last worrls of eh. ii. lligthana.. " Big- and the horse are referred to, but the cn,wn, 1hRn" in eh. ii. 21 ; "Bigthn" in eh. i. 10. as an adjunct of the horso, not pnrticular- 'l'hc Persian nnme pould be best represented iscrl. b, the fullest form of tl1e three. Ver. 9.-Bring him on horaebaok through • Yer. 3. -The king a&id, What honour and the oity, and proolaim before him. Cotn- dignity he.th been done to lllordeo&i for this t pare the honourn given to Joseph in Egypt The rlisco,erer of e. conspiracy age.inst the (G<in. xli. 43). life of the king would in any country have Ver. 10.-llfake haste. The king will been regarded as entitled to some reward. have no more delay in a matter which has In Persia, where "royal benefactors" formed been delayed far too long. Hamo.n is to a distinct class, and had their names in- " hasten," and confer the honour at once. scribed on a special list (Herod., viii. 85), it Mordec&i the .Jew, that sitteth in the king's was especially incumbent on the monarch to gate. llfordecai's nationality and his em- see that e,ery such person received a return ployment wore probably mentioned in the proportioned to the value of his service. book of tlie chronicles. From these the Ahasuerus seems to have supposed that some king has learnt them, and he uses probably honour or dignity must have been conferred the very phrase of the records. Let nothing upon :Mordecai, though he could not recol- fail. Observe every particular of honour lect what it was; and it is difficult to under- that you have mentioned; let there be no stand how the omission to reward him had omission of one jot or tittle. occurred, unless there was a prejudice against Ver. 11.-Then took Haman the apparel him among the high conrt officials, who may It was impossible for Haman to excuse him- have known that he was a Jew, though his self; there was no ground on which he could fellow-servants did not (eh. iii. 4). decline the office thrust upon him. Re- Ver. 4.-The king said, Who is in the luctantly, without a word, he performed the oonrt 1 Probably some high officer of state king's bidding. was required to be always in attendance upon the monarch, to take his orders at any mo- § 12. HAMAN RETURNS HOME, DESPOND• ment. Now Ra.man we.s come. Early ENOY OF HIMSELF AND HIS FRIENDS (eh. morning is a co=on time for tlie transe.ction vi. 12-14). There was as yet no real reason of business at an Ee.stern court Haman for Haman to feel depressed, or to regard was so anxious to get tlie business on which himself as having lost favour with the king. he was bent despatched, that he he.d come perhaps even before daybreak:, and was wait- He had been made an instrument in another ing in the outer conrt, to get, if possible, man's honour, and had suffered a disappoint- the first audience. This haste of his to ment ; but otherwise he was situated as on effect }Iordecai's destruction led to hie being the day preceding, when he "went forth" the person depnted to do him the highest from the palace " joyful and with a glad honour. Ver. 5.-And the king's servants ae.id heart" (eh. v. 9). But he seems to have had unto him, llehold, Haman ste.ndeth in the a presentiment of impending calamity. All court. The servants looked into the conrt, had as yet gone so well with him that the and seeing, somewhat to their surprise, first vexation seemed like a tum in the tide, Haman there, mentioned him to the king. ominous of coming evil. And the fear of They would naturally mention the highest hie own heart found an echo in the hearts of oflicie.l whom tliey saw in attendance. Ver. 6.-Ra.man thought in his heart. hie wife and friends. Among the last were Liters.lly, "aaid in . hie heart " i e. some who had the reputation of being " wise "thought." men" -perhaps Magians, acquainted with Ver. 8.-Let the roye.l apparel be brought. arts from which it was supposed they could To wear a dress previously worn by the king divine the future. These persons ventured was, under ordinary circumstances, a breach of Persian law (Plut., 'Vit. ArtaL ,' § 5) ; on a prediction. " If Mordecai, before but the king might allow it (Herod., vii 17) whom thou hast begun to fall, be of the seed or condone it (Plut., L s. c.). The horse that of the Jews, thou shalt not prevail against the king rideth upon. Rather, " a horse him, but shalt surely (or utterly) fall before that the king bath ridden." And the crown him." With this evil presage ringing in his royal which is set upon his head. Rather, " and that hath a crown royal set on his ears, Haman quitted hie house, and accom- head." Some peculiar ornament by which panied the palace eunuchs who had been the royal steed was made conspi~uous is sent to conduct him to Esther's second intended, not his own crown, which even banquet. Xerxes would scarcely have allowed another to wear. See vers. 9 ap.d 11, where the dress Ver. 12.-And llllordecai came again to OJI, VI. 1-14.] THE BOOK OF ESTHER 111
the king's gate. Roturnecl, i. e., to his servants knew it (eh. iii. 4); Harnan knew former condition a.ncl employment. The high it (ibid. ver. 6) ; Ahasuerus knew it (supra, honour done him wa.s regarded ns sufficient ver. 10). The "wise men" profess to regard_ rewa.rcl. Having his head covered. Like it as uncertain, perhaps to give their words Da.vill when he fled from Absa.lom (2 Sam. o. more oracular character. Thou she.It surely xv. 30; comp. Ps. xliv. 16). fall. Rather, "thou shalt utterly fall." Ver. 13.-His wise men. Magia.ns, per- Ver. 14.-Came the king's chamberlains, haps, whom he was in the habit of consult- and hasted to bring Haman. This is a ing concerning the future. On the supposed custom not elsewhere mentioned as Persian, prophetic powe!.s of the M~gians see Herod., but quite in accordance with Oriental idea.~. 1. 107, 120; vu. 19; Duns, Fr. 7, &c. If The polite host sends his servants to escort Kordeeai be of the seed of the Jews. It is guests of importance from their own homes difficult to understa.nd how this could any to the place of entertainment. longer be regarded as doubtful. His fellow-