The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

  Esther 6

  6:1 the book. Five years (cf. 2:16 with 3:7) had intervened since Mordecai’s loyal, but as yet unrewarded, act (cf. 2:23). At exactly the proper moment, God providentially intervened so that the king suffered insomnia, called for the book of records, read of Mordecai’s unrewarded deeds 5 years past, and then desired to reward him (cf. Dan. 6:18).

  6:4 Who is in the court? The drama intensified as Haman arrived at just the wrong time and for just the wrong reason.

  6:6, 7 Haman ironically defined the honor to be given to Mordecai at Haman’s expense. To his potential wealth from the Jewish plunder, he thought public acclaim would be added.

  6:8 royal robe…royal crest. An honor which involved being treated as though the recipient were the king himself (cf. 8:15). This is reminiscent of Joseph in Egypt (Gen. 41:39–45). History affirms that horses were adorned with the royal crown.

  6:9 the city square. Whereas Mordecai had been there the day before in sackcloth and ashes (4:1, 6), he arrived with royal honor.

  6:10 Mordecai the Jew. Cf. 8:7; 9:29, 31; 10:3. Why the king did not remember Haman’s edict against the Jews remains unknown.

  6:12 mourning. Deservedly, Haman has inherited Mordecai’s distress (cf. 4:1, 2). What a difference a day makes! His imagined honors had quickly turned to unimaginable humiliation. his head covered. An extreme sign of shame (cf. 2 Sam. 15:30; Jer. 14:3, 4).

  6:13 you have begun to fall. Neither divine prophecy (Ex. 17:14) nor biblical history (1 Sam. 15:8, 9) stood in Haman’s favor. Haman’s entourage seemed to have some knowledge of this biblical history.

  6:14 Haman to the banquet. Like a lamb led to slaughter, Haman was escorted off to his just due.

  Esther 7

  7:2 second day. The first day reference point included the first banquet. This refers to the second banquet on the second day (cf. 5:8). what is your request? This was the third time that the king inquired (cf. 5:3, 6).

  7:3 my people. This plea paralleled God’s message through Moses to Pharaoh, “Let my people go,” almost 1,000 years earlier (Ex. 7:16).

  7:4 sold. Refers back to Haman’s bribe (cf. 3:9; 4:7). destroyed…killed…annihilated. Esther recounted the exact language of Haman’s decree (cf. 3:13).

  7:6 this wicked Haman. Similar to Nathan’s famous accusation against King David, “You are the man” (2 Sam. 12:7). Haman’s honor had quickly turned to humiliation, and then to horror.

  7:8 assault the queen. Blinded by anger, Ahasuerus interpreted Haman’s plea to be an act of violence against Esther rather than a plea for mercy.

  7:9 Harbonah. Cf. 1:10. Look! Because the place prepared by Haman for Mordecai’s execution towered above the city, it became the obvious spot for Haman’s death. Mordecai, who spoke good. Haman heard the third capital offense charged against him. One, he manipulated the king in planning to kill the queen’s people. Two, he was perceived to accost the queen. Three, he planned to execute a man whom the king had just greatly honored for extreme loyalty to the kingdom.

  7:10 they hanged Haman. The ultimate expression of justice (cf. Ps. 9:15, 16).

  Esther 8

  8:1 the house of Haman. Property of a traitor by Persian custom returned to the king. In this case, he gave it to his queen, Esther, who put Mordecai over it (8:2). The outcome for Haman’s wife Zeresh and his wise men is unknown (5:14; 6:12, 13). Haman’s 10 sons later died (9:7–10).

  8:5 to revoke. This proved to be impossible in light of the inflexible nature of the king’s edicts (1:19). However, a counter-decree was possible (cf. 8:8, 11, 12).

  8:9 Sivan. Refers to the period May/June. It had been two months and 10 days since Haman’s decree (cf. 3:12); 8 months and 20 days remained until both decrees became simultaneously effective (cf. 3:13).

  8:11 the king permitted. Just as the king had permitted Haman, so he permitted the Jews to defend themselves and to plunder their spoil (cf. vv. 10, 15, 16).

  8:15 Mordecai went out. This second reward exceeded the first (cf. 6:6–9). Blue and white were the royal colors of the Persian Empire.

  8:17 many…people…Jews. The population realized that the God of the Jews greatly exceeded anything that the pantheon of Persian deities could offer (cf. Ex. 15:14–16; Ps. 105:38; Acts 5:11), especially in contrast to their recent defeat by the Greeks.

  Esther 9

  9:1 twelfth month. During the period Feb.–Mar. Here is a powerful statement with regard to God’s providential preservation of the Jewish race in harmony with God’s unconditional promise to Abraham (Gen. 17:1–8). This providential deliverance stands in contrast to God’s miraculous deliverance of the Jews from Egypt; yet in both cases the same end had been accomplished by the supernatural power of God.

  9:3 the fear of Mordecai. Pragmatically, the nation had a change of heart toward the Jews, knowing that the king, the queen, and Mordecai were the ranking royal officials of the land. To be pro-Jewish would put one in favor with the king and his court and put one on the side of God, the ultimate King (cf. Rev. 19:16).

  9:6, 7 Five hundred men died in Shushan.

  9:10 did not lay a hand. Unlike Saul, who did take the plunder (cf. 1 Sam. 15:3 with 15:9), the Jews focused only on the mission at hand, i.e., to preserve the Jewish race (cf. vv. 15, 16), even though the king’s edict permitted this (8:11).

  9:12 further request? Even this pagan king served the cause of utterly blotting out the Amalekites in accord with God’s original decree (Ex. 17:14) by allowing for a second day of killing in Shushan to eliminate all Jewish enemies.

  9:13 be hanged. I.e., be publicly displayed.

  9:15, 16 Over 1,500 years earlier God had promised to curse those who curse Abraham’s descendants (Gen. 12:3).

  9:15 fourteenth day. Another 300 men died the second day of killing in Shushan, bringing the total dead in Shushan to 810.

  9:16 killed. Outside of Shushan, only one day of killing occurred in which 75,000 enemies died.

  9:18, 19 This section recounted why Purim would be celebrated for two days rather than one.

  9:20–25 A brief summary of God’s providential intervention on behalf of the Jews.

  9:26 Purim. The first and last biblically revealed, non-Mosaic festival with perpetual significance.

  9:29 second letter. An additional letter (cf. v. 20 for the first letter), which added “fasting and lamenting” to the prescribed activity of Purim.

  9:32 written in the book. This could be the chronicle referred to in 10:3, or another archival type document. It certainly does not hint that Esther wrote this canonical book.

  Esther 10

  10:1–3 Apparently a postscript.

  10:3 Mordecai…was second. Mordecai joined the top echelon of Jewish international statesmen like Joseph, who ranked second in the Egyptian dynasty (Gen. 41:37–45), and Daniel, who succeeded in both the Babylonian (Dan. 2:46–49; 5:29) and Medo-Persian Empires (Dan. 6:28). speaking peace. Less than 10 years later (ca. 465 B.C.), Ahasuerus was assassinated. There are no further details concerning Esther and Mordecai. What Mordecai did for less than a decade on behalf of Israel, Jesus Christ will do for all eternity as the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6, 7; Zech. 9:9, 10).

  Esther 1

  1:1 a Ezra 4:6; Dan. 9:1

  1:1 b Esth. 8:9

  1:1 c Dan. 6:1

  1:1 1 Generally identified with Xerxes I (485–464 B.C.)

  1:2 d 1 Kin. 1:46

  1:2 e Neh. 1:1; Dan. 8:2

  1:2 2 Or Susa

  1:2 3 Or fortified palace, and so elsewhere in the book

  1:3 f Gen. 40:20; Esth. 2:18

  1:5 4 Or Susa

  1:5 5 palace

  1:6 g Esth. 7:8; Ezek. 23:41; Amos 2:8; 6:4

  1:7 h Esth. 2:18

  1:7 6 Lit. hand

  1:10 i Esth. 7:9

  1:13 j Jer. 10:7; Dan. 2:12; Matt. 2:1

  1:13 k 1 Chr. 12:32

  1:14 l Ezra 7:14

  1:14 m 2 Kin. 25:19; (Matt. 18:10)

  1:14 7 Lit. sat in first place

  1
:17 n (Eph. 5:33)

  1:19 o Esth. 8:8; Dan. 6:8

  1:19 8 Lit. word

  1:19 9 pass away

  1:20 p (Eph. 5:33; Col. 3:18; 1 Pet. 3:1)

  1:22 q Esth. 3:12, 8:9

  1:22 r (Eph. 5:22–24; 1 Tim. 2:12)

  Esther 2

  2:1 a Esth. 1:19, 20

  2:3 1 Or Susa

  2:3 2 palace

  2:3 3 Heb. Hege

  2:5 b 1 Sam. 9:1

  2:5 4 Or Susa

  2:5 5 palace

  2:6 c 2 Kin. 24:14, 15; 2 Chr. 36:10, 20; Jer. 24:1

  2:6 6 Lit. Who

  2:6 7 Jehoiachin, 2 Kin. 24:6

  2:7 d Esth. 2:15

  2:8 e Esth. 2:3

  2:8 8 Or Susa

  2:8 9 palace

  2:9 f Esth. 2:3, 12

  2:9 10 Lit. her portions

  2:10 g Esth. 2:20

  2:10 11 Revealed the identity of

  2:15 h Esth. 2:7, 9:29

  2:15 i Esth. 5:2, 8

  2:17 j Esth. 1:11

  2:18 k Esth. 1:3

  2:18 12 Lit. hand

  2:20 l Esth. 2:10; (Prov. 22:6)

  2:21 13 Bigthana, Esth. 6:2

  2:22 m Esth. 6:1, 2

  2:23 n Esth. 6:1

  Esther 3

  3:1 a Num. 24:7; 1 Sam. 15:8

  3:1 b Esth. 5:11

  3:2 c Esth. 2:19, 21, 5:9

  3:2 d Esth. 3:5; Ps. 15:4

  3:3 e Esth. 3:2

  3:5 f Esth. 3:2, 5:9

  3:5 g Dan. 3:19

  3:6 h Ps. 83:4; (Rev. 12:1–17)

  3:7 i Esth. 9:24–26

  3:7 1 Lit. from day to day and month to month

  3:7 2 LXX adds to destroy the people of Mordecai in one day; Vg. adds the nation of the Jews should be destroyed

  3:7 3 So with MT, Vg.; LXX and the lot fell on the fourteenth of the month

  3:8 j Ezra 4:12–15; Acts 16:20, 21

  3:10 k Gen. 41:42

  3:10 l Esth. 8:2, 8

  3:10 m Esth. 7:6

  3:12 n Esth. 8:9

  3:12 o Esth. 1:22

  3:12 p 1 Kin. 21:8; Esth. 8:8–10

  3:13 q 2 Chr. 30:6; Esth. 8:10, 14

  3:13 r Esth. 8:12

  3:13 s Esth. 8:11, 9:10

  3:13 4 LXX adds the text of the letter here

  3:14 t Esth. 8:13, 14

  3:15 u Esth. 8:15; (Prov. 29:2)

  3:15 5 Or Susa

  3:15 6 palace

  3:15 7 in confusion

  Esther 4

  4:1 a 2 Sam. 1:11; Esth. 3:8–10; Jon. 3:5, 6

  4:1 b Josh. 7:6; Ezek. 27:30

  4:1 c Gen. 27:34

  4:1 1 Lit. Mordecai

  4:7 d Esth. 3:9

  4:8 e Esth. 3:14, 15

  4:8 2 Or Susa

  4:11 f Esth. 5:1, 6:4

  4:11 g Dan. 2:9

  4:11 h Esth. 5:2, 8:4

  4:11 i Esth. 2:14

  4:16 j Esth. 5:1

  4:16 k Gen. 43:14

  4:16 3 Or Susa

  4:17 4 LXX adds a prayer of Mordecai here

  Esther 5

  5:1 a Esth. 4:16

  5:1 b Esth. 4:11, 6:4

  5:1 1 LXX adds many extra details in vv. 1, 2

  5:2 c (Prov. 21:1)

  5:2 d Esth. 4:11, 8:4

  5:3 e Esth. 7:2; Mark 6:23

  5:6 f Esth. 7:2

  5:6 g Esth. 9:12

  5:8 h Esth. 6:14

  5:8 2 Lit. to do

  5:9 i (Job 20:5; Luke 6:25)

  5:9 j Esth. 3:5

  5:10 k 2 Sam. 13:22

  5:11 l Esth. 9:7–10

  5:11 m Esth. 3:1

  5:14 n Esth. 7:9

  5:14 o Esth. 6:4

  5:14 p Esth. 7:10

  5:14 3 Lit. tree or wood

  5:14 4 About 75 feet

  Esther 6

  6:1 a Esth. 2:23, 10:2

  6:1 1 Lit. the king’s sleep fled away

  6:2 2 Bigthan, Esth. 2:21

  6:4 b Esth. 5:1

  6:4 c Esth. 5:14

  6:6 d (Prov. 16:18; 18:12)

  6:8 e 1 Kin. 1:33

  6:8 3 crown

  6:9 f Gen. 41:43

  6:9 4 Lit. cause him to ride

  6:12 g 2 Chr. 26:20

  6:12 h 2 Sam. 15:30; Jer. 14:3, 4

  6:13 i (Gen. 12:3); Zech. 2:8

  6:14 j Esth. 5:8

  Esther 7

  7:2 a Esth. 5:6

  7:4 b Esth. 3:9, 4:7

  7:4 c Deut. 28:68

  7:6 d Esth. 3:10

  7:8 e Esth. 1:6

  7:8 f Job 9:24

  7:9 g Esth. 1:10

  7:9 h Esth. 5:14; (Ps. 7:16; Prov. 11:5, 6)

  7:9 i Esth. 6:2

  7:9 1 Lit. tree or wood

  7:10 j (Ps. 7:16; 94:23; Prov. 11:5, 6)

  7:10 k Ps. 37:35, 36; Dan. 6:24

  Esther 8

  8:1 a Esth. 7:6

  8:1 b Esth. 2:7, 15

  8:2 c Esth. 3:10

  8:4 d Esth. 4:11, 5:2

  8:5 e Esth. 3:13

  8:6 f Neh. 2:3; Esth. 7:4, 9:1

  8:7 g Esth. 8:1; Prov. 13:22

  8:8 h Esth. 1:19; Dan. 6:8, 12, 15

  8:8 1 Lit. as is good in your eyes

  8:9 i Esth. 3:12

  8:9 j Esth. 1:1

  8:9 k Esth. 1:22, 3:12

  8:10 l 1 Kin. 21:8; Esth. 3:12, 13

  8:10 2 Lit. sons of the swift horses

  8:11 m Esth. 9:2

  8:11 n Esth. 9:10, 15, 16

  8:12 o Esth. 3:13, 9:1

  8:12 3 LXX adds the text of the letter here

  8:13 p Esth. 3:14, 15

  8:14 4 Or Susa

  8:14 5 palace

  8:15 q Esth. 3:15; Prov. 29:2

  8:15 6 violet

  8:15 7 Or Susa

  8:16 r Ps. 97:11; 112:4

  8:17 s 1 Sam. 25:8; Esth. 9:19

  8:17 t Ps. 18:43

  8:17 u Gen. 35:5; Ex. 15:16; Deut. 2:25; 11:25; 1 Chr. 14:17; Esth. 9:2

  Esther 9

  9:1 a Esth. 8:12

  9:1 b Esth. 3:13

  9:1 c 2 Sam. 22:41

  9:2 d Esth. 8:11; 9:15–18

  9:2 e Ps. 71:13, 14

  9:2 f Esth. 8:17

  9:4 g 2 Sam. 3:1; 1 Chr. 11:9; (Prov. 4:18)

  9:6 h Esth. 1:2; 3:15; 4:16

  9:6 1 Or Susa

  9:6 2 palace

  9:10 i Esth. 5:11; 9:7–10; Job 18:19; 27:13–15; Ps. 21:10

  9:10 j Esth. 8:11

  9:10 3 spoil

  9:11 4 Or Susa

  9:11 5 palace

  9:11 6 Lit. came

  9:12 k Esth. 5:6, 7:2

  9:13 l Esth. 8:11, 9:15

  9:13 m 2 Sam. 21:6, 9

  9:15 n Esth. 8:11, 9:2

  9:15 o Esth. 9:10

  9:15 7 Or Susa

  9:16 p Esth. 9:2

  9:16 q Esth. 8:11

  9:17 8 Lit. it

  9:18 r Esth. 9:11, 15

  9:18 9 Or Susa

  9:18 10 Lit. it

  9:19 s Deut. 16:11, 14

  9:19 t Esth. 8:16, 17

  9:19 u Neh. 8:10, 12; Esth. 9:22

  9:22 v Neh. 8:10; Esth. 9:19

  9:22 w (Deut. 15:7–11); Job 29:16

  9:24 x Esth. 3:6, 7, 9:26

  9:25 y Esth. 7:4–10; 8:3; 9:13, 14

  9:25 z Esth. 7:10

  9:25 11 Lit. she or it

  9:25 12 Lit. his

  9:26 a Esth. 9:20

  9:26 13 Lit. Lot

  9:27 b Esth. 8:17; (Is. 56:3, 6); Zech. 2:11

  9:29 c Esth. 2:15

  9:29 d Esth. 8:10; 9:20, 21

  9:30 e Esth. 1:1

  9:31 f Esth. 4:3, 16

  Esther 10

  10:1 a Gen. 10:5; Ps. 72:10; Is. 11:11; 24:15

  10:2 b Esth. 8:15, 9:4

  10:2 c Esth. 6:1

  10:2 1 Lit. made him great

  10:3 d Gen. 41:40, 43, 44; 2 Chr. 28:7

  10:3 e Neh. 2:10; Ps. 122:8, 9

  10:3 2 Lit. seed. LXX, Vg. add a dream of Mordecai here; Vg. adds six more chapters


  Introduction to Job

  Title

  As with other books of the Bible, Job bears the name of the narrative’s primary character. This name might have been derived from the Hebrew word for “persecution,” thus meaning “persecuted one,” or from an Arabic word meaning “repent,” thus bearing the name “repentant one.” The author recounts an era in the life of Job, in which he was tested and the character of God was revealed. New Testament writers directly quote Job two times (Rom. 11:35; 1 Cor. 3:19), plus Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and James 5:11 show Job was a real person.

  Author and Date

  The book does not name its author. Job is an unlikely candidate because the book’s message rests on Job’s ignorance of the events that occurred in heaven as they related to his ordeal. One Talmudic tradition suggests Moses as author since the land of Uz (1:1) was adjacent to Midian where Moses lived for 40 years, and he could have obtained a record of the story there. Solomon is also a good possibility due to the similarity of content with parts of the book of Ecclesiastes, as well as the fact that Solomon wrote the other Wisdom books (except Psalms, and he did author Pss. 72; 127). Though he lived long after Job, Solomon could have written about events that occurred long before his own time, in much the same manner as Moses was inspired to write about Adam and Eve. Elihu, Isaiah, Hezekiah, Jeremiah, and Ezra have also been suggested as possible authors, but without support.

  The date of the book’s writing may be much later than the events recorded therein. This conclusion is based on: 1) Job’s age (42:16); 2) his life span of nearly 200 years (42:16) which fits the patriarchal period (Abraham lived 175 years; Gen. 25:7); 3) the social unit being the patriarchal family; 4) the Chaldeans who murdered Job’s servants (1:17) were nomads and had not yet become city dwellers; 5) Job’s wealth being measured in livestock rather than gold and silver (1:3; 42:12); 6) Job’s priestly functions within his family (1:4, 5); and 7) a basic silence on matters such as the covenant of Abraham, Israel, the Exodus, and the law of Moses. The events of Job’s odyssey appear to be patriarchal. Job, on the other hand, seemed to know about Adam (31:33) and the Noahic flood (12:15). These cultural/historical features found in the book appear to place the events chronologically at a time probably after Babel (Gen. 11:1–9) but before or contemporaneous with Abraham (Gen. 11:27ff.).

  Background and Setting

  This book begins with a scene in heaven that explains everything to the reader (1:6-2:10). Job was suffering because God was contesting with Satan. Job never knew that, nor did any of his friends, so they all struggled to explain suffering from the perspective of their ignorance, until finally Job rested in nothing but faith in God’s goodness and the hope of His redemption. That God vindicated his trust is the culminating message of the book. When there are no rational or, even, theological explanations for disaster and pain, trust God.