Esther 4:11 - Exposition

All the king's servants seems to mean here "all the court," "all those in the immediate service of the king." The inner court . The palace had, as it would seem, only two courts, the "outward court" of Esther 6:4 , and the "inner court" of the present passage. There is one law of his to put him to death . Rather, "there is one law for him. 'Whoever he be, there is one and the same law regarding him—he must suffer death. Herodotus excepts six persons from the operation of this law, but in making the exception shows the general rule to have been such as here represented. Except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre . No other writer tells us of this custom, but it is in perfect harmony with Oriental habits and modes of thought. Some have objected that the king would not always have a golden sceptre by him; but the Persepolitan sculptures uniformly represent him with a long tapering staff in his hand, which is probably the "sceptre" ( sharbith ) of Esther. I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days . The king s passion had cooled, and Esther now, like his other wives, waited her occasional summons to his presence. She had not been called for a whole month, and did not know when a summons might come. It would not do to trust to so mere a chance; and therefore, if she was to interpose on behalf of her nation, she must intrude on the king uninvited, and risk being put to death.