Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

2:1-4 In a more sober mood, the king apparently regrets dismissing his beautiful queen. But a solution is at hand. In contrast to the wise men of ch. 1, the young men were probably the king's personal, household servants (see 6:3). Their suggestion that beautiful young virgins should be gathered for the king's appraisal immediately attracts his interest and approval, creating the opportunity for Esther to make her appearance. In line with normal practice, a eunuch (see 1:10-11) is in charge of the king's women (his harem). Hegai may be the same officer of Xerxes (Ahasuerus) that Herodotus refers to in Greek as "Hegias."

2:5 The name Mordecai occurs in Persian treasury records of the period as the name of a government official, but whether he was this Mordecai is not known. For the significance of the fact that Mordecai was a Jew and a descendant of Kish, the father of King Saul (1 Sam. 9:1-2), see note on Est. 3:1.

2:6 Jeconiah, also known as Jehoiachin (1 Chron. 3:16), was the second-to-last king of Judah. He was deported to Babylon in 597 b.c. (2 Kings 24:10-17), 114 years before the present events. Therefore, the clause who had been carried away from Jerusalem cannot refer to Mordecai (it would make him about 120 years old). Rather, the clause must refer to "Kish, a Benjaminite" (the last-mentioned person in Est. 2:5), Mordecai's ancestor (v. 5).

2:7 Hadassah ("myrtle") is the Hebrew name of Mordecai's cousin; Esther ("star") is her Persian name. The reference to her great beauty prepares the reader for what follows.

2:8-9 It was presumably an honor to be chosen for the harem, though it is unclear from the word taken whether she went willingly or unwillingly. Given the king's order, she presumably had no choice in the matter. Once there, however, she appears to have been fully compliant, quickly winning the favor of Hegai, who provided her with the finest of everything and promoted her to the best place in the harem. The seven chosen young women, her personal maids-in-waiting, already hint at her royal bearing and destiny.

2:10-11 Mordecai's instruction to Esther not to reveal her people or kindred is the first hint of the anti-Semitism that will surface in ch. 3. See note on 3:15.

2:12-14 Both the time involved and the cosmetics used indicate the elaborate nature of the beauty treatment the chosen women received. the regulations for the women. This further indication of the strict regimen of the Persian court shows how difficult, and potentially costly, it was for women like Vashti and Esther to assert their independence. myrrh. An expensive perfume obtained from trees native to Africa and southern Asia (cf. Prov. 7:17; Song 1:13; Matt. 2:11; John 19:39). Concubines, women officially recognized as the king's mistresses, were housed separately (in the second harem), having a lower status than his wife or wives. Shaashgaz corresponds to Hegai, who was in charge of the first harem (see note on Est. 2:1-4). Each woman's first night with the king was her initiation as a concubine. For some, there would be no other such night.

2:15 Abihail. The uncle referred to in v. 7. By taking nothing except what Hegai . . . advised, Esther shows her trust in his experience and goodwill toward her. The fact that Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her bodes well for her success on this, her night of nights.

2:16 Tebeth, in midwinter, was the tenth month of the Jewish religious calendar. seventh year. Four years after the events recounted in ch. 1 (see 1:3; and chart).

2:18 Esther's feast. A feast in her honor as the new queen (cf. 1:3, 5, 9). remission of taxes. A customary form of celebration referred to by Herodotus in his history of the Persian Empire. gifts with royal generosity. Probably in the form of food given to the poor, so that all could share in the celebrations (see 9:22; Jer. 40:5).