Esther 1:10,Esther 1:7

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Esther 1:10-22

We have here a damp to all the mirth of Ahasuerus's feast; it ended in heaviness, not as Job's children's feast by a wind from the wilderness, not as Belshazzar's by a hand-writing on the wall, but by is own folly. An unhappy falling out there was, at the end of the feast, between the king and queen, which broke of the feast abruptly, and sent the guests away silent and ashamed. I. It was certainly the king's weakness to send for Vashti into his presence when he was drunk, and in company with... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Esther 1:10

On the seventh day ,.... Of the feast, the last day of it, which the Rabbins, as Jarchi observes, say was the sabbath day, and so the Targum: when the heart of the king was merry with wine ; when he was intoxicated with it, and knew not well what he said or did; and the discourse at table ran upon the beauty of women, as the latter Targum; when the king asserted there were no women so beautiful as those of Babylon, and, as a proof of it, ordered his queen to be brought in: he... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Esther 1:10

He commanded Mehuman - All these are doubtless Persian names; but so disguised by passing through a Hebrew medium, that some of them can scarcely be known. Mehuman signifies a stranger or guest. We shall find other names and words in this book, the Persian etymology of which may be easily traced. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:1-22

The Book of Esther. There is a striking contrast between the Books of RUTH and ESTHER . The earlier book is an idyll; the later a chronicle. The earlier relates to lowly persons and to rural life; the later to kings and queens, and to a great Oriental metropolis. The earlier is the story of a family, and its interest is domestic; the later is a chapter from the history of a people, and deals with the intrigues of a court and the policy of a state. The religious character and aim of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:9-11

Queen Vashti. It would seem that the character of Vashti has been by many writers darkened in order to bring out the brightness of Esther's virtues. But it is not fair to make one queen simply the foil to the other. Haughty, disobedient, defiant, Vashti may have been, but she was placed in no ordinary position, and treated in no ordinary manner. I. Observe THE POSITION OF VASHTI . Her name (according to some) indicates her beauty, and it is expressly said that she was fair to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:10

When the heart of the king was merry with wine . We are told that once a year, at the feast of Mithra, the king of Persia was bound to intoxicate himself (Duris, Fr. 13). At other times he did as he pleased, but probably generally drank reason was somewhat obscured. Mehuman , etc. Persian etymologies have been given for most of these names, but they are all more or less uncertain; and as eunuchs were often foreigners, mutilated for the Persian market (Herod; 3:93; 8:105), who bore foreign... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:10

A drunken device. I. Drunkenness leads to further FOLLY . "When the wine is in the wit is out," is always true. The Persian monarch yielded to the allurements of the cup, and was betrayed into a stupid act. He desired to exhibit the beauty of his queen to a miscellaneous crowd. He had already shown nearly all he possessed. Anything and everything that could call forth admiration from his numerous guests had been laid under tribute. The festivities are closing, and the king, with... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:10-11

The fruit of excess. The king's inconsistent excess betrayed him into an unworthy and foolish act. When heated with wine he summoned Queen Vashti to appear before him, crowned, that she might "show the princes and people her beauty." I. AN OUTWARD RESPECTFULNESS OF MANNER DOES NOT MAKE AMENDS FOR ANY DISHONOURABLE INTENT . In sending to Vashti the seven chamberlains who waited on himself, the king showed some respect for her dignity. He perhaps hoped by this... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:10-12

A noble womanly refusal. We know from actual history literally nothing of Vashti, except her name, and what is written of her in the present connection. But it is evident that she could not have been merely one of the inferior wives of the Eastern king, although this has been suggested. She is not only emphatically called queen, but she acts as the queen, "making a feast for the women," while Ahasuerus makes his for the princes and the general people; and the choice and the bearing of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:10-12

The tyrant-slave. Distance frequently gives us exaggerated notions of greatness, while closer intimacy would speedily dispel the illusion. To the best part of the known world the name of Ahasuerus was associated with unrestrained power, but this passage reveals his real position. Extremes meet; an absolute tyrant may be at the same time an absolute slave. This was precisely the case with Ahasuerus. He was— I. AN ABSOLUTE TYRANT . He occupied a position of unlimited authority,... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Esther 1:10-22

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Esther 1:10

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Esther 1:10

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:1-22

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:9-11

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:10

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:10

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:10-11

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:10-12

The Pulpit Commentary - Esther 1:10-12

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