As we begin this esther bible study, lets consider the books of ezra and nehemiah. The book of esther is a 20 movie starring jen lilley as queen esther and joel smallbone as king xerxes. Jon levenson capably guides readers through both versions, demonstrating their coherence and their differences. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. Esther was originally written in hebrew, which is represented by ch. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage. Yet, though this is true in one sense, there is more to it than that. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p.
Xerxes this is the ahasuerus of the book of esther. And it came to pass when nebuchadnezzar died, that his son, evilmerodach, claimed the kingdom. 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. Hence it belongs to the bestknown otbooks with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. In fact, god is not directly mentioned by name in the book of esther. Her knowledge of the text is extensive, and her insights into current application are valuable. Esther bible story summary what christians want to know. Weve created a 10day study guide for you, each day working through a chapter of the exciting story of esther. Then mordecai sat in the kings gate it was ordered by cyrus, as xenophon informs us. In this sixweek study, explore the subject of gods providence, walking verse by verse through the book of esther. The books of ezra and nehemiah were written during his reign. 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.
Esther commentary john gills exposition of the bible. Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. Megillah with indepth commentaryside by side version. 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 their commentary on the book of esther, the rabbis expand upon and add details to the biblical narrative, relating to her lineage and history and to her relations with the other characters. Scripture says mordecai recorded certain events in order to relate them to jews throughout the kingdom see esth. In the hebrew bible, the book of esther is found in the third section of the canon, the writings. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. Esther, as a little girl, was none of those things, but god used her in a powerful and unique way to save the lives of her people. A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther. The purpose of the book of esther is to display the providence of god, especially in regard to his chosen people, israel. The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control.
Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. An exposition, with practical observations, of the book of esther chapter 1. Artaxerxes this man was son of xerxes and stepson of esther. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so in the days of persecution. Place of esther in the old testament a critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther canonicity canonical status word biblical commentary, volume 9. This is a highly unusual commentary on the book of esther. This summary of the book of esther will help with many different forms of bible study. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a part of his harem. It has sought to bring together all the relevant aids to exegesislinguistic and textual no less than archaeological, historical, literary and theologicalwith a level of comprehension and quality of scholarship unmatched by any other series.
Berlin begins with a lengthy introduction, discussing esther as comedy and as diaspora literature. Esther is unique in that it is the only book of scripture that does not mention god, although clearly gods providential hand of protection of his people pervades the pages. The book of esther was likely written between 460 and 350 b. We might even think that he does not care about us.
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. We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b. The original text of the megillah book of esther with a running commentary culled from the talmud and midrash, the great torah commentators and the chassidic masters. With scripture memory, daily study, and group discussion questions, this resource is ideal. The book of esther show us that this is not the case. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star. The book of esther does not mention the name of god. Mordecai is brought into prominence at the right time 6.
In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the book of esther was illustrated by j. Adele berlins commentary in the jps series is better suited for a critical look at the hebrew text. 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. Yet most people today have never heard of john gill. Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible. Sleep is taken from ahasuerus at precisely the right time 6. A story of the providence of god in a pagan land page 4 introduction to the book the book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god.
Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. Book exchange if you have this book go ahead and post it here and your listing will appear for all students at your school who have classes requiring this specific book. It is a deeply profound and moving narrative of historical events that displayed the providence of god. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the jews. Chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five chapter six chapter seven s. Esther bible study journal for women love god greatly.
Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr. This is my favorite commentary on any book of holy scripture. God masterfully orchestrates and weaves together every detail of our lives in jawdropping ways. The book of esther may remind you of a classic, once upon a time childrens story with a wealthy king, his beautiful queen, and an evil villain. The gathering together of a harem for king ahasuerus. The events in the book of esther occurred from 483. 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. The commentary is accessible to laymen, but should be useful to pastors and scholars as well. An interpretation of the dream that relates its features to the plot of the book is given in f. The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is. 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.
Early jewish and christian traditions suggest that among the people named in the book, mordecai, esther s cousin and guardian, was in the best position to record the events. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. In the book of esther this information is casually presented as unimportant, but comes up later in the story. The writer now goes back to what happened before esther s marriage. Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so. The events that the first chapter of the book of esther describes happened about 483 bc before christ. Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history. It is the last of the five scrolls ruth, song of songs, ecclesiastes, lamentations, and esther, and is read at the feast of purim. Esther bible study will give you a threepart look at the book of the bible that bears her name, and at its title character. Af, which most scholars regard as later additions to the book.
Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and published by seven stories press. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. If esther fails to act, and both she and mordecai perish, then her family will be wiped out. Study esther using john gills exposition of the bible to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. Esther 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is one of the most respected interdenominational commentaries ever written. Mordecai learned of a plot to kill the king and made it known to esther who passed the news to the king. Better is a dinner of herbs with quietness, than this banquet of wine, with all the noise and tumult that must have attended it.
The book takes its name from the beautiful, orphaned jewess who became the queen of the persian king ahasuerus. Several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. But the people refused to anoint him as ruler, and they said to him. Although no meaning is attached to his name in strongs concordance due to its nonhebrew origin, willmingtons complete guide to bible knowledge states it means dedicated to mars. On the mystical level king achashverosh alludes to gd, the king of the world. Jan 01, 2001 this informative commentary part of jpss bible commentary series dissects the book of esther and, by extension, the jewish holiday of purim. Best commentaries and books on esther logos bible software. Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israels history from a dark time. The unknown author of the book of esther was most likely a jew very familiar with the royal persian court. Commentary on esther 1 by matthew henry blue letter bible. Queen esther came to the throne for just such a time 4. Karen jobes has written the most engaging, interesting, and helpful commentary on the book of esther presently available.
Queen esther, the central character in the biblical book named after her, is extensively and sympathetically portrayed in the rabbinic sources. Although his name is never mentioned, we see his providence in each page of this wonderful little book. He overcame the jews and he took many jews to babylon. The detailed descriptions of court life and traditions. Scripture that same day king xerxes gave queen esther the estate of read more the book of esther bible study. T he story of esther reads like a novel and is full of great spiritual lessons.
The book of esther has been preserved in ancient texts that diverge greatly from each other. What spiritual lessons can we learn from this book. The book of esther records the institution of the feast of purim and the obligation of its perpetual observation. Over 100 years earlier, nebuchadnezzar the king of babylon had attacked jerusalem. Esther overview john calvins commentaries on the bible. Publication date 1908 topics bible publisher new york. There is hardly a book in the bible, upon the trustworthiness of which there has been made so determined an attack, as the book of esther. Make sure to price the book competitively with the other options presented, so you have the best chance of selling your book. 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. Herbert lockyer describes her as the woman who saved her nation from genocide.
It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. The jewish historian josephus names mordecai as author of the book. You can find the best commentary on esther for you using the tools on the right side. Behold, once before was thy father removed from the vicinity of human beings and compelled to eat herbs and grass like the beasts of the field for seven years. Mordecai, the cousin of esther, is a jewish official in the royal court of persia at shushan 2. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of persia and thwarts a genocide. Like any great story, the book of esther has good guys and bad guys, danger, and suspense. When the virgins were gathered together the second time they in all probability were gathered together first in the provinces, and afterward in susa, before they were taken into the house of the kings chamberlain. 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. The advancement of esther to be queen instead of vashti. Presented here is a verse by verse exposition of the new testament.
Studying the book of esther is well worth your time. In those books we saw a large group of jews who returned to judah and jerusalem after the exile. Joyce baldwin esther tyndale old testament commentaries, 1984. Esther 2 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther by paton, lewis bayles, 18641932.
The story of esther reads like a movie plot, with a beautiful queen risking her life to prevent genocide. The book of esther provides us with the greatest illustrations of the providence of god. He eventually chose esther as his queen, and by her influence the jews were saved from destruction. Jobes volume is best for those seeking a biblicaltheological commentary on the book of esther. Addition a has mordecai inform the king directly, whereas in 2. You can work through this bible study on your own or with your small group, and you can go through this in ten days, or over a tenweek or semester long schedule.
A selection of the best commentaries and bible study resources on the book of esther. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of esther in easy english. The book of esther is one of the latest of the canonical books of scripture, having been written late in the reign of xerxes, or early in that of his son artaxerxes longimanus b. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. And we can imagine the kind of questions this group might have been asking our fathers and we have sinned against. Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israel. Book of prophecy that reveals gods magnificent plan of salvation through the person and work of jesus christ the book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in their synagogues to the present day. The book belongs to the socalled five scrolls hebr. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. But while the characters might resemble a fairy tale, the book of esther depicts actual events that shaped jewish history and instituted the festival of purim. Heres a little taste of the ongoing bible study from the book of esther in the hebrew scriptures. After these things, when the wrath of king ahasuerus subsided, he remembered vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
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