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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
1:1-2:23 Introduction. In this opening section the author sets the scene by describing Queen Vashti's downfall (1:1-22), her replacement by Esther (2:1-18), and how Mordecai foils a plot against the king (2:19-23). This situates Esther and Mordecai for the roles they will play in the main action that follows.
1:1-22 Queen Vashti's Downfall. This is a mini-story in its own right. The scene is set by a description of two banquets, hosted by the king and queen respectively (vv. 1-8, 9). Vashti's defiance of the king and its consequences follow.
1:1 Ahasuerus, better known by his Greek name, Xerxes I, was king of Persia from India. The land around the Indus Valley (now Pakistan). Ethiopia. The land just south of Egypt (now northern Sudan).
1:2-3 Susa, in western Persia (the city is now called Shush, in the southwestern part of modern Iran), was one of Persia's four capital cities (see Neh. 1:1; Dan. 8:2). Media. Northwestern Persia, near the Caspian Sea. Once a separate nation, it was conquered by Cyrus the Great, who founded the Persian Empire. The time (, the third year of Xerxes' reign), and the presence of the army, suggest that Xerxes may have been building support for his invasion of Greece (preparations ; the Battle of Thermopylae took place in ).
1:4 The 180 days were presumably not spent in continuous feasting but in festivities punctuated by sumptuous meals.
1:5 the citadel. The same in Hebrew as "capital" in v. 2, but probably refers here to the fortified palace complex. The feast lasting for seven days was probably the climax of the of festivities (v. 4). court of the garden. An enclosed courtyard for entertaining in the summer months (see 7:7).
1:6-8 no compulsion. The custom that everyone had to drink whenever the king drank was relaxed.
1:9 A separate feast for the women was another departure from normal Persian practice (cf. v. 8; 5:5-6), perhaps because of the large number of guests.
1:10 eunuchs. Castrated men who, among other duties, served in the royal harem.
1:12 The author does not explain why Vashti refused to come, probably because the reasons were irrelevant: even the queen was expected to obey the king absolutely.
1:13 wise men. Official advisers to the king (cf. Gen. 41:8; Ex. 7:11; Jer. 50:35; Dan. 2:48). the times. The most favorable times for particular actions (see Est. 3:7). versed in law and judgment. Trained to make decisions in accordance with the law (see Dan. 1:3-4; Acts 7:22).
1:15-18 officials. Senior male civil servants appointed by the king. noble women. Wives of the officials. Memucan predicts that these women will show contempt for their husbands, and that the men, like the king, will be full of wrath toward their wives. Moreover, this will not be limited to one stratum of society. Memucan repeatedly uses all to impress on the king the danger of a total breakdown of proper domestic order.
1:19-20 The absolute authority of the Persian king is expressed in laws which, once written, may not be repealed (see Dan. 6:8). This legal convention will give rise to a difficult situation later in the story: what if the king changes his mind? (See Est. 8:5-8; cf. Dan. 6:14-18.) Paradoxically, Vashti is to be punished by being forbidden to do what she has already refused to do: come to the king. But never again effectively divorces her and terminates her queenship.
1:21-22 The way in which the wise men resort to law to try to control their wives suggests that they must already have thought this was a widespread domestic problem--a problem, however, that would certainly not have been easily rectified simply by issuing a legal edict. The command that local household leaders should each speak according to the language of his people is probably intended to ensure that the substance of the edict is understood by all family members everywhere.
