Esther 8:15

THE GREAT REJOICING OF THE JEWS EVERYWHERE

"And Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad. The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor. And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had gladness and joy, a feast and a good day. And many from among the peoples of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews was fallen upon them."

"Mordecai went forth ... with a great crown of gold" (Esther 8:15). "The Hebrew has two different words for crown, namely, [~kether] which referred to the type of crown worn by the monarch, and [~'atarah], a crown of an inferior kind frequently worn by nobles."[14] Mordecai's crown was the latter. His great authority, symbolized here by his apparel and the crown, was, however, one of the primary reasons for the Jews' rejoicing.

"The Jews ... had a feast and a good day" (Esther 8:16). "This celebration was in anticipation of the feast of Purim, which was first celebrated eight months later (Esther 9:17-19)."[15]

"And many among the peoples of the land became Jews" (Esther 8:17). "Such a providential outworking of events in favor of the Jews convinced many of the power of God, and caused them to become proselytes."[16] Some scholars have interpreted this acceptance of Judaism as merely a political maneuver, not based upon any sincere belief in God; but Keil wrote that, "This might have been true of some of the inhabitants of Shushan, but the majority certainly acted from more honorable motives."[17]