Book of esther jewish commentary

Megilla, scroll, is related to the word ligalot, which means to reveal. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament. Such readings invite us not only to celebrate the triumphs of mordechai and esther but to question the limits of jewish. The narrative covers the serious threat of jewish annihilation, but there are elements of comedy in the book, especially farce. Just as he saved esther and the jewish people, gave them an inheritance of hamans estate, and gave them authority over their enemies, god does the same for us. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. Since purim is not a holiday ordained by moses in the first five books of the bible, scholars have wondered if jews of ancient time indeed observed it annually. The book of esther reflects this idea, by referring to vashti as queen vashti 1.

Tracing the history of the book of esther and jewish festival purim. Explains the role of the megillah in the holiday and how women are viewed in the bible. That might be because purim is one of the few occasions for revelry in the jewish calendar year a day of carnivals, feasting and festive commotion. Mar 05, 2020 zionist interpretations of the book of esther open up readings of the book that are easily overlooked in the fun and whimsy of our carnivalesque celebrations of purim. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. Esther is the last of the historical books of the bible, so its main character is named esther that is, venus, the morning star, which sheds its light after all the other stars have ceased to shine, and while the sun still delays rising. The original text of the megillah book of esther with a running commentary culled from the talmud and midrash, the great torah commentators and the. Esther 9 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. That might be because purim is one of the few occasions for revelry in the jewish calendar year a. Despite such questions the book of esther sits comfortably in the hebrew. It is included among the historical books in protestant bibles but, in the hebrew bible, esther is included in the ketuvim, the writings, which include poetic and wisdom literature.

Ruths name provides the title for the book of ruth, probably a piece of historical fiction set in the time of the judges. Esther, apocryphal book of the jewish encyclopedia. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so in the days of persecution. Ruth s name provides the title for the book of ruth, probably a piece of historical fiction set in the time of the judges. Yet it is probable that the name of the hero of the book of daniel was chosen to bring to mind the daniel spoken of in the book of ezekiel.

Esthers story is retold by josephus in book 11, chapter 6 of the jewish antiquities. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. Ruth is a moabite woman who marries a judean immigrant named mahlon 1. In the hebrew bible, the book of esther is found in the third section of the canon, the writings. At his instruction, esther kept her jewish origins and her relationship to mordecai a secret. The events that the first chapter of the book of esther describes happened about 483 bc before christ. The book of esther, the holy bible, complete audiobook. Hence it belongs to the bestknown otbooks with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. May 09, 2017 the book of esther reflects this idea, by referring to vashti as queen vashti 1. Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole.

The events in the book of esther occurred from 483. For instance, a signer of nehemiahs covenant in 444 b. Certainly, the author of esther drew on written sources. At first glance, the story seems to be one of royal intrigue, power, wealth and politics. General the book of esther is never quoted in the new testament, and esther is not in a genealogy or even a casual reference. The jewish publication society, known in the jewish community as jps, has initiated a longterm, largescale project to complete a modern jewish commentary on the entire hebrew bible. Esther commentary scroll down to page 273 for 3 page commentary on esther includes maps seems to be well done alexander d davidson lectures, expository and practical on the book of esther 1859. It belongs to the third section of the judaic canon, known as the ketuvim, or writings.

Name of the chief character in the book of esther, derived, according to some. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. Now esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as mordecai had charged her, for esther obeyed the command of mordecai as when she was brought up by. Zionist interpretations of the book of esther open up readings of the book that are easily overlooked in the fun and whimsy of our carnivalesque celebrations of purim. In the book of esther, what is not said is vitally important.

The original text of the megillah book of esther with a running commentary culled from the talmud and midrash, the great torah commentators and the chassidic masters. Such readings invite us not only to celebrate the triumphs of mordechai and esther but to question the limits of jewish life in the diaspora. God is always active in esther, even though it is behind the scenes. In times of oppression the jews found comfort in this narrative, for it presented an example of sudden divine salvation in the days of distress esth. Using the same format as the muchadmired jps torah commentary, berlin evaluates the language, plot, historical framework, and importance of esther to later tradition, seeing it as a comedy used in the festival of purim. Esther, purim and why it all still matters jews for jesus. Esther a story of bravery, palace intrigue, and, of course, the origins of purim has always held a special place in the hearts of the jewish people. According to recent research the book of esther was written in the middle of the 4th century bce during the reign of artaxerxes iii.

The challenge of reading megillat esther is to reveal the hidden messages veiled within the exciting plot. The book of esther may remind you of a classic, once upon a time childrens story with a wealthy king, his beautiful queen, and an evil villain. The biblical book of esther is set in the third year of ahasuerus, a king of persia who is identified as artaxerxes in the greek version of the book as well as by josephus, the jewish commentary esther rabbah, the ethiopic translation and the christian theologian barhebraeus who identified him more precisely as artaxerxes ii. Adam clarke commentary on esther 17601832 clarke was methodist, wesleyan, arminian, e. Jan 01, 2001 this informative commentary part of jpss bible commentary series dissects the book of esther and, by extension, the jewish holiday of purim. Although we do not know who wrote the book of esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author and the date of composition. A story of the providence of god in a pagan land page 4 introduction to the book the book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god. Oct 15, 2017 the book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. Unlike the judaica press and soncino commentaries, the jps commentaries are producing a detailed linebyline commentary of every passage, in every book of the bible. Over 100 years earlier, nebuchadnezzar the king of babylon had attacked jerusalem. This informative commentary part of jpss bible commentary series dissects the book of esther and, by extension, the jewish holiday of purim. Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. He overcame the jews and he took many jews to babylon.

He also gives us authority over the enemy in jesus name. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. He did not always interpret scripture l iterally and so was amillennial he interpreted revelation as a historicist which led him to interpret the. Once in the palace as a candidate to marry king achashveirosh, esther has one years access to the latest and most elaborate beauty treatments. For whatever reason, there was a second gathering of young women whom the king was busily engaged in trying out for queen. He saved us through christ, and we may inherit eternal life. The hebrew esther and the festival of purim bring us a uniquely irreverent and joyously optimistic celebration of jewish identity and jewish continuity. The jewish community, and its areas of residence, outside erez israel. The book is named for the star of the story, a young jewish girl named hadassah who was taken from her guardian, mordecai, and forced to compete for the affection of the king. Berlin begins with a lengthy introduction, discussing esther as comedy and as diaspora literature. It is the last of the five scrolls ruth, song of songs, ecclesiastes, lamentations, and esther, and is read at the feast of purim. Because she would force jewish girls to undress, and work on the sabbath, it was decreed that she should be stripped naked on the sabbath. This contrasts with traditional jewish commentaries, such as the commentary of the vilna gaon, which states but in every verse.

In their commentary on the book of esther, the rabbis expand upon and add details to the biblical narrative, relating to her lineage and history and to her. Only one book is mentioned in esther and that is the book of the chronicles of the kings of the medes and persians esther 2. In fact, the implication throughout esther is that practically all of it is documented in that book. Instead of praising the heroes, mordechai and esther, as jewish tradition always has, he flatout condemns them of being firmly and. Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew bible. Most likely, the book of esther doesnt have the name of god because it shows how god works behind the scenes. The heroine of the book named for her, esther is a young jewish woman living in exile in the persian lit. Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israels history from a dark time. The jewish publication societys highly acclaimed bible commentary series provides a linebyline commentary of the original hebrew bible text, complete with vocalization and cantillation marks, alongside the jps english translation this commentary approaches the book of esther from a fresh literary pointofview. The book of esther as a manual for jewish survival mosaic. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. As queen, esther hides her religious identity and maintains her jewish practices keeping kosher and observing the laws of shabbat and family purity in secret. Sadly, many who read and study esther including bible scholars who write commentaries on the book fill in the blanks, rather than leaving them blank and learning from the silence of the author.

Persons named daniel god has judged are mentioned in babylonian records and in the bible elsewhere. But in his book, michael eisenberg takes all these flukes, odd gaps, and confusing characters descriptionsaction and weaves them into a whole new tapestry that paints a picture weve not seen before. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. Esther published by the jewish publication society. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. Upon his death she becomes a childless widow who chooses to accompany her motherinlaw, naomi, to judah. Book of prophecy that reveals gods magnificent plan of salvation through the person and work of jesus christ. The canonical book of esther undoubtedly presents the oldest extant form of the esther story. It is clear that the author was a jew, both from his emphasis on the origin of a jewish festival and from the jewish nationalism that permeates the story. Dec 22, 2017 esther a story of bravery, palace intrigue, and, of course, the origins of purim has always held a special place in the hearts of the jewish people. Megillat esther establishes the jewishness of the holiday by providing a historical. When virgins were gathered together a second time, mordecai sat within the kings gate.

As queen, esther hides her religious identity and maintains her jewish practices keeping kosher and observing the laws of shabbat and family purity in. The book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in. Excerpted with permission from the jps bible commentary. In the jewish bible, esther follows ecclesiastes and lamentations and is read on the festival of purim, which commemorates the rescue of the jews from hamans plottings.