The Pulpit Commentary — Esther — Section 149

" enemies " no doubt did the same, and for formed Rn element in the population, aa some time before the 18th of Adar two Susa, Babylon, Damascus-perhn,ps Rhe.goa hostile camps stood facing each other in end Ecbatana--and no doubt many others. each of the great towns throughout tho Cities exclusively Jewish like Nearda in later times (,Toseph., 'Ant.Jud. ,' xviii. 9, § 1), empire. llfordecai's position at the ce.pital scarcely existed as yet out of Palestine. To being known, and his power evidently lay hand on suoh as sought their hurt. established, the Persian governors of all The defensive character of the Jews' nction grades understood it to be their duty to is again noted. Only if their hurt was throw their weight into the scale on behalf sought (comp. Ps. lxxi. 18, 24) did they lay han_d on any; only a~inst those who sought of the Jews, and lend them whatever help their hurt did they lift a finger. •• The fear they could (ver. 8). At last the day arrived, of them. Not now such fear as is mentioned and the struggle took place. The Jews in eh. viii. 17, ad fin., but a downright everywhere got the better of their adver- coward fear of their prowess. Fell upon all saries. In "Shushan the palace" as it was people. Rather, cc all the people," i. e. all the many subject nations of the Persian called, or the upper town, of which the empire among which the Jews were scat- palace formed a part, they killed 500 of them tered. (ver. 6). In the rest of the empire, if we Ver. 8.-All the rulers of the provinces, accept the numbers of the present Hebrew and the lieutenants, and the deputies. t,,xt, as me.ny as 75,000 (ver. 16). The Compare eh. iii. 12 and viii. 9, where the same enumeration is made, though not quite Septuagint translators, however, who would in the same order. And officers of the king. ha'l"e no reason for falsifying the text, give Literally, cc they who did the work of the the number as 15,000, which seems to be king." The Septuagint renders by f3aa,X,coi intrinsically more probable. They also, on -ypaµ,µ,ar,i,;, cc royal scribes;" but officials of all classes seem to be intended. Helped the ensuing day, the 14th of Adar, by special the J'ews. Rather, "upheld, supported." permission of Ahasuerus, contended with Active physical help does not seem to be their adversaries in Shushan a second time, mee.nt, but rather the moral aid and sup- o.nd slew on this occasion 800 (ver. 16). port that a government easily gives to the Among the killed, the only persons men- side which it favours in a civil disturbance. The fear of Mordecai fell upon them. It tioned by name !II'e ten sons of Haman, who would give the sense better to translate were slain in " Shushan the palace" on the " had fallen." first day, while on the second day pennission Ver. 4.-Mordecai was great. Compare was given to expose their bodies on crosses eh. viii 2, 15 and x. 8. (ver. 14). A remarkable feature of the Ver. 6.-In Shushan the palace. I. e. the upper city, where the palace was. The struggle, and one which is noticed three area of the hill is above a hundred acres, several times (vers. 10, 15, 16), was, that, and there are many remains of residences on notwithstanding the clause in the edict it besides the palace. It was probably which allowed the Jews" to take the spoil of densely peopled. their enemies for a prey" (eh. viii 11), Vera. 7-10.-And Parshandatha. Ha- man's ten sons have unmistakably Persian neither in the capital nor in the provinces names, so that no countenance is given by did the triumphant Israelites touch the them to the theory that he was a foreigner. property of those opposed to them. There Formerly it was cnstomary that they should was an evident wish to show that they were be written in each MS. of the Book of not actuated by greed, but simply desirous Esther in three perpendicular lines, to signify (as it was said) that they were hanged of securing themselves from fnture molest- on three parallel cords. In reading them a.tion. the ten names were uttered in one breath, in memory of the supposed fact that they all Yer. 1.-To have power over them. Or, died in one instant. It would be wrong, " to get the mastery over them " (comp. however, to attach credit to these traditions, Dan. vi 24, where the ea.me word is used). which simply show the persistent hatred Rad rule. Or, "had the mastery." with which the Jews regarded their great Ver. 2.-The lewe gathered them.selves enemy. Slew they. With the sword, t0Jether. Acting on tbe first cla.use of the probably (see ver. 5), and in fair fight. edict (eh. viii 11). In their citiea. By Ver. 11.-The number . . . waa brought "their cities " the writer means not cities before the king. It was customary in all exclnsively Jewish, but cities where Jews wara for the number of the slain to be car11• CH. IX. 1-32.] THE BOOK OF ESTHER. 1.57