John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Esther 10:3
For Mordecai the Jew was next unto Ahasuerus ,.... The second man in the kingdom, the principal of the counsellors, and prime minister of state: and great among the Jews ; highly respected by them, in great honour and esteem with them, for which there was great reason: and accepted of the multitude of his brethren ; or of many, of most, of the greatest part of them; for, let a man be ever so deserving, there are some that will envy his greatness, cavil at everything done by him, and... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Esther 10:1-3
We are here told, I. How great and powerful king Ahasuerus was. He had a vast dominion, both in the continent and among the islands, from which he raised a vast revenue. Besides the usual customs which the kings of Persia exacted (Ezra 4:13), he laid an additional tribute upon his subjects, to serve for some great occasion he had for money (Est. 10:1): The king laid a tribute. Happy is our island, that pays no tribute but what is laid upon it by its representatives, and those of its own... read more