Other Purim Customs

There are several other Purim customs. First, it is permissible to work on this day, but it is not proper to do so. The rabbis teach that anyone who works on Purim will never see a sign or blessing.

Secondly, one should wear fabric clothing on this feast.

Thirdly, if a man injures a neighbor because of too much Purim joy, meaning he had a bit too much to drink, he is freed from paying damages.

Fourthly, as soon as the month of Adar arrives (the month in which Purim falls), all should be feeling joyful.

Fifth, if a Jew has a disagreement with a Gentile, the rabbis taught that he should not go to court during this month.

Sixth, before Purim, it is customary to pay the half-shekel to finance the Temple rituals.

Seven, if Purim falls on the Sabbath, the Jews of Jerusalem end up by observing three days of Purim; on Friday the fourteenth they read the book of Esther; on Saturday the fifteenth they recite the blessing of the reversals (to see link click Bi – Now Write a Counter-Decree in the King’s Name in Behalf of the Jews) seen in the book; on Sunday the sixteenth they eat the Purim meal.

Eight, upon returning from synagogue, the Jew should find his home ready for Purim, with the light already burning and the table set.¹³¹

The Susa Purim

Only in Susa did the fighting last for two days. For that reason Jews in Susa celebrated on the fifteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar (after the slaughter on the thirteenth and fourteenth), whereas the villages celebrated on the fourteenth day of Adar (after the slaughter on the thirteenth). This special observance of Purim in Susa is based upon Esther 9:18. On the one hand, it is forbidden to fast or give a funeral address on this special Susa Purim; but, on the other hand, it is expected to make a feast and rejoice. It is permissible to marry on the fifteenth day of Adar, but not the fourteenth day because, according to Jewish custom, two joys should not be intermixed.

The rabbis teach that cities that were surrounded by a wall in the days of Joshua observe Susa Purim, meaning they observe Purim on the fifteenth day of Adar based upon Esther 9:18. Because Jerusalem was clearly a city surrounded by a wall that is when they observe it. For many cities, there are some doubts as to whether or not they had a wall around them in the days of Joshua, so these cities observe it on both the fourteenth and the fifteenth day. In Isra’el today these cities include Joppa, Akko, Gaza, Lod, Tiberious, Shechem, Hebron Safed and Haifa. But, the unwalled towns or villages observe it on the fourteenth day of Adar in keeping with Esther 9:19.¹³⁰

The Seven Jewish Traditions of Purim

There are seven Jewish traditions on this day. For the Messianic Jew or Gentile they are optional, but observant Jews are obligated to keep them. First, is the reading of the Megillah. It is the scroll of Esther; therefore, they must read the book of Esther on the feast of Esther. In keeping with the principles that we found in Esther those cities surrounded by a wall at the time of Joshua read the book of Esther on the fifteenth day of Adar, but Jews living in villages and towns without walls read it on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar.

The second tradition has to do with the reading of the Torah. The specific passage read on this feast day is Exodus 17:8-16 (see my commentary on Exodus Cv – War With the Amalekites), which describes the war with Amalek. The reason this message is read is because, in Jewish tradition, Haman was a descendant of King Agag, the king of the Amalekites in the days of Saul, the first king of Isra’el.

The third tradition has to do with certain additions to the synagogue service and the additions are made in the daily prayers and the blessing after meals.

The fourth tradition is to give presents of food one to another (9:22b). The rabbis, of course, came up with a number of specifics. The minimum requirement of sending portions to friends is two types of food to one friend. The reason they give is because the term presents is plural, but one to another is singular. Therefore, every Jewish person is to send two portions of food to his or her Jewish friend. Whoever increases this amount, is giving more than two and is to be considered praiseworthy. But those who do not have enough money should exchange these gifts with a friend, each one sending to the other to fulfill the principle of sending presents of food to one another.

The fifth tradition is to give gifts to the poor (9:22c). The rabbis teach the minimum requirement was two gifts; because the word gifts is in the plural, they should give at least two poor people gifts. This would be greater than normal charity, because even a poor Jew must give two presents of food and two gifts every Purim. This gift can be money, it may be a present, it may be a cooked dish or it may be food. The rabbis teach that it is better to increase gifts to the poor than to make a big meal for oneself or an extra portion to a friend. But, if someone happens to be living in a place that has no poor, then they could give it to a friend, or mail it to the poor.

The sixth tradition for all religious Jews on this day has to do with refraining from eulogies and fasting. It is forbidden to fast or deliver a funeral address either on the fourteenth or fifteenth day of Adar. Even if Purim is observed only on the fourteenth or only on the fifteenth, the rule still applies to both days.

The seventh key tradition concerns the Purim feast itself. This is based upon Esther 9:18 and 22. According to rabbinic traditions, they are obligated to eat, drink, and be merry. For the night of the fourteenth, one should rejoice and feast. However, one does not fulfill the obligation by feasting at night because it must be done during daytime, as the Bible says: they made it a day of feasting and joy, not nights of feasting and joy. In addition, the rabbis see it as proper and right to light candles even if the meal is during the daytime, though the light of the candle is not necessary. One should also feast and rejoice on the night of the fifteenth. The presents of food to one another and the gifts to the poor should be sent in the daytime and then the meal is at night. The Purim feast begins after the afternoon prayers that are said while it is broad daylight, because a greater part of the feast is still in the daytime.

In addition, Jews are encouraged, but not obligated, to study the Torah for a short time at the beginning of the feast. This is based upon Esther 8:16, where it says that the Jews had light, and gladness and joy, and honor (KJV). The rabbis do not interpret this as literal light, but the light of the Torah. Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart (Psalm 97:11).

Drinking during Purim is hotly debated within the Jewish community. One famous rabbi named Rava said, “A man is obligated to drink until he no longer knows the difference between blessing Mordecai and cursing Haman.” This statement has given many other Jewish rabbis problems, because it implies that it is permissible to get drunk during Purim. However, other rabbis tried to compromise with his position. The rabbis have come up with four different compromises. First, some believe that it only means to drink more than usual. Secondly, others believe that it means to drink until one falls asleep. A third compromise is that both statements in Hebrew equal a numerical value of 502 and what this means is that they can drink until they can no longer make those calculations. A fourth compromise says to drink until one can no longer understand the rabbinic expression of “cursing Haman,” or “blessing Mordecai.” Judaism does not only allow for the drinking of wine, it actually promotes it. Wine is part of many Jewish traditions and rituals. But the rabbis took a very dim view against drunkenness. About the only time religious Jews are allowed to get drunk is on the feast of Purim and even then that is questioned by some rabbis, but not by others.¹²⁹

The Fast of Esther

The origin of the fast of Esther is actually another fast in Jewish history that comes from the inter-testamental period. That day was known as Yom Nikanor, or the Fast of Nikanor. Nikanor was the Greek Syrian general who was defeated by Judah Maccabee in the year 160 BC. For some reason, the Jews began observing a fast on the day that he was killed, and the fast day was the thirteenth day of Adar, or the twelfth month. Later, this fast was transferred to Esther’s fast. Esther actually fasted, according to Jewish tradition, in the month of Nisan, but it was later forbidden to fast in Nisan, so the fast was transferred to the month of Adar. The date of the fast is the thirteenth of Adar, which is the day before the feast of Purim. There are three reasons for the fast.

The first reason is that it is based upon Esther 4:16, which records the three days of fasting by Esther. Originally, the fast was kept consecutively for three days. Later it was not kept consecutively, but kept on the Monday, Thursday, and Monday preceding the feast of Purim. Still later, it became only a one-day fast, the day preceding the feast itself.

The second reason for the fast was to remember the Holy One who sees and hears the prayer of every person in time of distress when they fast and return to God with all their heart, with all their soul and with all their strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

The third reason for the fast was that it was a day that the enemies of the Jews were killed, so it should be viewed as a day of mourning, not a day of feasting.

Lastly, there are two rabbinic laws concerning the fast of Esther. First, the fast is not obligatory as the other four fast days of Scripture and so this one may be relaxed in special cases such as: that of a pregnant or nursing woman; those who suffer from eye problems, or a groom who is within seven days of his wedding need not fast. Secondly, if Purim falls on a Sunday, since one is not allowed to fast on either Friday or Saturday by Jewish tradition, the fast is observed on the preceding Thursday.¹²⁸

The Feast of Purim in Judaism

Over the centuries, Judaism has developed several unique aspects of their observance of Purim. All of this material is from the ministry of Dr. Arnold Fructhenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas. These unique traditions and customs are:

to see link click Bw – The Fast of Esther

Bx – The Seven Jewish Traditions of Purim

By – The Susa Purim

Bz – Other Purim Customs

Ca – Purim Pranks

Cb – Purim Plays

Cc – Purim Parodies

Cd – Special Purims

Queen Esther and Mordecai Wrote
a Second Letter to Confirm the Feast of Purim
9: 29-32

Queen Esther and Mordecai wrote a second letter to confirm and feast of Purim DIG: What was the purpose of this second letter? Who wrote it? Why was that so important? Queen Esther is named as the daughter of Abihail here in this letter, how did that contrast with the first time we met her (see 2:7a and c, 2:15a). What was confirmed in the letter? Under what authority? Why was that important?

REFLECT: How is the male and female partnership in God’s providence seen in your life? How do you feel about the reversal of roles between Esther and Mordecai throughout the book? Are you comfortable with that? Or does it bother you? Why? How much does it mean to you that this is a biblical account opposed to a secular one (Second Timothy 3:16)? If this story was in the context of a church or messianic synagogue would that be different (see my commentary on Genesis, to see link click Lv – I Do Not Permit a Woman to Teach or Have Authority Over a Man, She Must Be Silent)?

This was the second letter of Purim. Mordecai wrote the first letter (9:20-22), and Esther wrote this one. The purpose of her letter was to reinforce the official authority for the institution of the feast of Purim. At this point in the story all the conflicts have been resolved, and the characters are out of danger. In this section the meaning of the events are being summarized in a form seen throughout the Bible. All the events of this story have led up to the point of understanding why Purim is celebrated and why it is such a joyous occasion.¹²³

So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority, or power, to confirm this second letter concerning Purim. The Hebrew is clear in using the third person singular, feminine form of the verb wrote, making it clear that Esther is the one who writes this final confirmation of Purim. At the beginning of her story, Esther is referred to as Mordecai’s cousin whom he had adopted as his own daughter when her father (Mordecai’s uncle Abihail) and mother died (2:7a and c, 2:15a). At the end of her story, however, the Jewish identity and Persian position are combined in the reference to her as Queen Esther (9:29). Esther was giving official governmental approval to the Feast of Purim, confirming what the author sees as a community decision having already taken place.¹²⁴

And Mordecai, as prime minister, sent copies of Esther’s letter to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of Ahasuerus’ kingdom, or the Persian Empire. The letter was introduced with words of goodwill and assurance (9:30). Therefore, it has become customary to unroll the whole Megillah before reading it, to give the appearance of a letter.

The second letter from Queen Esther confirmed the feast and Mordecai’s first letter. The subjects of King Ahasuerus were to establish these days of Purim at their designated times. The first tradition was decreed for them by Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther (9:31a).

The Queen confirmed that they had already established for themselves and their descendants, times of, literally, words of fasting and lamentation in association with Purim (9:31b), based on (4:3 and 16). In Jewish history there had been a time of fasting related to the joyous celebration of Purim. In Talmud times it was known as a three-day fast and observed after the feast of Purim. From the ninth century AD, the day before the feast of Purim (the thirteenth day of Adar) has been observed as a day of fasting.¹²⁵

So the command of Esther confirmed the practices of Purim (9:32a NLT). A similar grammatical oddity points to the unity of authorship. The word command, from the Hebrew means to speak, promise, command, is only found in Esther 1:15, 2:20 and here in the entire TaNaKh. In view of the fact that it is such a rare word, its use in 1:15 does appear to be a deliberate comparison between the command of King Ahasuerus there, and the command of [Queen] Esther here.¹²⁶ She confirmed all that Mordecai had wrote about the observance of Purim. The feast was then given royal authority by the hand of Queen Esther, so it had the status and protection of Persian law. Providence!

Furthermore, it was all written down in the book (9:32b). It is not clear what book this refers to. It might be the book of the chronicles, the record of the kingdom of Persia mentioned earlier (6:1). The importance of the written document cannot be overstated. It authorized the feast for future generations. In Esther, written decrees were necessary to make them lawful, and once written in the king’s name they became irrevocable. In a humorous picture of the infamous red tape of the Persian court, one Targum of Esther says that women of the king’s harem were summoned to his bed by written memo! Anyway, the written word in Esther not only had authority, it had staying power. If something was important, it was written down, if not, it was forgotten.

Esther is notable in biblical history not only for her role in rescuing the people of ADONAI, but also for the authority she achieved to write (though most likely she used scribes to record her words just as Haman and Mordecai had done). She had initiated Mordecai’s promotion and given him wealth, and it was her authority that confirmed his previous letter. No other woman among God’s people wrote with authority to confirm and establish a religious practice that is still with us today. The importance of most biblical women, such a Sarah and Hannah, can be found in their motherhood. But Esther’s importance to the Jewish people is not as a mother, but as a queen.¹²⁷

These Days of Purim Should Never Cease
to be Celebrated by the Jews
9: 26b-28

These days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews DIG: Purim is a most revered Jewish festival, celebrated to this day. Why? How was it first established? How did it get its name? Why is Purim celebrated for two days (see verse 27)? What customs make Purim different from all the other Jewish festivals? In recounting the story, why do you suppose the Holy Spirit chose to start with Haman’s plot, instead of “at the beginning,” with Esther’s rise to prominence?

REFLECT: How is the feast of Purim a message of hope to you? What does it say to you, and what should it say to the world, that the feast of Purim has indeed been celebrated without fail from the days of King Ahasuerus until now?

The letter did no more than reinforce and regulate what Jewish people everywhere had begun spontaneously to practice (9:19). As a result of the deliverance of the Jews from Haman and his followers they made a commitment to remember this event forever. They had almost been destroyed as a people. They could not take their existence for granted any longer. The feast would be celebrated annually. Verses 24 to 28 give a brief summary of the whole episode. The story, as it were, is telescoped.

Therefore, because of everything written in this letter (9:20-22) and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them by being attacked, they were more than ready to remember Purim every year (9:26b). Their personal experience of being saved by Mordecai’s counter-decree (to see link click Bi – Now Write a Counter-Decree in the King’s Name on Behalf of the Jews), made them all the more willing to accept Purim as a permanent feast. To the oppressed it brings a message of hope.

The Jews of that generation who had been delivered took it on themselves to establish the custom for themselves and their descendants. The celebration of Purim seems to be regarded by the author as a community decision. And not only for the Jews, but for all who join them, literally, all the ones attaching themselves on them (in other words, proselytes to the Jewish faith) should without fail observe these two days every year. Meaning Gentile converts to Judaism would also be bound to keep this feast.

In the way prescribed and at the time appointed (9:27). Mordecai’s letter had instructed them to observe the feast of Purim on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar (9:21). In addition to the feasting and gladness, sending of food and gifts to the poor, which are prescribed in the Megillah, the following observances are obligatory on Purim: the reading of the Megillah, evening and morning, with its accompanying blessings and hymns (women are obligated to attend the reading, since it was through a woman that the deliverance was accomplished), and one festive meal towards the evening of the fourteenth (Se’udath Purim). The Megillah is read with a traditional chant that is distinct from that used in reading the Pentateuch or the Haphtarah. In the course of the centuries, as well, many more observances became customary (see Bv – The Feast of Purim in Judaism).

These days should be remembered by reading the Megillah, and according to the famous Rabbi Rashi, observed with feasts, gladness, food and gifts in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city (9:28a). Purim is still celebrated by the Jews on the fourteenth day of Adar, which on our calendar varies from February to March. In some places that were walled cities in the days of Joshua they celebrate on the fifteenth day of Adar, called Susa Purim (see By – The Susa Purim). The thirteenth day of Adar is the fast of Esther (see Bw – The Fast of Esther).

And these two days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews – nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants (9:28b). The rabbis teach that even if all the seven of the festivals of Isra’el should be annulled, Purim will never be annulled (Midrash). All those who love the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob everywhere should remember it continually.

The threat that had been intended to annihilate the Jewish race in Persia became an occasion for unifying it. And the occasion that unified them was Purim. When they were scattered all over the world, the children of Abraham participated in the festival of Purim and have maintained their distinctiveness from March 8-9, 473 BC until now.

Therefore These Days Were Called Purim,
From the Word Pur
9: 26a

Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word Pur DIG: What is the origin of the word Purim? What is the equivalent Hebrew word? Who controls the lot? In what three ways is it used in the TaNaKh? It’s one thing to be skeptical about the way Haman went about choosing the day for his slaughter of the Jews in Persia, but its quite another for the Jews to use the goral to determine the will of God. How do you feel about the three usages of the goral? Are they legitimate? Why would ADONAI choose to use such a method to communicate His will? Did God direct both the purim and the goral? How can you tell?

REFLECT: How do you determine the will of YHWH in your life? How seriously do you take the Word of God? Do you desire love ADONAI with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5)? Or do you hold back? Do you conveniently hold on to some of it? Your finances? Your relationships? Your sex life? Do you want all of the LORD? Well, I can tell you that He wants all of you!

In explaining the origin of the holiday, the author of Esther also explains the origin of its name, Purim. Therefore, meaning because of verse 24, these days were called Purim, which is the plural form of the word pur that means lot or die (singular of dice), from the word pur. Purim is a Hebrew pluralized form of an Akkadian word later also used by the Babylonians to refer to these cube-shaped objects of divination. Haman used them to determine the day of death for the Jewish race in Persia (to see link click Av – The Lot Fell on the Twelfth Month, the Month of Adar, in the Presence of Haman).

But even though casting the purim is like throwing the dice, ADONAI was still controlling the outcome because Haman had to wait almost a year to carry out his wicked plan. The hand of God controlled even his dice so that the Jews would have eleven months to prepare for their defense. The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD (Proverbs 16:33).

The first time this foreign word pur is used (3:7), and again in 9:24, the author translates it into its Hebrew equivalent, goral, which the NIV translates (that is, the lot). This infers that when Esther was written, the author did not believe that his readers would be familiar with the origin or meaning of either pur or purim.

Even though the word pur and its plural form purim appear only in the book of Esther, the equivalent Hebrew word, goral, appears frequently throughout the TaNaKh. It is used in three ways. First, it is used to determine the will of the LORD (see my commentary on Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions). When Haman cast lots, he was seeking direction from “the gods.” Ancient Isra’el also used the goral to seek God’s will. For instance, Joshua used the lot to divide the Promised Land among the tribes, believing that the LORD would determine the allotment: After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the Land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of ADONAI our God (Joshua 18:6).

The second meaning refers to the thing allotted by the roll of the goral. The English word lot happens to have a wide semantic range. It can refer to either the means to make chance selections (as in the word lottery), or the result of a chance selection (as in the expression my lot in life). Continuing in Joshua, both the lots that were cast and the land allotted from the casting are referred to by the word goral: The lot [goral] came up for the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan. Their allotted [goralam] territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph (Joshua 18:11).

The third usage of the word goral refers to the circumstances of life that comes from the Lord. David recognized that his lot came from God. He said: LORD, you have assigned me my portion, menoth, and my cup, you have made my lot [goral] secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance (Psalm 16:5-6). As king of Isra’el, David spoke not only of his own personal life, but also as the representative of all the Israelites. He recognized that the destiny of Isra’el was secure only because God had secured it.

Therefore, the name of the feast, Purim is a play on words, signifying that the lot, or destiny, of God’s people would not be determined by Haman’s casting of lots before his gods. But only ADONAI can determine the roll of the goral, and only He determines the lot of His people.¹²¹

LORD, in the days of Mordecai and Esther, in Susa the capital, when the wicked Haman was against them when he sought to destroy, murder, and to eliminate all the Jews, from the young to the old, infants and women, in one day, on the thirteenth of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and their wealth to plunder; You in great mercy frustrated his counsel and ruined his scheme, and You made his mischief to return upon his own head, hanging him and his sons upon the tree. And for these blessings, may Your name be exalted, our King, forever and to all generations. Amen.¹²²

So the Jews Agreed
to Continue the Celebration They Had Begun
9: 23-25

So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun DIG: What was the controversy Mordecai was trying to clear up? What was his conclusion and command? How is this story telescoped here? Why? What is the pur? Why do you think the author chose to summarize here? How did the king act when the plot against the Jews was brought to his attention? What does this section say about how the Jewish people viewed Mordecai?

REFLECT: How do you react when spiritual matters are brought to your attention? Do you lead? Do you follow? Do you get out of the way? Is it sometimes wise to get out of the way? When? Why? Aside from the manner in which they were executed, how do you feel about Haman and his ten sons dying? Do you think they were executed because of human revenge or Godly justice? How can you tell the difference?

It is hardly necessary to record the Jewish agreement to Mordecai’s instructions about Purim unless it reconciles different established customs. So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun. The first observance was a spontaneous one. But they were obedient to continue to observe the feast on a yearly basis, doing what Mordecai had written to them (9:23). They agreed to continue both what they had begun themselves (which was for those in unwalled cities to celebrate Purim on the fourteenth day (9:21), and for those living in walled cities to celebrate the feast on the fifteenth day of the month of Adar), and what Mordecai had written to them (namely, that they should celebrate the feast on both days).¹¹⁸ The next two verses provide the historical background, beginning with the plot of Haman.

The author summarizes for the reader the events that led to the establishment of the celebration of Purim. It was necessary for the Jews throughout the empire to appreciate the full significance of the festival. In the provinces, all they knew was that there had been a decree permitting them to defend themselves against their enemies. They had defended themselves successfully and were, quite naturally, determined to celebrate the occasion. What they do not know, and therefore, what Mordecai must tell them, is of the events in Susa that lay behind the fateful thirteenth of Adar.¹¹⁹ Consequently, the story is telescoped.

Though the author missed the opportunity to mention Haman’s ancestry on the previous occasion, he referred to him here, for his final appearance in the book, and Haman bears the full brunt of his symbolic name. For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite – and now for the first time – the enemy of all the Jews (previously he had merely been called the enemy of the Jews). Haman had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur, that is, the lot (to see link click Av – The Lot Fell on the Twelfth Month, the Month of Adar, in the Presence of Haman), to crush and destroy them (9:24). There seems to be a play on words by similarity in sound of Haman (haman) and to crush them (hummam).

But when the plot came to the king’s attention (9:25a). The word plot is not in the Hebrew. The Hebrew verb came has a feminine pronoun that could be translated either she (Esther), or it (plot). Therefore, some translate it: When Esther came before the king. But on contextual grounds it is preferable to consider the feminine pronoun to refer to the plot, which is understood in the previous part of the verse (9:25a), and maintain the NIV translation.¹²⁰

When the plot came to the king’s attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles (9:25b). Here, the king is credited with carrying out the just punishment on the evil Haman and his sons, without anyone’s intervention. The fact that Esther had given him the idea was a detail that did not need to be dwelt upon in this summary. The words here are not to be taken to mean that Haman and his sons were impaled at the same time. Since this is a brief summary, it does not mention the time difference between his death and that of his sons.

Mordecai Told Them to Celebrate Annually
on the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Days of Adar
9: 20-22

Mordecai told them to celebrate annually on the fourteenth and fifteenth days fo Adar DIG: Why do some say Purim is not really a holiday? What was the purpose of Mordecai’s letter to the provinces? How often did Mordecai say the feast should be celebrated? Why? When do Jews celebrate Purim today? How do those in walled cities at the time of Joshua celebrate differently from those unwalled cities? In what three ways do those who love the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob celebrate Purim today? What kind of special food is eaten on Purim?

REFLECT: What event in your life has turned sorrow into joy? Do you celebrate it? Do you share it with others? Purim is a day for giving … to one another and the poor. What prompts you to give to others? Especially the poor? What relief from your enemies have you experienced lately? What relief are you still seeking?

The Torah did not establish the feast of Purim because it was Mordecai who recorded these events (9:20a). Rabbi Rashi understood the phrase these events as referring to the whole book, and considered Mordecai to have been the author of Esther. But the words need not have this meaning, and a better translation would be, “the following words.” Because it was not a Levitical holiday designated by Moses, some said it was not really a holiday. But the rabbis had a saying: the flu is no illness and Purim is no holiday.

And Mordecai sent a letter to all the Jews in each province of King Ahasuerus, near and far concerning the observance of Purim (9:20b). This is a different letter than the one he had sent earlier (8:9) to the provincial officials informing them that the Jews had the right to defend themselves against attack. This letter was sent solely to the Jewish people. He had great authority and the efficient postal system made good communication possible.

Mordecai resolved the possible conflict over what day the celebration was to occur by declaring that both days should be celebrated. As soon as Mordecai heard that the fourteenth had seen celebrations all over the empire, but the Jews in Susa celebrated on the fifteenth, he solved the possible disagreement. They were to celebrate the feast annually on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar (9:21). After this verse we would expect another verse giving the law of Susa Purim that those who dwell in walled cities keep the fifteenth of Adar. This law is not explicitly stated in the Megillah, but is implied in verses 19 and 21. The rabbis determined that cities walled since the days of Joshua were under the obligation to observe Purim on the fifteenth of Adar. The Talmudic Tractate Megillah also gives instructions for observing the feast of Purim; the roll of Esther was to be read in unwalled cities on the eleventh, twelfth and either the thirteenth or fourteenth of Adar and in walled cities on the fifteenth.

Once established, Purim was to be celebrated annually on two consecutive days. This can be understood in one of two ways. Either all Jewish people everywhere were to celebrate on both days, because originally a part of the Jewish community had celebrated on each day, or Jewish people should celebrate Purim on the one day appropriate to where they lived, whether in a walled or unwalled location. Today, Jews around the world celebrate Purim on one day, Adar 14, except those living in one of the cities traditionally considered walled at the time of Joshua, which include Jerusalem, Hebron and Jericho, where Purim is celebrated on Adar 15.¹¹⁴

Future generations would be given an annual reminder of the wonderful deliverance from extinction. For it was the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration (9:22a). No religious ceremonies are required. It is represented as a secular festival, in keeping with clearly non-religious tone of the narrative. This remains the essential character of the festival in Judaism. The most significant addition to the customs required is the reading of the roll, the Megillah, of Esther.¹¹⁵

He wrote them to observe the feast in three ways. First, they were to make them days of feasting and joy, not fasting and sorrow; secondly, they should give presents of food one to another, instead of having their possessions taken away; and thirdly, they should send gifts to the poor (9:22b). The rabbis teach that gifts should be given to at least two poor people (Talmud). Various Jewish holidays have special foods associated with them and Purim is no exception. The Purim foods are based on this verse. There are five different foods customary on these days of feasting.

The most customary food is a triangular pastry known as hamantashen. No one really knows where this word came from, but there are three suggested meanings. Some believe it means “Haman’s hat,” which was a three-cornered hat; some believe it means “Haman’s pockets,” which were stuffed with bribes; and some believe it means “Haman’s ears,” because his ears were supposedly cut off as punishment. The hamantashen is a Jewish pastry that is shaped in a triangle. Initially, it was filled with poppy seeds, but later it was also filled with prunes. Today, both poppy and prune hamantashen are eaten on Purim.

A second customary food for Purim is called kreplach. It is like Jewish ravioli, or pasta filled with chopped meat and mixed with spices such as onion or garlic. It is also a three-cornered pastry that is eaten on Purim eve. The chopped meat symbolizes being flogged, because there was an old custom of flogging oneself before Purim.

A third customary dish is beans, cooked with salt, because it was believed to be the diet that Esther survived on in the court of the king. The Jewish tradition is that she ate this food so as not to break any kosher laws.

A fourth customary meal for this feast is turkey. This is based upon its Russian and Hebrew name. In Russia, turkey is called the cock of India; in Hebrew it is called the chicken of India. The Hebrew word for turkey and the Hebrew word for India is the same. Turkey is eaten to remember that the king ruled from Ethiopia to India.

The fifth food is called keylitsh. This is the Jewish egg bread, also eaten on the Sabbath. It is a large, braided loaf of white bread, but this one is decorated with raisins, and the top is braided with long strands. The strands are wide and high in the middle but narrow and low at both ends to symbolize the long rope used to hang Haman.¹¹⁶

This custom of sending presents of food, the Hebrew word manot, to friends and neighbors of Purim also symbolizes what God has destined for His people. The Hebrew word manot, translated presents of food in 9:22b, is the same word translated portion in Psalm 16:5, where we read: LORD, you have assigned me my portion (manah) and my cup; you have made my lot (goral) secure. In the Hebrew poetic parallelism of this verse, manah in the first colon is used to refer to the same destiny as goral in the second colon. But the Hebrew word manah has a second meaning to refer to choice morsels of food. For example, in Second Chronicles 31:4, Hezekiah commands that portions of food be given to the priests and Levites so they can minister before the LORD without having to work in the fields. He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion (manah) due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Torah of ADONAI. As a result, the use of the word manah in Esther 9:22 forms a play on words, as the Jews send these portions of food (manot) to one another to celebrate their portion (manah) allotted (goralam) by God.¹¹⁷

The Five-Step Process to Confirm the Feast of Purim
9: 20-32

While the main theme of the book of Esther is the deliverance of the Jewish people in Persia from destruction, the end result is the celebration of the feast of Purim. These verses outline a five-step process by which the deliverance of the Jews came to remember the festival annually:

(1) the letter of Mordecai instructing the Jews that the festival should be held on the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar (9:20-22);

(2) the Jews agreeing to continue the celebration they had begun (9:23-25);

(3) the naming of the feast (9:26a);

(4) remembering the feast would happen once each year (9:26b-28); and

(5) a second confirming letter was sent by Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew (9:29-32).

The Names of the Feast

There are three basic names for this feast. The most common name by far today is Purim. This is the biblical name according to Esther 9:26. It is the plural form of the singular word pur, meaning lot. Therefore, Purim means lots, or the Feast of Lots. The reason this name was used is given in Esther 9:24, because Haman had cast the pur (that is the lot) to determine the day to destroy the Jews.

A second name is Mordecai’s Day. This is a name given to the feast in early Jewish writings between the TaNaKh and the B’rit Chadashah and is found in one of the apocryphal books, Second Maccabees 15:36. It was given this name because it was actually Mordecai who inaugurated the feast (Esther 9:20-21).

The third name is Id El Sukar. This is Arabic, meaning the sweet festival. The Arabs of Jerusalem gave this name during the Turkish period (1517 to 1917). It became the Jewish custom in Jerusalem to give sugar candies to Moslem authorities on this day, thus, the Arabs began calling this feast the Sweet Festival.¹¹³

The Feast of Purim

With these verses the author returns his original readers to their own time, decades after the developments in Persia had taken place. King Ahasuerus had been assassinated in his bedroom by his royal bodyguard. Esther and Mordecai had long since passed away and Purim was becoming an annual celebration of the Jewish calendar. It is as if the author is saying to us, “See, this is why we celebrate Purim as we do!” He clarifies that Mordecai recorded these events, and . . . sent letters to all the Jews . . . to have them celebrate annually so that future generations could remember the historic deliverance of their ancestors that allowed each subsequent generation to exist.

It is fitting that the fulfillment of ADONAI’s promise to the Jews in Persia should also be written down and memorialized. When God promised to obliterate the memory of the Amalekites, He told Moses to write down on a scroll as something to be remembered (Exodus 17:14). And many centuries later, the events of Esther’s story fulfilled this promise. In sharp contrast to the empty words of today’s so-called leaders, our Lord is a promise keeper who is able to accomplish what He has said He will do.

Purim joined the other five Jewish feasts that were commanded by Moses in the Torah (Leviticus 23:4-44), and celebrated incredible events surrounding the creation of the nation of Isra’el as ADONAI’s covenant people. Purim celebrates the survival of the Jews, even though it was dispersed in judgment of the Babylonian exile centuries later. By the time of Jesus, the feast of Hanukkah had also been inserted into the Jewish religious calendar as a reminder of their deliverance from the tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanies in the second century BC. Judas Maccabeus led that deliverance that was orchestrated by the hand of God. (see my commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Hj – Then Came Hanukkah at Jerusalem, and It Was Winter).

Purim, however, was based on a different authority than the Torah. Mordecai was not a prophet or a miracle worker, nor did he rule in Jerusalem. He wore the signet ring of the Persian king, not the ephod of the high priest. Mordecai simply wrote a decree that was distributed to the Jews throughout Persia, which led to their deliverance. Then, because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, the Jews took it upon themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendents and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed (Esther 9:26b-27). Consequently, the celebration of Purim, rather than being imposed on the Jews by ADONAI, began as a spontaneous response of God’s people to His continued faithfulness to the promises of the covenant.¹¹²

The Jews Struck Down All Their Enemies with the Sword,
Killing and Destroying Them
9: 5-19

The Jews struck down all their emenies with the sword, killing and destroying them DIG: What does they did as they pleased mean in the context here? What happened in the fortress of Susa? Why? What did the Jews do with the plunder? Why? What did Queen Esther ask for and receive from King Ahasuerus? How was it possible that the Jews killed seventy-five thousand of their enemies? Why are there two different dates for the observance of Purim?

REFLECT: What is the difference between killing and murder (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Dp – You Shall Not Murder)? What do you do that’s not for money? Even though you know you will be criticized, will you do something tough for the LORD in your life (that you know needs to be done)? Or do you usually pass? Do you know why? Are you feeling like you are living in a walled (protected) city today, or do you feel like you are living in an unwalled (unprotected) city? Why?

On the day of the battle, on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan, 474 BC, the Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them (9:5). Perhaps the words, they did as they pleased to those who hated them, suggests a frenzy of wild vengeance because of the combination of the verbs. In the wider context, however, the inference is that the Jews were given a free hand to defend themselves without official interference from the government.

The Jews must have had many enemies in the fortress of Susa, because they killed and destroyed five hundred men plus Haman’s ten sons (9:6). Maybe Haman had influenced them. Probably the Jews of Susa concentrated on the enemies that were found in the fortress as being the most dangerous, or perhaps the known enemies of the Jews sought refuge in the fortress to try to protect themselves. Although five hundred sounds like a lot, it was not a high percentage of the population. This points to the fact that the majority of the citizens of Susa supported the Jews.

But they did not lay their hands on the plunder as Haman had hoped to do. Three times it is stated that they were not doing this for the money (9:10b, 15-16). The author may also have had the incident in First Samuel 15:17-23 in mind when Saul disobeyed ADONAI by taking the plunder of the Amalekites. This time the Jews were careful not to make the same mistake again. In addition, the decision not to enrich themselves at the expense of their enemies would not go unnoticed in a culture where victors were expected to take the spoil. The very novelty of such restraint would be talked about, remembered and taken as proof of their upright motives, probably resulting in Gentile converts to Judaism.¹⁰⁵

The number of those killed in the fortress of Shushan was reported to the king that same day (9:11). The king seemed indifferent to the results. The number of those killed did not include any Jews. It must simply be that the victory over their enemies made the loss of their own companions seemingly insignificant by comparison. But it is hard to believe that not one Jewish life was lost, although the narrative would have us think so. Maybe the mention of Jewish deaths would put a damper on the Jewish Marti Gras known as Purim. The Jews had but one thought that day, and it was survival.

The Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the fortress of Susa. Apparently the king was indifferent to the results. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? If the Jews killed so many in Susa, how many must they have been killed in the whole empire? Now what is your petition? It will be given you (but this time he did not add, up to half the kingdom). What is your request? It will also be granted” (9:12).

  She requested one more day to root out the enemies of the Jews who were trying to destroy them, and the public humiliation of the bodies of Haman’s ten dead sons, just as their father had been humiliated. Although barbaric by our standards today, it was a common occurrence in ancient warfare (First Samuel 31:1-3). Esther replied: If it pleases the king, give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day’s edict tomorrow also, and let Haman’s ten sons be impaled on poles (9:13). Esther is almost universally condemned for requesting the fighting to go on for a second day. The author, however, makes no attempt to either exonerate the queen or to justify her request. It seemed to be perfectly acceptable to him. Did she let her newfound power go to her head? Or were her reasons for requesting a second day of fighting legitimate, even though they are unknown to us and possibly unknown to the author? We simply don’t know.

Whether or not Esther was justified or not, the perennial failure of Israel’s greatest leaders to war against moral and spiritual darkness without being engulfed in it themselves suggests that no human being is worthy to wage a true holy war in the name of YHWH. God’s strategy against sin and evil was awaiting the perfect Warrior (to see link click Bj – The Jews Rejoiced), who could execute divine justice with clean hands and a pure heart. His name is Jesus.¹⁰⁶

They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, (9:7-9) the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews (9:10a). The Massorah prescribes that the names of the ten sons of Haman be written in a perpendicular column on the right hand side of the page, with the vav (and) on the left hand side. This is probably derived from the tradition that the ten sons were impaled on a tall pole, one above each other. It is also customary in reading the Megillah on Purim. The rabbis teach that if someone can say all ten of Haman’s sons names in one breath (because they all died together), it will bring good luck.

The ten sons of Haman were also killed that day, leaving no one to carry on their father’s legacy of hateful pride. The apple, after all, doesn’t fall far from the tree. This was a common practice in ancient warfare. When the leader was killed, so was his whole family so that no one could live on to mount a vengeful coup. The names of Haman’s sons may help us to better understand what kind of a war Esther was engaged in. They are of special interest because they may be daiva names of ancient Persia. Daiva were once used of the gods in early Iranian and Hindu writings but later came to be associated with demonic powers in Eastern religions. As seen above, all the names have a characteristic “a” vowel, in keeping with their father and grandfather’s names, as if binding the entire family together. If the names of Haman’s sons do reflect this origin, the original readers would have probably recognized them as demonic. The author possibly listed the names to show the allegiance of Haman and his family to the demonic powers of darkness and evil and, therefore, proper casualties of Purim.¹⁰⁷

The Nazi’s banned all Purim observances. Hitler, on January 31, 1944, said that if the Nazis went down to defeat, the Jews would celebrate a second triumphal Purim. How right he was! On October 16, 1946, ten Nazis were hung in Nuremburg like the ten sons of Haman. One of them was Julius Streicher, who said as he was hung, “Purim, 1946.”¹⁰⁸

  So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they impaled the ten sons of Haman (9:14). The Jews in Susa, probably the center of anti-Jewish element, came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men who attacked them, but, we are reminded once again that they did not lay their hands on the plunder (9:15). This number was for the whole city of Susa, is small compared with the five hundred killed in the fortress on the first day. This further proves that the Jews did not kill indiscriminately, but only those who attacked them.

  Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them (9:16a). Another detail that has been considered improbable is that the Jews killed seventy-five thousand of their enemies after the king’s second edict. To those who have doubts about the possibility of such a massacre of their enemies, Carl Friedrich Keil, the famous messianic Jew from Germany (1807-1888) reminds us of the massacre of St. Bartholomew in France when Carlos IX put thousands of Protestants to death and banished hundreds of thousands from France. He also notes that Ferdinand the Catholic banished three hundred thousand Jews from Spain. Keil suggests that the population of the Persian Empire from Ethiopia to India must have been at least one hundred million. The Jews must have numbered between two and three million. So perhaps the number of anti-Semites killed need not be considered so improbable.¹⁰⁹

Even after the death of Haman, his edict of destruction remained in force for the Jews. But the counter-decree (see Bi – Now Write a Counter-Decree in the King’s Name in Behalf of the Jews) by Ahasuerus gave the Jews the right to defend themselves and their property in the face of deadly assault (8:11). While it is true that many Persians died in their attack on the Jews, their deaths were not the result of Jewish aggression, but of Jewish self-defense! None of the Persians would have died if they had refrained from attacking the Jews. Their integrity in this manner is emphasized by the repeated statement from 9:10, “But did not lay their hands on the plunder” (9:16b). The Jews refused to enrich themselves through their victory over the Persian aggressors.¹¹⁰

This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. The feast was observed on the thirteenth of Adar, or the original day set for the slaughter of the Jews. This was done in all the provinces. And on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy (9:17). Apart from the Feast of Dedication and Nicanor’s Day, both instituted in the mid-second century BC, there were no festivals during the last five months of the Hebrew calendar (February to March). By the middle of the last month of the year a reason for family rejoicing would be a welcomed highlight after a long, cold winter.

  The first observance of Purim took place on the fourteenth of Adar outside the capital city of Susa. This verse is a kind of parenthetical explanation. Verse 19 explains how this feast was observed in the villages and unwalled towns. That is why rural Jews- those living in villages and large towns without walls – observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a good day for giving presents to each other (9:19). It was a day of joy, instead of a day of sorrow; it was a day of feasting, instead of a day of fasting; it was a good day, instead of a day of mourning; and it was a day for giving presents to each other, instead of having things taken away from them.¹¹¹

However, the second observance of Purim took place on the fifteenth of Adar because they fought for another day (see By – Susa Purim). The Jews in Susa had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth of Adar, and then on the fifteenth of Adar they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy (9:18). This set the stage for different Jewish observances. To this day, those Jews living in villages without walls celebrate Purim on the fourteenth of Adar, but those in cities with walls celebrate it on the fifteenth of Adar. Always being different, the Samaritans observed this feast a month earlier, in the month of Sh’vat. These last two verses are summaries that may seem to be contradictory to other verses, 9:21-22 for example. These summaries, however, telescope the events. That is to say, they are too brief to give all the details that would show they are not contradictory.

Consequently, a plot to destroy the Jews of Persia resulted in a festival that helped to unite and sustain them as a people.

The Fear of Mordecai Seized Them
9: 1-4

The fear of Mordecai seized them DIG: What was so special about the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar? How and why were the Jews able to triumph? Who turned the tables? Who were the Gentiles really “afraid” of? Why did all the rulers support Mordecai?

REFLECT: When might “winning the battle,” mean “losing the war?” Is there a time when “going easy” on a defeated enemy might only invite troubles later on? Why or why not? How do you know the difference? When have you had the tables turned on you? How did you feel? What did you learn from that? Looking back on your life, when did God work silently behind the scenes for your benefit?

Eleven months after Haman had cast lots, the dreadful day arrived at last. On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the decree commanded by the king was to be carried out. Before the author described what happened on that historic day, he summarizes the significance of the events: On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now, because of the counter-decree (to see link click Bi – Now Write a Counter-Decree in the Kings Name on Behalf of the Jews), the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them (9:1). Although the circumstances are illustrated with the passive phrase, the tables were turned, the sense is clearly that ADONAI had caused them to turn. In the book of Esther where God appears to be absent, He is nonetheless present. Namely, God is the hero of the story.

The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to defend themselves from those determined to destroy them. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them (9:2). The fear of God’s people could only be explained in terms of the fear of their God, who vindicated their righteous cause by convincing their enemies in the whole Persian Empire of having backed the losing side.¹⁰³ Even with government opposition, however, the hatred that many Persians felt for the Jews resulted in the Israelites having to defend themselves nonetheless. The phrase, no one could stand against them, did not mean their enemies failed to attack. It meant that they could not conquer them. Many times in the Scriptures ADONAI causes fear to fall on the enemies of the children of Isra’el. Here He uses the counter-decree, Mordecai’s rise to power, and the authority given to the Jews to defend themselves.

In fact, even the government authorities helped them. And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them (9:3). Given that Mordecai was then the prime minister, all the rulers wanted to please him. It is astounding how quickly the political winds can shift. Many times it is because ADONAI is working behind the scenes. The author is careful not to mention the LORD; however, he definitely wanted his readers to see God’s hand at work.

Only by the sovereign intervention of ADONAI was Mordecai in a position of authority. Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread, literally, his reputation was walking throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful in the brief months as prime minister (9:4). Probably part of his new found prominence was due to the political shrewdness of the government officials, part was due to genuine affection for who Mordecai was, but we must not discount the fact that they feared the man who stood up to Haman and ruled in his place.

Like Joseph, Mordecai had gone through difficult days and had been in danger of death (see my commentary on Genesis Ja – Joseph in the Pit). But as a result of God’s providence, Mordecai’s crisis, like Joseph’s, became the means of greater influence (see my commentary on Genesis Jv – Joseph as Prime Minister). This fact is often times repeated in the lives of the servants of ADONAI.

Who do you fear? The Bible says the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7). The fear of the LORD occurs eleven times in Proverbs (and fear the LORD occurs four times). Beginning is the Hebrew re’sit and means the start. We cannot gain knowledge of spiritual things if we begin at the wrong point, refusing to fear the LORD. But what exactly does that mean? To have the fear of the LORD means to recognize God’s character and respond by revering, trusting, worshiping, obeying and serving Him. Re’sit also means the capstone or the essence. Therefore, the essence of true knowledge is fearing God. Apart from Him we are ignorant of spiritual things (Romans 1:22; Ephesians 4:18; First Peter 1:14).

The book of Esther invites us to think about the nature of faith in a world where ADONAI is unseen. Those who have placed their faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob can understand what the author of Esther expresses so eloquently. Hebrews 11:1 says it this way: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. In other words, the very definition of faith calls us to believe in the unseen reality lying behind, or beyond, the events we do see, even when, and perhaps especially when, He acts in unexpected ways. Therefore, on what do we base our lives, if not the visible presence of God? It is the explanation of life that ADONAI gives us in His Word. The deliverance of the Jews gives us the hope of God’s presence and power in our lives even when He seems absent. And as seen in the book of Esther, the answers to our prayers are already on their way, set in motion through a chain of events that may have seemed insignificant at the time.¹⁰⁴

The Triumph of the Jews
9: 1-19

Esther was brought to the king’s court for such a time as this (4:14). The purpose in her grooming was so that the Jews would not be destroyed by Haman’s evil plot. Even with Haman dead, however, the edict was still in effect. Esther’s plan worked. The Jews defended themselves against the enemies and preserved their communities. The result was the celebration of Purim, a feast commemorating their deliverance from Haman.¹⁰² Only in the last two chapters does the author reveal the reasons for some of the things he had only hinted at earlier, and bring out his underlying purposes for writing Esther. As a result, these chapters are important for the appreciation of the book’s intentions and its part in the canon of Scripture. And last, but certainly not least, these two chapters work out the conclusion of the plot, therefore, completing the story.

The Jews Rejoiced
8: 15-17

The Jews rejoiced DIG: This starts a new song for the Jews? What is it? What is the principle for evangelism that is seen here? What is the scriptural evidence that the LORD is a Warrior (see Genesis 19:24; Exodus 12:29; Numbers 21:3; Joshua 5:13-15; Isaiah 42:13, 63:1-6; Revelation 14:14-20)?

REFLECT: Do you honor ADONAI with the way you react to the good things in your life? Why or why not? How do you feel about the concept of God as Warrior? Does it make you feel uncomfortable? Why? Or does it make you feel safe? Why?

The first observance of the Feast of Purim was purely spontaneous as a sign of relief because the Jews had rest from their enemies. Every time there is feasting, there is a reversal of roles. So here, in the past the Jews were afraid of the Persians (4:3), but then the tables were turned so that the Persians were afraid of the God of the Jews (8:17, 9:1-2). It was the religious awe that fell upon the Canaanites (Joshua 2:9), the Edomites and Moabites (Exodus 15:16), and the Egyptians (Psalms 105:38). This would have been extremely encouraging to the Jews after the Babylonian exile, either in the Land or in the Diaspora.

Mordecai going out from the king’s presence (8:15a) signaled the intimacy that he had established with Ahasuerus, and he enjoyed it in Haman’s place (3:1). He was also wearing clothes that pointed to his royal position – royal garments of blue and white (the Persian royal colors), a large turban, ornamented with a gold band and jewels, and a purple robe of fine white linen (8:15b). Joseph had also been clothed in fine white linen and a gold chain around his neck when he became the prime minister of Egypt (Genesis 41:42). Needless to say, Mordecai was no longer wearing sackcloth (4:1).

The final verses of this chapter are the exact opposite of the earlier scene where the city of Susa was bewildered (3:15b), where the order to annihilate the Jews had been given. But after the edict of Mordecai the entire city of Susa, not merely the Jews living there, held a joyous celebration (8:15c). They welcomed Mordecai as the prime minister, probably because he was so very popular with the citizens of Susa. Far from resenting a member of a foreign minority being appointed to such a lofty position, they cheered and rejoiced in full support. The author wanted to show that the welfare of the Jews meant the good of the whole society.⁹⁶

The Jews realized the importance of the decree, and the contrast between the reception of this decree opposed to Haman’s was very obvious. In place of mourning, fasting, weeping and wailing (4:3) there was happiness, joy, gladness and honor (8:16). Whereas Chapter 3 had recorded the rise of Haman, this chapter has shown how Mordecai not only stepped into Haman’s honored role as the king’s prime minister but also used his power in similar ways. The difference was the he worked more successfully and won popularity with Jews and Gentiles alike, and brought gladness instead of gloom.⁹⁷

In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness, literally shouting and rejoicing, among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. This one short sentence enables the reader to experience the relief felt by the Jews of Persia. Mordecai’s royal garments of power meant that the Jews in the king’s empire had an internal advocate. His luminescence was theirs.

The vast majority of the citizens, who were not anti-Semitic, had nothing to fear. And many people of other nationalities, literally Gentile peoples of the land, became Jews (8:17). Leviticus 19:33-34 made provision for foreigners who wanted to embrace the Torah to become proselytes. The verb became Jews, only used here means they Judaized themselves. In general, the Jews were to be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6). But there are specific examples in the TaNaKh where that actually happened, and probably many more that were not recorded. First, there was a mixed multitude that left Egypt with the Jews in the exodus (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Ca – At the End of the 430 Years to the Very Day); secondly, a careful study of the genealogical lists suggests that later in Canaan some local clans (of Canaanites or other people groups) were assimilated into the various tribes of Isra’el.

The famous German messianic Jew, Carl Friedrich Keil (1807 to 1888), says that most of those who became Jews must have done it out of conversion of the truth of Judaism. The Jewish trust in ADONAI “contrasted with the vanity and misery of polytheism,” and the evident providential turn of events confirmed this conviction. We know this was the case several centuries later when Paul was preaching the Gospel throughout the Hellenistic world. Many of the converts to Christ were Greek men who were “God-fearers” (Acts 17:4) who had become disillusioned with the pagan religions and were attracted by the Jew’s faith in one God, and their high ethical principles.⁹⁸ The goodness of God was becoming obvious to the citizens of Persia. No longer were these events being viewed as coincidence; now people were beginning to realize that the God of the Jews was protecting them.⁹⁹

If Haman’s plot had succeeded and the Jewish nation had been annihilated during the reign of Ahasuerus, obviously Yeshua would not have been born and it would put an end to God’s plan of redemption (see my commentary on Exodus Bz – Redemption). The promises of ADONAI are one with His covenant people. He set aside a place for them to live in peace and security, but it was a land already filled with wicked and sinful people. Making a place for them meant destroying the wicked people already there. In other words, salvation inherently demands destruction. Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle (Psalm 24:8). To be saved implies you have to be saved from something. That something is evil, and a holy God cannot tolerate evil.

Make no mistake about it, the LORD is a Warrior; the LORD is His name (Exodus 15:3). These words are sung in an ancient hymn in which the Israelites celebrated their exodus from Egypt (see my commentary on Exodus Ck – Then Moses and the Israelites Sang This Song). After the Jews had passed safely through the Sea of Reeds, their Egyptian pursuers were drowned. Although in a strict sense the events associated with the Exodus cannot be described as a battle, for the Israelites didn’t actually fight, it was nonetheless celebrated as a mighty victory in war. Like Armageddon (see my commentary on Revelation Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon), it was more of an execution than a battle. ADONAI had defeated the elite forces of Pharaoh, who was believed in ancient Egypt to be the divine son of the Great Deity. God was a Warrior, the Hebrews believed, who was more powerful in battle than the greatest world power of that time.¹⁰⁰

For us today, the TaNaKh looks forward and the B’rit Chadashah looks back. The LORD’s irrevocable decree of death had been countered by His decree that all who believe in Jesus Christ should not perish under His wrath, but be delivered into eternal life. In other words, the full extent of God’s love for all of us can only be fully appreciated until we realize the extent of His wrath poured out on His Son for the sins of the world (Second Corinthians 5:21). It is on the cross, that the love of ADONAI and His justice are reconciled.¹⁰¹

Dear Great and Wise Heavenly Father, Heaven for all eternity – how wonderful! The problems and trials of life sometimes look so big and seem to last so long—but they will soon be over. Trials and persecutions may press hard against us and cause us pain, but they will not win. We are hard pressed in every way, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not in despair;  persecuted, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed (Second Corinthians 4:8-9). We have as a sure hope, God’s promise to bring all who love and follow Him to his eternal home in heaven.  Knowing that the One who raised the Lord Yeshua will raise us also with Yeshua, and will bring us with you into His presence (Second Corinthians 4:14).

How wonderful that those who love and trust you will never be put to shame. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation. For the Scripture says: Whoever trusts in Him will not be put to shame (Romans 10:9-11).

It is such a comfort in these trying times, to know that heaven is a sure hope – not a strong possibility; but absolutely 100% a done deal for all who love/trust you, for You will have made them Your children. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). How wonderful heaven will be – no crying, no dying, no sadness nor pain!  I also heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is among men, and He shall tabernacle among them. They shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them and be their God. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:3-4).

The pain on earth will be over and forgotten in the great joy of living forever with You our wonderful Heavenly Father God, in Your holy heaven, which You graciously allowed us to enter by Your own righteousness. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). How wonderful to live so close to You that You will be the light for there will be no more night! Night shall be no more, and people will have no need for lamplight or sunlight – for ADONAI Elohim will shine on them. And they shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 21:5)!

Living without any sin will be fantastic! And nothing unholy shall ever enter it, nor anyone doing what is detestable or false, but only those written in the Book of Life (Revelation 21:27). Praise You that You write in the Book of life the names of all who whose love causes them to trust You as their Lord and Savior. Amen, amen I tell you, whoever hears My word and trusts the One who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed over from death into life (John 5:24). Looking forward to praising You forever in Your holy heaven. You are such a wonderful God, Heavenly Father, Ruach Ha’Kodesh, and Yeshua- three in one!

Just as Esther and the people of Susa celebrated at the victory over Haman and their enemies. So we celebrate over Your victory at the cross defeating sin’s penalty and defeating death. Praise You always! In Your holy son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Now Write a Counter-Decree
in the King’s Name on Behalf of the Jews
8: 3-14

Now write a counter-decree in the king’s name on behalf of the Jews DIG: Before Haman’s estate is settled, what must be done first? Why the anguish for Esther, who is now quite secure in the king’s favor? What is the problem with getting the king to reverse the death sentence on the Jews (see 1:19, 3:1 to 4:3, 6:10)? What does the counter-decree do for the Jews? For others? What is particularly symmetrical about its timing (see 8:12, 3:7 and 13)? What counter-decree has Messiah written?

REFLECT: The Jews had nine months to prepare their defense. What could you accomplish in the next nine months to put your life in better order? What part of that reorganizing will you do this month? If you were in a position to destroy your enemy without fear of the consequences to you, would you take advantage of the situation? Why or why not?

Since the decree to exterminate the Jews (3:13) was still in effect, something had to be done. So Esther appeared a second time without an invitation (5:2). Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end, literally, to cause to pass over the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews (8:3). Esther did not stop with her personal deliverance, she was also concerned about her people – the entire Jewish community. She pled for the king’s mercy.

Some assume that Esther risked her life a second time to come uninvited into the king’s presence because he again extended his scepter to her (4:11, 5:1-2). However, the scepter was extended only after her emotional plea and not at the moment of her entrance before the king. Therefore, his gesture was intended to encourage her to rise from her prostrate position before continuing to speak.⁹¹ Again, the king was favorably disposed and extended his gold scepter to Esther, she touched it, arose and stood before him (8:4). Esther’s request was simple. She wanted a counter-decree written that would cancel out the first one with equal force.

  Esther used great wisdom in presenting her request. Ahasuerus was already furious that Haman had tricked him into making the first decree. Was he to embarrass himself further? Never! She pressed gently: If it pleases the king, and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do (the word kasher or kosher, meaning fit, proper or right is found only in the book of Esther and nowhere else in the TaNaKh), and if he is pleased with me, let a counter-decree be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces (8:5). Esther avoids the word “law,” for she knew that the Persian laws could not be repealed. She wisely put all the blame on Haman and avoided the king’s involvement altogether. Yes, technically, the first decree had gone out in the king’s name, but he had no knowledge of the plot.

Again she was willing to be known as a Jewess for she spoke of my people and my family. For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family (8:6)? The repetition of the verb, how can I bear, points to Esther’s empathy with the suffering of others. It is heartwarming to see the extent to which this young girl, who had everything money could buy, identifying herself with her own people, and was ready to risk everything in an attempt to prevent the disaster that threatened them.⁹²

  King Ahasuerus replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled him on the pole he set up (8:7). The author was making it clear that whoever attacks the Jews would fall. We are reminded of ADONAI’s call to Abram emphasizing that God will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse (Genesis 12:3a). Here the king reminded both Esther and Mordecai of all he had already done, to show that he favored the Jews. But it was Queen Esther, not King Ahasuerus, who took the initiative in counteracting Haman’s decree of death to her fellow countrymen.

Chapter 8, verses 8 to 17 are parallel in language to 3:9 to 4:4, but here the whole situation is reversed. If God’s people were to pass from death to life, a counter-decree was necessary to cancel out the first one. Now the Jews could destroy their enemies instead of being destroyed.

Now write, literally you write (the pronoun did not need to be expressed in the Hebrew). The word you is in the emphatic first place in the sentence and, because it is plural, includes both Esther and Mordecai. Both of you write a counter-decree in the king’s name on behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring – for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked (8:8). The Jews, who were once a helpless target of evil, were then empowered.

The practice of making decrees of the king irrevocable is unknown in any of the extrabiblical texts during the reign of Ahasuerus; therefore, some say this was not plausible. But the Persian king’s decrees could not be revoked because he was believed to be a god whose plans couldn’t be changed (Daniel 6:9, 13, 16). A change would suggest a correction for a mistake. And their king making a mistake was against the Persian belief system. The Bible, however, declares that ADONAI is immutable and His plans are indeed unchangeable. But the LORD always reaches out with his mercy, so people will turn from their sin and seek forgiveness.⁹³

  This verse illustrates the author’s tendency of repeating his previous wording in another context, creating reversals of situations. At once the royal secretaries were summoned – on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan (May-June) 474 BC. The date was two months and ten days since Haman’s original decree had been written. The seventy days between the threatened annihilation of the Jews and their release from danger would have struck a chord with every attentive post-exilic reader of the book: the seventy days would remind them of the seventy years of exile.⁹⁴

Thus, the Jews had about nine months to prepare themselves for the conflict. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to the Upper Nile region of Egypt. These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people. This time, however, Hebrew was also added to the copies sent to the Jews in their own script and language (8:9). This is the longest verse in the third part of the TaNaKh, the Writings (or the Hagiographa). In Hebrew it contains 43 words and 192 letters, and in English (depending on the translation) it contains from 80 to 90 words.⁹⁵

As he had done with Haman, the king gave Mordecai the authority to write the edict any way he wanted and to stamp it with the king’s signet ring. Mordecai wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and like Haman’s first edict, sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king. It seems that Mordecai went to extreme measures to ensure the swift delivery of his new edict. Ahashteranim, which is the Persian word for mounted couriers or the king’s servants (8:10 and 14), is found only in the book of Esther and nowhere else in the TaNaKh.

  The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children, and to plunder the property of their enemies (8:11). They would not be the aggressors, but they could protect themselves if attacked. The decree of Mordecai mirrors the words of Haman’s decree and is one of the great reversals in the book of Esther. A pagan king granted the Jews the right to defend themselves. Providence!

The reversals in Esther:

3:10 the king gives Haman his ring and in 8:2 the king gives Mordecai the same ring

3:12 Haman summons the king’s scribes and in 8:9 Mordecai summons the king’s scribes

3:12 letters written, sealed and in 8:10 letter written, sealed with same ring

3:13 the Jews to be killed in one day and in 8:11 their enemies to be killed in one day

3:14 Haman’s decree displayed as law and in 8:13 Mordecai’s decree displayed as law

3:15 couriers go out in haste and in 8:14 couriers go out in haste

3:15 the city of Susa is bewildered and in 8:15 the city of Susa rejoices

4:1 Mordecai goes thru city crying and in 6:11 Mordecai led thru city in honor

5:14 Zeresh advises Mordecai’s death and in 6:13 Zeresh predicts Haman’s ruin

The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus was the same day Haman’s edict had set for plundering the Jews, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar (8:12). The obvious reason for the same date was so that the Jews could defend themselves. A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies if attacked (8:13). In that case it would be justice that prevailed, not revenge! The word patshegn, which is a Persian word for a copy of the text (3:14; 4:8 and here), is only found in the book of Esther. This shows that the author was familiar with the language of the royal court.

  The couriers, riding the royal horses, went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa as Haman’s was (8:14). The verbs riding, went out and spurred on, only heighten the sense of urgency in the story.

In Esther, the irrevocable decree of death and a counter-decree of life, were both given from the same authority – the king’s signet ring. Just as King Ahasuerus could not merely withdraw the first decree of death, ADONAI cannot merely withdraw the decree of death pronounced in the garden of Eden against humanity. In its place, He issues a counter-decree of life, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Both were given by the same authority – the KING of kings. However, the LORD did not simply withdraw the curse of death, His counter-decree of salvation rendered it null and void by His Son’s death on the cross. So when we pass from the family of Satan and spiritual darkness, to the family of God and spiritual light, that is the greatest reversal of all!

The King Gave His Signet Ring to Mordecai
8: 1-2

The king gave his signet ring to Mordecai DIG: Why did the king’s fury subside? How did Haman’s estate end up in the possession of Esther, and being managed by Mordecai? What was the importance of the signet ring? How is the fall of Haman pictured as being complete? As important as these developments were, what was Esther’s bigger concern?

REFLECT: When was the last time your pride got you into trouble? If you can’t remember, I guess that’s a good thing! But if it did, what did you learn? Have you ever received money from a settlement or an inheritance? What did you do with it? Were you a good steward? Or a prodigal son or daughter? How do you use power? To benefit yourself, or to serve others? Aside from your faith, what cause are you involved in that’s bigger than yourself?

Haman was gone, but the evil plan that he had set in motion was taking on a life of its own. The king’s fury subsided after Haman was impaled (7:10). This implies that the ruthless king was not angry because Haman had plotted to wipe out an entire race of people from his kingdom, even if they were Esther’s people, for that was still a reality. No, apparently the king’s pride had been greatly hurt when Haman fell on the couch with her (7:8). Ironically, Haman’s injured pride had driven him to plot the destruction and downfall of Mordecai and the Jews; whereas, the king’s injured pride had driven him to impale Haman. The death of Haman set off a series of shocking reversals.⁸⁸

That same day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews (8:1a). Apparently Haman was considered a criminal, for his property was confiscated that very day. As Haman had offered the king ten thousand talents of silver (or about 375 tons or 340 metric tons equivalent to several tens of millions dollars today) as incentive to massacre the Jews of Persia (3:9), it obviously included great riches. According to Josephus (Ant. 11.17), and one narrative of Herodotus (3.12), the property of a condemned criminal reverted to the king.⁸⁹ This was assumed by the Phoenician Jezebel (First Kings 21:7-16), and shown operative in Persia in the reign of Darius by the Greek historian Herodotus. Orontes the Persian was killed for his betrayal of Polycrates, and his money confiscated and sent to the Persian capital of Susa for the king’s pleasure.⁹⁰

And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her (8:1b). We don’t know how much time elapsed between Mordecai being rewarded and Queen Esther revealing that she was related to him. There were two months and ten days between Haman’s edict (3:7) and the new edict (8:9). This actually helped Mordecai’s standing before the king.

In almost identical language, Mordecai receives the signet ring once given to Haman. It was the same signet ring that had been used to seal the edict against the Jews (3:10). The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai (8:2a). The signet ring was given to the prime minister (see my commentary on Genesis, to see link click Jv – Joseph as Prime Minister). So yet another reversal of fortunes is seen, even after Haman’s death. For one thing, Mordecai received the power previously given to Haman. For another, Haman, who had hoped to confiscate the property of the Jews (3:13), now had his own property confiscated and given to, of all people, Esther, who then appointed Mordecai to over see it. Two Jews. Providence!

Esther needed an estate manager and she appointed Mordecai over Haman’s fortune (8:2b). ADONAI’s intervention becomes even clearer as Mordecai receives everything Haman wanted: property, power, and position. The fall of Haman was then complete and totally balanced by the rise of the one he had planned to overthrow and destroy. At that time Esther was the source and the means of wealth and empowerment for Mordecai.

If this were only a story about the conflict between Haman and Esther and Mordecai, this scene would have been the anticlimactic point where the righteous people are rewarded for their courage and loyalty. But the story is far more than that. Esther had requested to save the Jews, and that is what we see next.

The Jews Were Delivered from Haman’s Evil Plot
8:1 to 9:19

Good stories present problems to be resolved, and the author of Esther does this brilliantly. The solution is unexpected, which adds to the interest of the reader. Beginning with this chapter, the events leading to the deliverance of the Jews begin to reverse the events that started the conflict and threat.