Esther 2
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 2:20
Esther had not yet showed , etc. This is inserted to account for the humble position still occupied by Mordecai. In the East a person's relations usually rise with him; and the reader would naturally expect that when Esther was once queen, Mordecai would have become rich and great. Esther's silence accounts for Mordecai's low estate; Mordecai's command (see verse 10) accounts for Esther's silence . For Esther did the commandment of Mordecai . The royal dignity did not change Esther's... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 2:20
Filial obedience. Esther was an adopted child. Her debt to Mordecai was very great, for nurture, care, training, and affection. And she was not forgetful of her obligation; she gladly repaid the solicitude of her cousin by her gratitude, reverential regard, and filial obedience. The habit of obedience continued in after life. As far as was consistent with the higher relation of married life, she maintained her grateful and affectionate subjection to her kinsman. If this was right and just,... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 2:20
Worldly policy. A superficial view might lead to an unqualified admiration of Esther and Mordecai, the principal characters in the scene before us. And not without reason, for they exemplify in their conduct some of the nobler qualities of human nature. With regard to Esther, note— 1 . That she remembered in her prosperity the associations of the past. This did credit both to her head and to her heart; it evinced her sound sense as well as her humble-mindedness. It is pitiable to... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 2:21
In those days . Or, "at that time"— i.e. at the time when the second gathering of the virgins took place (see Esther 2:19 ). Two of the king's chamberlains . Rather, "eunuchs." Bigthan, or Bigthana ( Esther 6:2 ), is probably the same name as the Bigtha of Esther 1:10 , and possibly the same personage. Teresh is not mentioned elsewhere. Of those which kept the door . Two of the eunuchs who guarded the entrance to the king's sleeping apartment. This was a position of the highest... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 2:21-23
A plot in the palace. All arbitrary governments are liable to conspiracies; all arbitrary, absolute monarchs to assassination. Especially has this been the case in all ages with Oriental despotisms. We know from history that it was so in Persia; and in fact this very Ahasuerus, if he was the Xerxes of history, fell afterwards a victim to a foul conspiracy. It was not always a political motive that prompted such plots; the motive was oftentimes personal—it might be ambition, or... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 2:21-23
Conspiracy and fidelity. I. THE INSECURITY OF ANY POSITION THAT IS NOT WELL FOUNDED . The throne of a despot is like a house built on the sand, or like a city under which smoulder volcanic fires. There is no darker page in history than that which records the doings and sufferings of despotic rulers. It is in the nature of an autocratic rule, which subjects the liberty of multitudes to the will of one man, to breed discontents and plottings. When truth and justice are... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 2:22
And the thing was known unto Mordecai . Josephus says that a certain Pharnabazus, a slave of one of the conspirators, betrayed them to Mordecai ('Ant. Jud.,' 14.6, § 4). One of the Targums on Esther attributes his discovery of the plot to his knowledge of languages. But it is probable that these are mere guesses. And Esther certified the king thereof . The original is simpler, "And Esther told it to the king." In Mordecai's name . Mordecai's name thus came first before the king. Esther... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 2:23
It was found out . The subsequent history shows that Mordecai's information was found to be correct, since he was ultimately adjudged to have deserved the highest possible reward ( Esther 6:6-10 ). The two conspirators were condemned to death and hanged on a tree , i.e. crucified or impaled, as traitors and rebels commonly were in Persia (see Herod; 3.159; 4.43; 'Behist. Inscr.,' col. 2. pars. 13, 14; col. 3. par. 8). And it was written in the book of the chronicles .... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 2:19
When the virgins were gathered together . Rather, "When virgins." There is no article. The fact seems to be mentioned simply as furnishing a date, and we must suppose both that there was a second gathering, and that the time when it happened was generally known to the Jews and Persians. Then Mordecai sat, etc. The three verses, 19, 20, 21, hang together, and form a single sentence: "When virgins were gathered together a second time, and Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate—now Esther had... read more