1 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them. 2 The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples. 3 All the officials of the provinces and the satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai grew more and more powerful. 5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In Susa the citadel itself the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, 7 and also killed Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha 8 and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha 9 and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they laid no hand on the plunder.
11 That very day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was reported to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men and also the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! Now what is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.” 13 And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to do according to this day’s edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.” 14 So the king commanded this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. 15 The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed 300 men in Susa, but they laid no hands on the plunder.
16 Now the rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also gathered to defend their lives, and got relief from their enemies and killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they laid no hands on the plunder. 17 This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. 18 But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
When the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (March 473 B.C.) those who hated the Jews hoped to annihilate them but the reverse occurred. The Jews stood and defended themselves in every province under King Xerces. Even the government officials stood on their side because of Mordecai’s rise in power and good reputation.
Within the city of Susa, 500 men were destroyed as well as Haman’s ten sons. When the king asked Esther what she wanted, she requested one more day to deal with their enemies within the city and for Haman’s sons to be hanged (or impaled) on the gallows. Why impale the already dead bodies? This was a cultural practice that served as a visual warning to others not to commit the same crime. The king issued a decree to that effect and on the 14th day, the Jews in Susa defended themselves against an additional 300 men. In the rest of the king’s provinces, the Jews killed 75,000 people. This is a very large number that may be wrong. The Septuagint quotes fifteen thousand and there may be other explanations for the large number. The author clearly wanted to emphasise the Jews’ significant victory. Three times in this passage it states that the Jews laid no hand on the plunder. Despite the edict allowing it, they used their opportunity to defend themselves without the motive of material gain.
On the fourteenth day of the twelfth month, and the fifteenth day in the city of Suza, the Jews celebrated their victory with a holiday which would become the Feast of Purim.
This is the culmination of the story. Esther was placed where she was “for such a time as this?” (Est 4:14) and Mordecai was promoted and elevated, both of them to help the Jews, God’s people. How has God placed you and coordinated things in your life for your good? How can you praise Him today for what He has done in your life?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
The Plot Against Paul: Acts 23-24