2:1The phrase “he began thinking about Vashti” may mean that the king began to miss his queen and what she had done for him. But he also remembered that in his anger he had banished her from his presence with a decree that couldn’t be rescinded.
Life Application Study BibleEstherChapter 2
Esther 2
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 770, 771, 772
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
2Esther 2
Esther Becomes Queen
12 But after Xerxes’ anger had subsided, he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done and the decree he had made. 2So his personal attendants suggested, “Let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint agents ineach province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal harem at the fortress of Susa. Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, will see that they are all given beauty treatments. 4After that, the young woman who most pleases the king will be made queen instead of Vashti. 6This advice was very appealing to the king, so he put the plan into effect. SAt that time there was a Jewish man in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei. 6His family* had been among those who, with King Jehoiachin* of Judah, had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. ’This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter. 8Asa result of the king’s decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king’s harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai’s care. 9Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king's palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem. 10Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so. 11Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her. 12Before each young woman was taken to the king’s bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments—six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments. 1? When it was time for her to go to the king’s palace, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to take from the harem. 14That evening she was taken to the king’s private rooms, and the next morning she was brought to the second harem,* where the king’s wives lived. There she would be under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would never go to the king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and requested her by name. 15Esther was the daughter of Abihail, who was Mordecai’s uncle. (Mordecai had adopted his younger cousin Esther.) When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king, she accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem. She asked for nothing except what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her. 16Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter* of the seventh year of his reign. 17And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti. 18To celebrate the occasion, he gave a great banquet in Esther’s honor for all his nobles and officials, declaring a public holiday for the provinces and giving generous gifts to everyone. 19Even after all the young women had been transferred to the second harem* and Mordecai had become a palace official,* 20Esther continued to keep her family background and nationality a secret. She was still following Mordecai’s directions, just as she did when she lived in his home.
Mordecai’s Loyalty to the King
2121Qne day as Mordecai was on duty at the king's gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthana* and Teresh—who were guards at the door of the king’s private quarters—became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him. 22But Mordecai heard about the plot and gave the information to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report. 23When an investigation was made and Mordecai’s story was found to be true, the two men were impaled on a sharpened pole. This was all recorded in The Book of the History of King Xerxes’ Reign.
2. The Jews are threatened
Haman’s Plot against the Jews
Some time later King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire. @All the king's officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect.
Textual footnotes
- in the book of Esther can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Persian records and related accurately to our
- modern calendar. This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred within the months of December 479 B.c.
- and January 478 B.c.
- the gate of the king.
- 2:6a Hebrew He.
- 2:6b Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant spelling of Jehoiachin.
- 2:14 Or to another part of the harem.
- 2:16 Hebrew in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth. A number of dates
- 2:19a The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 2:19b Hebrew and Mordecai was sitting in
- 2:21 Hebrew Bigthan; compare 6:2.
Life Application Notes 6 notes
2:3,14-17Persian kings collected not only vast amounts of jewelry but also great numbers of wament These young virgins were taken from their homes and were required ta live in a separate building near the palace called a harem. Their sole purpose was to serve the king and to await his call for sexual pleasure. They rarely saw the king, and their lives were restricted and boring. If rejected, Esther would be one of many girls the king had seen once and forgotten. But Esther's presence and beauty pleased the king enough that he crowned her queen in place of Vashti. The queen held a more influential position than a concubine, and she was given more freedom and authority than others in the harem. But even as queen, Esther had few rights—especially because she had been chosen to replace a woman who had become too assertive.
2:5,6Mordecai was a Jew. The Jewish population had increased since their exile over 100 years earlier. They had been given great freedom and were allowed to run their own businesses and hold positions in government (2:19; Daniel 6:3).
2:6The Bible says that Mordecai’s family had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. If this referred to
2:10With virtually no rights and little access to the king, it was better for Esther not to reveal her identity. While boldness in stating our identity as God’s people is our responsibility, at times a good strategy is to keep quiet until we have won the right to be heard. This is especially true when dealing with those in authority over us. But we can always let them see the difference God makes in our lives.
2:17God placed Esther on the throne even before the Jews faced the possibility of complete destruction (3:5ff), so that when trouble came, a person would already be in the position to help. No human effort could thwart God's plan to send the Messiah to earth as a Jew. if you are changing jobs, position, or location and can't see God’s purpose in your situation, understand that God is in control. He may be placing you in a position so you can heip when the need arises.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Personality profile · page 771
Profile: Mordecai
Following Jerusalem’s last stand against Nebuchadnezzar, Mordecai’s family was deported to Babylonia. He was probably born in Susa, a city that became one of Persia’s capitals after Cyrus conquered Babylon. Mordecai then inherited an official position among the Jewish captives that kept him around the palace even after the Babylonians were driven out. At one time, when Mordecai overheard plans to assassinate King Xerxes, he reported the plot and saved the king’s life. Mordecai’s life was filled with challenges that he turned into opportunities. When his aunt and uncle died, he adopted Esther, their daughter and his young cousin, probably because his own parents were dead and he felt responsible for her. Later, when she was drafted into Xerxes’ harem and chosen to be queen, Mordecai continued to advise her. Shortly after this, he found himself in conflict with Xerxes’ recently appointed second-in-command, Haman. Although willing to serve the king, Mordecai refused to worship the king’s representative. Haman was furious with Mordecai. So he planned to have Mordecai and all the Jews killed. His plan became a law of the Medes and Persians, and it looked as though the Jews were doomed. Mordecai, willing to be God’s servant wherever he was, responded by contacting Esther and telling her that one reason God had allowed her to be queen might well be to save her people from this threat. But God had also placed him in the right place years earlier. God revealed to the king through his nighttime reading of historical documents that Mordecai had once saved his life, and the king realized he had never thanked Mordecai. The great honor then given to Mordecai ruined Haman’s plan to impale him on the specially built pole he had set up. God had woven an effective counterstrategy against which Haman’s plan could not stand. Later, Mordecai instituted the Jewish Festival of Purim. He had a lengthy career of service to the king on behaif of the Jews. in Mordecai’s life, God blended both character and circumstances to accomplish great things. God has not changed the way he works. He is using the situations you face each day to weave a pattern of godliness into your character. Pause and ask God to help you respond appropriately to the situations you find yourself in today.
Strengths and accomplishments
• Exposed an assassination plot against the king
• Cared enough to adopt his cousin
• Refused to bow to anyone except God Took Haman’s place as second-in-command under Xerxes
Lessons from his life
• The opportunities we have are more important than the ones we wish we had
• We can trust God to weave together the events of life for our best, even though we may not be able to see the overall pattern
• The rewards for doing right are sometimes delayed, but they are guaranteed by God himself
• Where: Susa, one of several capital cities in Persia © Occupation: Jewish official who became second in rank to Xerxes
• Relatives: Adopted daughter: Esther. Father: Jair.
• Contemporaries: Xerxes, Haman
Vital statistics
“Mordecai the Jew became the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants” (Esther 10:3).
Key verse
Mordecai’s story is told in the book of Esther.
Mordecai himself, he would have been over 100 years old at the time of this story. Most likely this means that Mordecai’s great-grandparents had been carried into captivity, rather than Mordecai himself.
🗺 This feature includes a map, chart or picture — view the original page image.