esther. A story of the providence of god in a pagan land page 4 introduction to the book the book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. We might even think that he does not care about us. The book of esther is one of the latest of the canonical books of scripture, having been written late in the reign of xerxes, or early in that of his son artaxerxes.
In the hebrew bible, the book of esther is found in the third section of the canon, the writings. Esther is the last of the historical books of the bible, so its main character is. Berlin begins with a lengthy introduction, discussing esther as comedy and as diaspora literature. Though the name of god is not mentioned, the hand of god, ruling. Esther chapter 7 verse by verse bible commentary matthew. Ahasuerus makes royal feasts for his nobles and people, esther 1. But the megillahs mandate differs from the torahs in one crucial respect. The genre of the book of esther is narrative history. Well, i can now tell you that i have found you the particularly nasty villain you have been. A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther by paton, lewis bayles, 18641932.
Esther tyndale old testament commentaries book kindle edition by reid, debra. A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther. David guzik commentary on esther 1, where queen vashti refuses to display her. 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. Read all of esther 6 verse 1 1 on that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles.
Esther tyndale old testament commentary by joyce g. He overcame the jews and he took many jews to babylon. Esther commentary scroll down to page 273 for 3 page commentary on esther includes maps seems to be well done alexander d davidson lectures, expository and practical on the book of esther 1859. The events that the first chapter of the book of esther describes happened about 483 bc before christ. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star.
Its one of the most beautiful books in the bible and so full of great takeaways for the modern christian woman today. This commentary is based on the premise that the book of esther is written with the intention of presenting factual history, something supported by the fact that it was as a factual history that it was received into the jewish canon, even though it neither contains a reference to god or yhwh, nor to basic jewish worship, and is not associated in any way with palestine or jerusalem. His predecessor was king darius 522485 bc who is mentioned in ezra 4. This is a highly unusual commentary on the book of esther. This commentary shows how esther is perfect guidance for us when we find ourselves in a situation where right and wrong are not so clearly defined and every choice we have seems to be a troubling mixture of good and bad. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esther a comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a part of his harem. In the book of esther, what is not said is vitally important.
This little gem, tucked away in an obscure corner of the old testament, is a very rich book, and it is historical. The original text of the megillah book of esther with a running commentary culled from the talmud and midrash, the great torah commentators and the chassidic masters. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on. The story of esther reads like a movie plot, with a beautiful queen risking her life to prevent genocide. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. Esther tyndale old testament commentaries book kindle. This summary of the book of esther provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of esther.
Jon levenson capably guides readers through both versions, demonstrating their coherence and their differences. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of. In esther, god providentially uses two exiled israelites to. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. Sadly, many who read and study esther including bible scholars who write commentaries on the book fill in the blanks, rather than leaving them blank and learning from the silence of the author.
Book of esther bible study chapter 3 haman the madman book of esther bible study chapter 4 if i perish, i perish book of esther bible study chapter 5 prayer and the power of the third day book of esther bible study chapter 6 the sleepless king and the providence of god book of esther bible study chapter 7 the downfall of haman the wicked. We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b. This book is also the reason why the jewish people created the jewish festivity of purim, which is celebrated annually amongst all jewish people in the world. The unknown author of the book of esther was most likely a jew very familiar with the royal persian court. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. Book of esther, in the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. How esther came to be queen and mordecai to be great at court. What is the status of the chronological debate for the megillah. Watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Artaxerxes this man was son of xerxes and stepson of esther. For those seeking a more extensive commentary on the book of esther, frederic bushs work in the wbc series is a good place to start. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. The book of esther has been preserved in ancient texts that diverge greatly from each other. The book takes its name from the beautiful, orphaned jewess.
In this sixweek study, explore the subject of gods providence, walking verse by verse through the book of esther. You can find the best commentary on esther for you using the tools on the right side. Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. Adele berlins commentary in the jps series is better suited for a critical look at the hebrew text. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. 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. The events of the book of esther occurred during the reign of king ahasuerus, xerxes i. But while the characters might resemble a fairy tale, the book of esther depicts actual events that shaped jewish history and instituted the festival of purim. Although a bit too technical for most readers, it will be of benefit to seminary students and others doing indepth study of the text. Chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five chapter six chapter seven s. The key personalities are esther, mordecai, king ahasuerus or xerxes, and haman. Best esther commentaries updated for 2020 best bible.
This book and the book of ruth are the only ot books named after women. The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control. What spiritual lessons can we learn from this book. Megillah with indepth commentaryside by side version. This summary of the book of esther will help with many different forms of bible study. Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr.