Esther a persian word meaning star is the more familiar name of a jewish girl named hadassah which is hebrew for myrtle. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star. He gave a command to the seven eunuchs who served him. Chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five chapter six chapter seven s. T he story of esther reads like a novel and is full of great spiritual lessons. Mordecai is brought into prominence at the right time 6. The pulpit commentary introduces the book of esther with the following. We might even think that he does not care about us. Esther commentary book of esther commentary lifeway.
Holman old testament commentary ezra, nehemiah, esther. Although his name is never mentioned, we see his providence in each page of this wonderful little book. Prior to this one bible scholar suggests that there was a split between the eastern church, where esthers canonicity was. This is a beautiful story of how a young jewish girl saves her people. On the surface, it appears to be a story about survival, prejudice, and politics. Jerome, the whole book, including the greek additions, was included in the canon of scripture by the council of trent. Many scholars do not like to include the book of esther in the bible, because it does not directly mention the name of god. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. Not only is it a great story with all the drama and. Read the book of esther from the bible with full chapters, highlighted popular verses, and helpful bible commentary for studying scripture. This is my favorite commentary on any book of holy scripture. The book of esther was written during the 3 rd year of the reign of ahasuerus 485 465 bc. The book of esther focuses on a ten year period 483473 b.
Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. The book of esther is one of the two books in the bible with a womans name the other. You will also find options for commentaries on esther that help pastors, teachers, and readers with application of the bible, commentaries that approach the scripture versebyverse, classic christian commentaries, and much more. He may not always do it in the way we think he should, but the book of esther shows that he is in control even when we dont see him. The events of the book of esther occurred between 483 and 473 bc. As a prize for winning the beauty contest, she becomes the queen to. Cain, decolonial turn, colonialism, book of esther, haman, mordecai. He commanded to bring the book of records his mind being. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage. Esther 2 one of the princes in the kingdom was haman. During world war ii she spent 21 months in a japanese concentration camp as a prisoner. Ezra 7 begins in the seventh year of artaxerxes i longimanus i. At the same time, the fact that even biblical narratives contain hidden messages. Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israels history from a dark time.
The salem videos are worship and bible study videos filmed on pastor cindy cones facebook account, originally broadcast on facebook live. Best esther commentaries updated for 2020 best bible. Study guide on the book of esther, on line bible commentary for book of esther, niv commentary esther, free esther commentary, best commentaries on esther. Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew bible, provides the story of the origin of purim, the blueprint for its celebration, and the authorization for its observance in perpetuity. It is a deeply profound and moving narrative of historical events that displayed the providence of god. On that night could not the king sleep how vain are all the contrivances of foolish man against the wise and omnipotent god, who hath the hearts and hands of kings and all men perfectly at his disposal, and can by such trivial accidents as they are accounted change their minds, and produce such terrible effects. Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible. Adele berlins commentary in the jps series is better suited for a critical look at the hebrew text. Mordecai learned of a plot to kill the king and made it known to esther who passed the news to the king. Paton, a critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther, icc.
The events mentioned in esther therefore happened between ezra chapter 6 and chapter 7. The book of esther does not mention the name of god. Read unlimited books and audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and. In 1934 annie became a missionary in china with oms. The book of esther shows how the hand of god can move in a supernaturallynatural way. Read esther commentary using john gills exposition of the bible. The book is named for the star of the story, a young jewish girl named hadassah who was taken from her guardian, mordecai, and forced to compete for the affection of the king.
Esther in her joys, smiled upon by the king and honoured with his company at her banquet of wine, esther 5. The chaldee paraphrast who is very bold in his additions to the story of this book says that there had been a rebellion among his subjects and that this feast was kept for joy of the quashing of it. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. Addition a has mordecai inform the king directly, whereas in 2. The above summary details the bible people and summary of important events which occur in the douay rheims version of the catholic bible scriptures of the book of esther.
David guzik commentary on esther 1, where queen vashti refuses to display her. Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. The dead sea scrolls contain fragments of each old testament book, with the. The whole history of this book in its connected order, with the occurrences in the persian empire at that time, will be found. He did not always interpret scripture l iterally and so was amillennial he interpreted revelation as a historicist which led him to interpret the. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. Commentary on the book of esther matthew henrys bible commentary. The whole history of this book in its connected order, with the occurrences in the persian empire at that time, will be found in the introduction. The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control.
And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what hegai, the kings trusted official in charge of the harem, had advised. The main purpose of a summary is as a simplification highlighting the major points from the original and much longer version of the subject. Esther helps you know and apply the encouraging and empowering truth of gods word. The story of esther opens with a lavish banquet at the palace of king ahasuerus, also known as king xerxes. Adam clarke commentary on esther 17601832 clarke was methodist, wesleyan, arminian, e. Several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of esther in easy english. This is why many presume that the book was written in the second half of the fifth century bc. It has been well said that the book of esther is a record of wonders without a miracle, and therefore, though equally revealing the glory of the lord, it sets it forth in another fashion from that which is displayed in the overthrow of pharaoh by. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. An interpretation of the dream that relates its features to the plot of the book is given in f. Esther 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the church of christ, presents a verse level look at the bible.
Esther bible study part 1 the story of esther is one of the most exciting and inspiring in all the word of god. Vashti is sent for by the king, but refuses to come, esther 1. A quote from my bible commentary that i wrote in my study guide. Commentary on the whole bible volume i genesis to deuteronomy ebook. The last news we had of haman left him in his cups, esther 3. We have detailed a brief summary of the book of esther for bible study or sunday school lessons. The king had become drunk on wine and commanded that his wife, queen vashti come, at once, to show everyone how beautiful she was. In this women of the bible study series, we are wrapping up the book of esther with a cheat sheet summary.
Our last news of queen esther left her in tears, fasting and praying. The book of esther gives hope and confidence to anyone who needs to know that god is present, powerful, and personal. Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of media and persia. Tom constables expository notes on esther this is also available in the net. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. Jan 01, 2001 this is a highly unusual commentary on the book of esther. Herbert lockyer describes her as the woman who saved her nation from genocide. The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is.
An introduction to the book of esther an argument of the book of esther selected bibliography of the book of esther j. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr. Esther 1, new international version niv the bible app. Esther is the last of the historical books of the bible, so its main character is named esther that is, venus, the morning star, which sheds its light after all the other stars have ceased to shine, and while the sun still delays rising. Read and study esther, including book summary, with the versebyverse bible commentary.
Yet, though this is true in one sense, there is more to it than that. People of the roman catholic faith can this useful short summary of these bible scriptures for an online catholic bible study course or biblical studies. Esther study guide love god greatly free online bible. The woman great beauty, undoubted cleverness, and remarkable courage. A 10day bible study on the book of esther without ever mentioning god directly, the hand of god is all over the story of esther, displaying the providence and faithfulness of god even in the face of eradication. We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b. The book takes its name from the beautiful, orphaned jewess who became the queen of the persian king ahasuerus. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. In the hebrew bible, the book of esther is found in the third section of the canon, the writings. He has strategically positioned you as part of his kingdom to bring salvation to your circle of influence. Esther bible study will give you a threepart look at the book of the bible that bears her name, and at its title character.
Queen esther came to the throne for just such a time 4. We are to read the bible in order to understand gods message to us. Jobes volume is best for those seeking a biblicaltheological commentary on the book of esther. All the trust the king had reposed in haman, he now placed in mordecai. Scripture that same day king xerxes gave queen esther the estate of read more the book of esther bible study.
Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. In the present translation, the greek additions are indicated by the. That person must be put to death unless the king holds out his gold scepter to them. Ascension catholic community 3 levels of commentaries on the books of the old. Gods word is not just for our information, it for our transformation. The events in the book of esther occurred from 483. The story of esther turns on a series of seeming coincidences. Esther is the last of the historical books of the bible, so its main character is. He commanded them to bring queen vashti to him wearing her royal crown. It is not connected to historical chronology of the hebrews. The book of esther is one of the most exciting books in all the old testament and is nearly unique in employing a woman as its leading character. Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Salem bible study with pastor cindy cone studying the book. Violence and the survival of israel in the book of esther.
Introduction to esther on hidden reading of biblical narratives. The eunuchs were mehuman, biztha, harbona, bigtha, abagtha, zethar, and carcas. Read the ultimate commentary on esther by charles h. The king has one law for any man or woman who goes to the king without being called. And king ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. One in a series of twenty old testament versebyverse commentary books. Esther a2 classic bible study guide 2 introduction the book of esther is a graphic narrative, which relates how gods people were preserved from ruin during the fifth century b. In fact, god is not directly mentioned by name in the book of esther. Thus the cycles in chapter 4 are not a single unit but interdependent. If esther fails to act, and both she and mordecai perish, then her family will be wiped out. The book of esther provides us with the greatest illustrations of the providence of god. The book of esther in the bible is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. Esther summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of esther for bible study or sunday school lessons. But for those who know the larger story of the bible, gods hidden hand can be discerned in these events, working to protect and preserve israel.
The book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god. Esther commentary john gills exposition of the bible. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament. In the book of esther this information is casually presented as unimportant, but comes up later in the story. The book contains several historical, chronological and cultural details, which would lead us to believe that it is intended to be read as actual history, rather than as a parable. Esther 1 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries.
Read the ultimate commentary on esther online by charles h. The book belongs to the socalled five scrolls hebr. Nov 02, 2011 esther is a jewish woman with her uncle, mordecai, who is a very faithful jew. Study esther 1 using matthew henrys bible commentary concise to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. Esther bible study outlinecontents by chapter and verse. Although the book of esther was questioned by some early christians, even st. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. Esther bible story summary what christians want to know. Sleep is taken from ahasuerus at precisely the right time 6. Esther, bible illustrations 19312009, published by sweet media. The genre of the book of esther is narrative history. Esther is a young and beautiful jewish girl, orphaned but cared for by her. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. Commentaries on the books of the old testament ascension.
It is the last of the five scrolls ruth, song of songs, ecclesiastes, lamentations, and esther, and is read at the feast of purim. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is. The book is set during the period after the babylonian exile in which the nation of persia present day iran ruled judah. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned elsewhere in scripture. Click here for suggestions on how to use the level three articles in a bible.
862 411 290 621 1501 435 483 1607 154 995 25 210 635 1248 392 928 1415 200 139 855 1592 1516 711 1502 21 1006 656 288 858 543 1118 1409 1434 520 638 925 928 1167 742 431 961 520 708 224 1045 1285