: . . by the han fa, which wasto keep Mens Wives,and eſpecially Queens,as much of his e as might be, from the view of other men. nk w
13 Then the king ſaid to the wiſe-men, which knew * the times o, (for fo was the kings manner towatds all that knew law and judgement p.
o Either, 1. The Hiſtories of former times, what Princes have done in ſuch cafes as this was. Or, 2. Things done or to be done in time ; what was juſt and fit to be done, or what was the Law and Judgement in theſe caſes, as the following words explain it, and how and when things were to be done. Sce my Notes on 1 Chron 12.
32. Times are oft put in Scripture, and other Authors, for the things done in them, bY a common Figure called a Metonymy of theAdjuntt. pTo wir,to conſult with them in all matters of moment.
14 And nextunto him was Carſhena, Shethar, Ad- matha, Tarſhiſh, Meres, Marſena, and Memucan, the «x, * ſeven Princes of Perſia and Media, * which ſaw the * , Kin kings faceq, asd which fate the firſtin the kingdom r ) 25:19.
q Which had conſtant freedom of acceſs to the King, and fami- liar converie with him : which is thus expreſſed, becauſe the Perſian Kings were very ſeldom ſcen by their Subje&s. r Which were his chief counſellors and Officers,and had the precedency from all others,
I5 + What (hal we do unto the queen V aſhti,accord- t #i # ding to law, becauſe ſhe hath not performed the com- © mandment of the king Ahaſuerus, by the chamberlains?
16 And Memucan anſwered » before the king, and the princes, Valſhti the queen hath not done wrong to the king Onely, bur alſo to all the princes, and to all the people / that are in all the provinces of the king Ahbaluerus. |
r Who, though laſt named, ſpake firſt either becauſe the king firſt asked him ; or becauſe he was the chief of them all, either in Dignity, or in Reputation : or tecaulſe it then was, as now it is in
another thatis better than the. -M paſs 1 u Which this cunning Politician knew it would do. Wes —_ 4, _
many places, the cuſtom for the youngeſt Cor:nſellors or Judges to deliver their opinion firſt: ſ By giving them an Example and En- couragement to contemn and diſobey their Husbands. It isa crime of an high nature, and therefore deſerves an exemplary puniſhb- ment.
17 For this deed of the queen (ball come abroad un- to all women, ſo that they ſhall deſpiſe their husbands in their eyes, when it ſhal be reported, The king Aha- ſuerus commanded Vaſhti the queen to be brought in before him, but ſhe came not.
18 Likewiſe ſhal the Ladies of Perſia and Media ſay this day untoallthe kings princes, which have heardo the deed of the queen» Thus 5hall there ariſe too much contempt and wrath r.
t Conte pt in the Wives, and thereupon Wrath in the Husbands ; and conſequently Strife in Families; which may produce great and general miſchicts- 7
19 + If itpleaſe the king «, let there go a royal com + Heb#? mandment | trom him, and let it be written among 6-99 the laws of the Perſians, and the Medes, Þ that it be the oN not altered x, that Vaſhti come no more before King ;,j,; ks Ahaſuerus, and lec the king give her royal eftate | unto Heb
caution was neceſſary for hisown ſecutiry; for if the Queen ſhould ' Hebat recover her ſtate, and the kings favour, he was moſt likely to fall y je F4 s
into his diſpleaſure. p anne
ſhall be publiſhed chreughout all his Empire, ( for it 15
20 And when the kings decree which he ſhall make,
great
4F great) all the wives ſhall give to their husbands honour, borh to great and ſmall. 21 And the ſaying Þ pleaſed the king and the princes yin the J, and the king did: according to the word of Memu- ges 0] 7 Can : king. _ » Partly becauſe th-ir own Authority and Intereſt was concerned int; and cſpecial'y by the fingular Providence of God, who deſig- ned to bring about his own grear Work by this ſmall occaſion. 22 For helent jetters into all the kings provinces, in- to CVery Proviice according to the writing thereo?, and to every peepic after their languge, that every man Heb.thas 120utd bear rule in his own houſe, and Þ that it ſhou!d me foi Þe publiſhed according to the language of every people z. publ.ſh it Thar all ſorts of Perſons,not Men only (who by ftudy or tra- ccorving vel many times underſtand divers Languages) but the women alſo pv the lou might undeiſtand it, and therefore be incxcufable if they did nor guage of his comply with it; for which end it wasnot only written in each lan= paaple, guage, for that Writing might come but to few hands, but more- | over it was publiſhed in the ſeveral Cities and Tow ns by ſuch Per- {ons as uled re publith the King's Edifts. Others, That . he ſhould Jpeak 7n the language of his own people, 5. e. That mca ſhould nor in compliance with their Wives, who were oit of -ther Nations and Languages, inurethemſclves to ir, and bring their Wives Lan- £uage into the Family ; but that men ſh-uld uſe their own proper La:guage. and cauſe their Wives and Chil:'re:: ro ule it ; this being one {1gn of Dominion, and therefore frequent after tis timeamong tle Greeks and Romans, who together with their victorious Arms, broughr in their Language intoother Countries,and in a great mea-
ſurc impoſed it upon them. CHAP. 1k
The Virgins of the K'ngdom being gathered together, a Queen is to be cho-
+ Heb. was
by Y - Fo 4
Ir ys ff. hs,
[eb.goud
COunte=
purifying of the women.
Hi EE © Chap. ' 9 And the maiden pleaſed him þ, and ſhe obtained kindneſs of him, and he ſpeedily gave her things for puriacation, with ſuch things as betonged to her,and f Heb ſeven maidens 2which were meer to be given her, our of 297% the kings houſe, and Þ he preferred her and her maids 7 unto the beſt place of the houſe of the women, "3 & Partly becauſe ſhe was very beautiful,and therefore he ſuppoſed the would be very acc<ptable to the king ; which would be tis ad- vantage ; and paitly by the Divine Pow.ci, xhich moveth the hearts of men which way he plcalcrh. 10 Eſtherhad not ſbewed her p:op!e.nor her kindred : for Mordecai had charged her that ihe ſhould nocthew it 5. ; Leſt the knowledge hereof ſhould eirher make her contempti=- le or ovious ; or bring ſome inconvenience to the whole Nation, as things might happen. Bur there was alſo an hand ofGod in cau- ting this to be concealed, for the better accompliſhment of thar which he deſigned, though Aordccai was ignorant of it.