The Book of Esther

Chapters 9-10

Proverbs
The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

1. Vindication: The of the Jews (Esther 9:1-16)

2. Celebration: The of the Jews (Esther 9:17-32)
3. Exaltation: The of Mordecai (Esther 10:1-3)

Verses 1-2
1. The Jews assembled exactly at the time they were told by Mordecai's proclamation to assemble themselves together
in the various cities of Persia.
• This day of the conflict between the Jews and their enemies was a day that turned out contrary to what the
Jews' enemies had “ ” it would.
• They thought it was going to be a day of great slaughter of the Jews and a day of great spoils from the Jews.
But it turned out just the opposite.
2. “The Jews gathered themselves together... to lay hand on such as sought their hurt” (verse 2).
• “Gathered themselves together” provided for the Jews.
• The Jews were only taking action in this showdown. They would
lay hands only on those who “sought their hurt.”
3. “For the fear of them fell upon all people” (verse 2) - God caused the enemy to fear the Jews so greatly that it
helped give the Jews power over the enemy.
4. Their power in battle was superior to anything the enemy had, and so “no man could withstand them” (verse 2).

Verses 3-4
1. “And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the
Jews” (verse 3).
• The Jews received from others for their fight against their enemies.
• Many became with the Jews in helping them to escape the attack of the cruel enemy.
2. “Because the fear of fell upon them” (verse 3) – that which motivated the
government officials to support the Jews was their fear of Mordecai.
• “Mordecai was in the king's house” (verse 4).
• “His went out throughout all the provinces” (verse 4).
• “Mordecai waxed greater and greater” (verse 4).

Verses 5-11
1. “The Jews smote all their enemies... and did what they would unto those that hated them.” - Since the Jews
assembled together in “ ” the provinces (verse 2), it is not surprising that they smote “
” their enemies (verse 5).
2. The report of the success of the Jews informs us that the enemy “ ” the Jews (verse 5).
3. Verses 7-9 record the names of Haman’s sons.
4. times in Chapter 9 (verse 10, 15, & 16), we are told that the Jews refused to take any spoil
from those they conquered.
5. “On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king” (verse 11).
• The statistics needed to be reported to the king so he could assess the situation and do what needed next to be
done.
• Only the statistics of the conflict in Shushan were reported because it was not possible yet to report the
statistics throughout the entire empire.
6. This chapter provides numbers to give us a record of the statistics.
• The number (verse 10) refers to the killing of the ten sons of Haman.
• The number (verse 12) refers to the number of the Jews' enemies killed in the first day of the
conflict in Shushan.
• The number (verse 15) refers to the number of the Jews' enemies killed in Shushan the
second day of the conflict.
• And the final number of (verse 16) is the total number of the Jews' enemies killed in
the entire conflict of the Jews with their enemies.

Verses 12-16
1. When the king is given the report of the conflict in Shushan, he goes to the queen and tells her what has happened.
• “What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces” is a rhetorical question which says that, if they
have killed 500 in Shushan, what must be the number killed throughout the empire.
• The king then asked Esther if she wanted anything else done.
2. Esther's response to the king's generous offer was a request for an day to attack
the enemy and an additional for the sons of Haman.
• The fact that Esther requested an additional day indicates she had information that they needed more time to
complete the job.
• The justification of Esther's request for an additional day is found in the fact that more
enemies of the Jews were killed on the additional day (verse 15).
• The ten sons of Haman were already , but hanging their corpses would further disgrace.

Verses 17-19
1. Haman's decree had caused much in the land especially among the Jews, but the triumph
produced - the “Jews... had rest from their enemies” (verse 16).
2. Three times the word “ ” (verses 17-19) is mentioned as the experience of the Jews
after the conquest of their evil enemy.
3. Not surprisingly, one of the products of the conquest of the Jews' enemy was much celebrating among the Jews.
• The word “ ” appears four times (verses17-19 & 22) in this chapter.
• The feasting here was wholesome; it was a joyous celebration over the deliverance of the Jews.
4. In celebrating the great victory over the enemy, the Jews practiced “sending portions one to another” (verse 19).

Verses 20-22
1. Shortly after the conquest of the Jews' enemies, Mordecai communicated by letter with the Jews throughout Persia
concerning Purim Days.
• The institution of Purim is unique in that it was a Jewish observance initiated by and not by
the decree of God.
• The other great observances of the Jews, such as the Passover, were all decreed by .
2. “That they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly” (verse
21).
• Mordecai exercised some diplomacy in making Purim a -day observance, for he included
both the day when the Jews throughout the empire celebrated their victory over their enemies and the day
when the Jews in Shushan celebrated their victory over the enemies.
• The dates of Purim are one before the observance of the Passover which
commemorates another great deliverance of the Jews.
3. The annual observance of Purim would keep fresh in the Jews' memories the great blessings the Jews received as a
result of this victory over their enemies.
4. Purim was to involve “ ” (verse 22).
5. Purim was to involve “ ” (verse 22).
6. All the celebrating was not to make the people selfish. Rather, they were to do favors to each other in the form of
gifts - “sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor” (verse 22).

Verses 23-28
1. The Jews readily accepted Mordecai's letter about observing Purim (verse 23).
2. The origin of the name of the annual commemoration (Purim) was not suggested by Mordecai but rather by the Jews.
• The name is a reference to Haman's casting of “Pur” to decide the date of his planned attack on the Jews.
• “Pur” means “ .”
• The word “Purim” is simply for the word “Pur.”
3. All the Jews and Jewish proselytes were put under obligation to observe Purim (verses 27-28).
4. The Jews resolved that every year without exception should see them observing Purim (verses 27).

Verses 29-32
1. Mordecai and Esther used their high authority in the land to establish a event for the good of
people.
2. The confirmation of Purim included the additional duty of which the Jews “decreed”
themselves for the commemoration (verse 31).
3. Once again Mordecai employed the excellent Persian postal system for a mass mailing to all the 127 provinces of
Persia concerning Purim (verses 30-31).
4. “ ” elsewhere in Esther always referred to a particular book—”the book of
the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia” (Esther 2:23, 6:1, 10:2).

Verses 1-3
1. The last chapter of Esther begins with a verse about King Ahasuerus raising in Persia.
• “King Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea” (verse 1).
• Ahasuerus was able to impose a tax upon the people from Ethiopia to India besides the islands of the sea that
were included in the great empire of the Persian government.
• If Ahasuerus had been a small time ruler of a tiny unimportant nation, Mordecai's position as the number two
man in the government would not give Mordecai much greatness at all.
2. Verses 2-3 concern the entries made about Mordecai in “the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and
Persia.”
3. Verse 3 cites in detail the of Mordecai in his performance in the government of
Persia and towards his people the Jews.
• “Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus.”
• “The greatness of Mordecai... Mordecai... was... great among the ” - the Jews viewed
him as a great man.
• “Mordecai... was... accepted of the multitude of his brethren” - the polls gave Mordecai a high approval
rating.
• “Seeking the wealth of his people”
• “Speaking peace to all his seed” - the peace that ended the book of Esther was a Divine miracle.