Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
Ahasuerus repudiates Vashti, and in her place takes Esther as his queen, through whom Mordecai reveals to Ahasuerus the conspiracy of two courtiers against the king, whom Ahasuerus crucifies, and orders Mordecai's loyalty to be recorded in the Annals.
Vulgate Text: Esther 2:1-23
1. After these things were done, when the indignation of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, or what had been decreed against her; 2. and the king's servants and ministers said: Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king, 3. and let men be sent who shall survey through all the provinces for beautiful young virgins, and bring them to the city of Susa, and deliver them into the house of the women under the hand of Hegai the eunuch, who is the superintendent and guardian of the king's women: and let them receive their cosmetics, and other things necessary for their use. 4. And whichever among them all shall please the king's eyes, let her reign in place of Vashti. The proposal pleased the king: and just as they had suggested, he ordered it to be done. 5. There was a Jewish man in the city of Susa, named Mordecai, son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, 6. who had been carried away from Jerusalem at the time when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had carried away Jeconiah, king of Judah, 7. who had been the guardian of his brother's daughter Edissa, who was called by another name Esther, and had lost both parents: she was exceedingly beautiful and fair of face. And when her father and mother had died, Mordecai adopted her as his daughter. 8. When the king's command had spread abroad, and according to his order many beautiful virgins were being brought to Susa and delivered to Hegai the eunuch, Esther also was delivered to him among the other maidens, to be kept in the number of the women. 9. She pleased him and found favor in his sight. And he commanded the eunuch to hasten her cosmetics, and to deliver to her her portions, and seven of the most beautiful maidens from the king's house, and to adorn and tend both her and her attendants. 10. She would not reveal to him her people and country: for Mordecai had commanded her to keep entirely silent about this matter; 11. and he walked daily before the entrance of the house in which the chosen virgins were kept, taking care for Esther's welfare and wishing to know what might happen to her. 12. Now when the time came for each maiden in order to go in to the king, after everything pertaining to feminine adornment had been completed, the twelfth month arrived; for they were anointed for six months with oil of myrrh, and for the other six they used certain perfumes and aromatics. 13. And going in to the king, whatever they requested that pertained to their adornment, they received, and adorned as pleased them, they passed from the dining hall of the women to the king's bedchamber. 14. And she who had entered in the evening, went out in the morning, and from there was led into a second apartment, which was under the charge of Shaashgaz the eunuch, who had charge of the king's concubines: nor had she the power to return to the king again, unless the king wished it and had ordered her to come by name. 15. Now when the time had come in order, the day was at hand when Esther, daughter of Abihail, brother of Mordecai, whom he had adopted as his daughter, was to go in to the king. She did not seek feminine adornment, but whatever Hegai the eunuch, guardian of the virgins, wished, this he gave her for her adornment. For she was exceedingly beautiful, and of incredible loveliness, and appeared gracious and lovable in the eyes of all. 16. She was therefore led to the bedchamber of King Ahasuerus in the tenth month, which is called Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17. And the king loved her more than all the women, and she found favor and mercy before him above all the women, and he placed the royal diadem on her head, and made her queen in place of Vashti. 18. And he ordered a most magnificent banquet to be prepared for all his princes and servants, for the marriage and nuptials of Esther. And he gave rest to all the provinces, and bestowed gifts according to princely munificence. 19. And when virgins were sought and gathered a second time, Mordecai remained at the king's gate: 20. nor had Esther yet revealed her country and people, according to his command. For whatever he commanded, Esther observed: and she did all things as she had been accustomed to do at the time when he had raised her as a little child. 21. At that time, therefore, when Mordecai was staying at the king's gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two eunuchs of the king who were doorkeepers and presided at the first threshold of the palace, became angry, and wished to rise up against the king and kill him. 22. This did not escape Mordecai's notice, and he immediately reported it to Queen Esther; and she told the king, in the name of Mordecai, who had brought the matter to her. 23. Inquiry was made, and it was found to be true: and both of them were hanged on a gibbet. And it was committed to the histories and recorded in the annals before the king.
Verse 1: He Remembered Vashti
1. HE REMEMBERED (so the Hebrew, Septuagint, Chaldee, and Romans. Therefore some incorrectly read: "she remembered," namely Vashti) VASHTI, namely that he had repudiated her though she was so beautiful and beloved. Hence sorrow and sadness entered the king's mind, both on his own account and on account of Vashti whom he dearly loved: and to wipe away this grief, the king's ministers suggest that he have a more beautiful wife sought throughout the whole kingdom, lest he revoke the decree of divorce; and thus lose something of his royal constancy and authority, namely, as a nail is driven out by a nail, so love is driven out by love.
WHAT HAD BEEN DECREED AGAINST HER, that is, as the Hebrew says, what sentence had been pronounced against her, namely of divorce and deprivation of the kingdom.
Verse 3: Hegai the Eunuch
3. HEGAI THE EUNUCH. The word 'Hegai' alludes to Vagao, or Bagous, which in Persian signifies 'eunuch.' See what was said at Judith 12:10. Moreover, eunuchs were in ancient times the king's intimates and princes of the court, who saw the face of the king, and were most familiar to him, as is clear from chapter 1, verse 10, where the Chaldee translates 'eunuchs' as 'satraps.'
Verse 5: There Was a Jewish Man in Susa
5. THERE WAS A JEWISH MAN IN THE CITY OF SUSA, NAMED MORDECAI. For although Mordecai had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon with Zerubbabel and Jeshua the High Priest under Cyrus, and had indeed been one of the chief men and leaders of those returning, as is clear from 1 Ezra chapter 2, verse 2; nevertheless he soon returned from Jerusalem to Susa, because he was "a great man, and among the first of the royal court," as is said in chapter 11, verse 4. For he was "at the king's gate," as his doorkeeper, chamberlain, and bodyguard. For Xenophon and Herodotus testify that the doorkeepers of the palace were the king's guards. Hence Joseph Ben Gorion says Mordecai was one of the three Parthenim, that is, princes of the court and palatines, mentioned in verse 3. So Daniel, on account of his probity and prophecy, was placed over all of Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 2:48. And Tobias, though a Hebrew and a captive, on account of his fidelity was the steward of Shalmaneser, Tobit chapter 1; thus virtue raised up the ancient Jews, otherwise hated by the Gentiles.
Moreover, 'Mordecai' in Hebrew means the same as Mardachat, that is, myrrh, or bitterness of contrition, or crushed myrrh, or teaching contrition, or the purest myrrh. So Serarius. Likewise, myrrh of my afflictions, or of my poverty, or of my poor ones (for dach means 'poor'), or myrrh of my purities, or of my just ones; for dacha in Syriac means to cleanse, purify, justify. All these meanings are given by Pagninus in his Hebrew Names, and all aptly fit Mordecai who, when together with the Hebrews he was destined by Haman for death, suffered bitterness; but through Esther all gall was turned to honey, bitterness to sweetness, and sorrow to joy.
MORDECAI, SON OF JAIR, SON OF SHIMEI, SON OF KISH, OF THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN, that is, of the tribe of Benjamin, say the Chaldee, Septuagint, and Josephus. For Jemini was a noble man of this tribe; or certainly Benjamin by aphæresis (dropping 'Ben') is the same as Jamin, or Jemini. From this we gather that Mordecai and Esther were descended from Benjamin, and from the royal line of Saul; and Josephus, Serarius, and others assert this. For Kish was the father of Saul, Saul of Jonathan and Mephibosheth, from whom Mordecai and Esther seem to descend. For many intermediate generations are passed over in silence here, as elsewhere. The Chaldee adds: "Mordecai was a pious man, praying before his God for his people." How true this was will be evident from the course of the history.
Hence it is clear that Esther was a daughter of Kish; for which Herodotus, book III, has 'daughter of Cyrus,' because he did not know Kish, but knew Cyrus; and he thought Esther was a Persian, not a Jewess, for Esther, or Hadassa, seems to be the Atossa of Herodotus.
Verse 6: Carried Away from Jerusalem with Jeconiah
6. WHO HAD BEEN CARRIED AWAY FROM JERUSALEM AT THE TIME WHEN NEBUCHADNEZZAR, KING OF BABYLON, HAD CARRIED AWAY JECONIAH, KING OF JUDAH, to Babylon, 4 Kings, last chapter. The word 'who' is referred by Rupert, book VIII, chapter 5, Cajetan, Scaliger, and Serarius to 'Kish,' as if Kish was carried away with Jeconiah, not Mordecai; for otherwise, they say, Mordecai would have lived about two hundred years, which was unprecedented in that age. But it is clear that 'who' refers to 'Mordecai,' not to 'Kish'; both because the connection of the sentence, and the plain construction, which is entirely about Mordecai, requires it; and because it is expressly said in chapter 11, verse 4, that Mordecai was carried away with Jeconiah; from which it is clear that he was carried away in his own person, not in his father or grandfather (as some explain).
Whence I gather and conclude that this history occurred not under Artaxerxes Longimanus, as many would have it, much less under Artaxerxes Mnemon; because Mordecai could not have lived so long: for Scaliger's claim that he lived two hundred years, or others' claims of 465 or 490 years, seem incredible, and are refuted by the fact that Esther, who was Mordecai's niece by his brother, verse 8, is called a 'girl,' that is, a young woman. For she was without doubt in the flower of her age, when, preferred over the other virgins for her beauty, she was given as wife to Ahasuerus; for how would the king have desired, or admitted as his wife, a wrinkled and deformed old woman? Therefore Mordecai, Esther's uncle, could not at that time have been a hundred years old.
I therefore conclude and assert that this history occurred under Darius Hystaspis, and that he was the Ahasuerus who was Esther's husband, as I showed in the Introduction, whose age and years I calculate thus: Mordecai, when carried away with Jeconiah to Babylon, was a child of about three years. Add 70 years of the Babylonian captivity, then three years of Cyrus, six of Cambyses, and three of Darius Hystaspis (for in the third year of his reign he married Esther, as is clear from chapter 1, verse 3), you will make the years of Mordecai's life and age 83. So that Esther, born of Mordecai's younger brother, was about 30 years old, which is the age of flourishing youth, and suitable for marriage.
Hence it is clear that there was one and the same Mordecai (not two, as Serarius and others would have it), who lived with Ezra, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel, and Jeshua the High Priest, and was one of the leaders of the people returning from Babylon, 1 Ezra chapter 2, verse 2.
Verse 7: The Guardian of His Brother's Daughter
7. WHO HAD BEEN THE GUARDIAN OF HIS BROTHER'S DAUGHTER. The Hebrew, Chaldee, and Septuagint have 'his father's brother,' that is, his uncle, as if Esther were his cousin, or his niece.
SHE WAS CALLED BY ANOTHER NAME ESTHER. In Hebrew therefore she was called Hadassa (our text has Edissa, in Persian); and when she was taken into the bed of Darius king of the Persians, she was called Esther. Hence Xerxes the son of Darius had a wife whose name was Amester or Amestris, as Herodotus testifies, book VII, as if to say, another Esther.
Moreover, Hadassa, or Edissa, in Hebrew means the same as myrtle, or myrtle-like; so she was called thus on account of her outstanding beauty, goodness, graciousness, and charm of both body and character, especially of virginal modesty and chastity, in which she was a type of the Blessed Virgin and other holy virgins, as I showed through many analogies at Zechariah 1:8; where for this reason in the second year of Darius Hystaspis, Zechariah saw an Angel standing among the myrtles, that is, in the court of Esther, who was called Hadassa, that is, myrtle, and who was already destined as wife to Darius for the salvation of her people, as I showed in that place. Therefore she was called Hadassa, that is, myrtle, on account of her eminent beauty; for the myrtle is the most beautiful of plants: hence Venus, the most beautiful of all, was surnamed 'the myrtle one.' So too Philip king of France was surnamed 'the Fair' for his extraordinary beauty. So Sanchez, Serarius, and others. Moreover, this beauty of body, and even more of soul in Esther, as in the myrtle, was solid and constant, according to the saying: "The myrtle is always a myrtle, even if it is among nettles," just as Esther was among the Persians.
ESTHER — she was so called by the Persians, as I have already shown, she who was previously called Hadassa in Hebrew, that is, myrtle. For it was the custom of the Chaldeans and Persians to change the names of foreigners, and especially of the Hebrews, when they were admitted into the city or the court, and to give them names of their own nation, as they did to Daniel and his companions, chapter 1.
Moreover, 'Esther' in Hebrew means the same as 'I will hide,' says Pagninus, from the root סתר Satar, that is, 'he hid.' Serarius adds at the beginning of the Prolegomena that Esther means the same as 'one who secretly destroys,' or 'a medicinal exploration and contemplation,' or 'medicine of the turtledove,' or 'beautiful as the moon or Venus.' Hence from Esther comes the word for star, which in German is called sterre. For Esther was a star brighter than all the other royal virgins; indeed the sun of Israel as much as of Persia. Hence again the name Esther alludes to Astarte, goddess of the Syrians, whom Cicero, book III of On the Nature of the Gods, reports to have been the most beautiful of goddesses; and to Asteria, daughter of Coeus, son of Titan, from whom Jupiter begot Hercules, as the poets say and invent. Again, 'Esther' in Hebrew means the same as hidden fire: for אש es is fire, סתר satar is to hide; or fire of the turtledove, or fire that investigates and searches; for es is fire, תור tor is turtledove, or investigating and searching.
But because Esther is a Persian name, its etymology must be sought from the Arabs and Persians (whose language is closely related, and both descend from Hebrew). 'Esther' therefore in Arabic and Persian means the same as 'she who receives and protects,' namely the Jews whom Haman had destined for death: for Satar means to receive, conceal, hide, and protect. Hence Satir in Arabic is protector; satar is one who receives and shelters fugitive slaves. Again, in Chaldee and Syriac Satar means to oppose, contradict, destroy, such as Esther was, who opposed Haman and destroyed and crucified him. Finally, Pagninus says, Esther in Chaldee means the same as joy; and thus 'Esther' in Persian means the same as the Hebrew Hadassa, that is, myrtle: for the myrtle is a symbol of gladness and joy, which Esther brought to Israel by delivering them from Haman and death.
Moreover, Hadassa, or Edissa, seems to be the Atossa whom Herodotus, book III, names as the wife of Darius Hystaspis, and adds, book VII, at the beginning, that her firstborn son was Xerxes, who succeeded his father Darius in the kingdom. Therefore some believe that Xerxes was the son of Esther by Darius. Hear Herodotus, book VII, where, having narrated that Darius, before he was made king, had as wife the daughter of Gobryas, and had begotten Artabazanes by her, but when he became king, married Atossa and begot Xerxes by her, to whom Artabazanes his brother contested the right of succession to the kingdom, and Demaratus the Spartan, favoring Xerxes, suggested: "That in addition to his other arguments, he should add that he was born when Darius was already king and in possession of the Persian empire; whereas Artabazanes was born to Darius when he was a private citizen; therefore it was neither fair nor just that anyone else rather than himself should attain that dignity. Since at Sparta too the custom was that, if sons were born to anyone before he reigned, and then another was born after he became king, the succession to the kingdom belonged to the one born later. Darius, accepting the argument put forward by Demaratus, declared Xerxes king as one who spoke justly, although even without Demaratus's instruction Xerxes would (in my opinion) have reigned; since all power rested with Atossa." So Herodotus, who further adds that Xerxes waged war against the Greeks, and numbered in his army 170 myriads, that is, one million seven hundred thousand, but in so great a number there was no one who, in stature, either of spirit or of body, or of so august a form and appearance could be compared; and that Xerxes, contemplating so great an army from a high watchtower, shed tears; and when asked the reason by Artabanus, he said: "As I considered how brief is human life, pity for these men came over me, since though there are so many of them, not one will survive to his hundredth year," and Artabanus then added: "This life is so wretched, and so full of troubles, that there is no man whose mind is not frequently visited by a wish to die rather than to live, and to whom life, though brief, does not seem too long; and so death is the most desirable refuge from a troubled life, and therefore not to be mourned but rather to be wished for and embraced."
Allegorically, Esther is the Blessed Virgin, for she under her wings receives and protects sinners, and the afflicted just who flee to her; she is the joy of the holy of the saints and faithful. Hence by her help, St. Hilaria, mother of St. Afra the martyr, praying at her daughter's tomb, was thrown into the fire by the Gentiles and joyfully underwent martyrdom, just as St. Hilaria, wife of the tribune and martyr Claudius, praying at the tomb of Jason and Maurus her sons who were martyrs, was seized by the Pagans, received holy communion, and joyfully breathed forth her spirit, as Ado reports in the Martyrology, on the 12th of August and on the 3rd of December. Therefore the Church daily thus addresses and invokes the Blessed Virgin: "Hail, Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope, hail." And elsewhere: "Mary, Mother of grace, Mother of mercy, protect us from the enemy, and receive us at the hour of death." And: "Hail, star of the sea, gracious Mother of God," etc. "Beautiful as the moon, chosen as the sun, terrible as an army set in array." Hear St. Bernard, sermon 4 On the Assumption: "Let him be silent about your mercy, O Blessed Virgin, if there is anyone who remembers having invoked you in his necessities and been abandoned by you; we, your little servants, rejoice with you in your other virtues, but in this we rejoice rather for ourselves; we praise your virginity, we marvel at your humility, but mercy is sweeter to the wretched, we embrace mercy more dearly, we remember it more often, we invoke it more frequently."
MORDECAI ADOPTED HER AS HIS DAUGHTER. From this it is clear, first, that Esther was of the tribe of Benjamin, and of the royal line of Saul; for Mordecai, her uncle, indeed her adoptive father, was from that tribe; second, that she was an orphan; third, that she was raised piously and holily by the pious and holy Mordecai, who breathed into her, as into a daughter, his own spirit of virtue and piety. Hence St. Jerome, epistle 140, says: "Ruth, Esther, and Judith were of such great glory that they gave their names to the sacred books." Moreover, the letters of the name Judith, and of the name Esther, taken as numerical values, produce the same number, namely 161, as Serarius shows at the beginning of his Prolegomena.
Verse 9: She Pleased Him
9. SHE PLEASED HIM, that is, Hegai the eunuch, who was seeking beautiful virgins for Ahasuerus.
AND HE COMMANDED (Hegai the chief of the eunuchs) THE EUNUCH (his inferior and subordinate) TO HASTEN HER COSMETICS (that is, adornment) FOR WOMEN, AND TO DELIVER TO HER HER PORTIONS, that is, the measured and appointed portion of food and delicacies: for מנות Manoth in Hebrew means the courses or dishes which are set before each person individually, such as the portions that Elkanah gave to Hannah his wife, 1 Samuel 1; and Samuel to Saul the King, 1 Samuel 10. Moreover, there is no doubt that Esther, a religious woman, abstained from foods forbidden to her by the law of Moses, just as she herself declares that she abstained from things sacrificed to idols, chapter 14, verse 17.
AND SEVEN MOST BEAUTIFUL MAIDENS, as companions and honorary attendants.
Verse 12: The Twelfth Month
12. THE TWELFTH MONTH. Therefore for an entire year each virgin was adorned and tended before they went to Ahasuerus; namely, for the first six months they were anointed with oil of myrrh, or oil made from myrrh, and for the other six they used pigments, and delicate aromatics and perfumes, and especially those made from Heliocallide: "For with lion's fat," says Pliny, book 24, chapter 17, "boiled with this plant, and with saffron and palm wine added, the Magi anoint the kings of Persia, so that the body becomes pleasing in appearance, and for this reason the same plant is called Heliocallide."
The reason was that Jewish women, as well as Persian women, on account of the heat of the region, smell strongly and exhale a goatish odor from under their arms, which must be wiped away by ointments gradually absorbed by the body, so that they exhale the sweet odor with which they have been imbued. Hence Pliny, book 13, chapter 1, ascribes the use and origin of ointment and anointing to the Persians: "Ointment," he says, "should be considered the property of the Persian nation; they are drenched in it, and by this borrowed recommendation they extinguish the foul smell of their natural gluttony. The first instance I find is that when the camp of King Darius was stormed, Alexander seized among his other equipment a case of ointments; afterwards this pleasure was admitted among our own people as one of the most praised and honorable good things of life." Indeed Scripture too, in Song of Songs 4, assigns ointments of myrrh, saffron, nard, etc. to them. So Lyranus, Sanchez, and others.
If Esther was so anointed and adorned to please a mortal man, how much more was the Blessed Virgin anointed and adorned with grace and virtues, that she might become the spouse of God and the mother of Christ? Moreover, women are lovers of adornment and zealous about their appearance, whence the Comic poet says: "What a business there is in one woman! Night and day, at every age, they are always adorning, washing, and polishing themselves." And again: "While they are combing their hair, while they are polishing themselves, a year passes." Athenaeus adds, book 1: "Persian women are more than duly zealous about their adornment."
Verse 16: Led to the Bedchamber of the King
16. SHE WAS THEREFORE LED TO THE BEDCHAMBER OF KING AHASUERUS IN THE TENTH MONTH (which corresponds partly to our December and partly to January) IN THE SEVENTH YEAR OF HIS REIGN. Therefore Esther waited for four years, on account of the multitude of virgins who were being brought, before she herself was led to Ahasuerus; for in the third year of his reign, having divorced Vashti, he had other beautiful women sought, among whom was Esther.
Moreover, these women, by the very fact that they were led to Ahasuerus, became his concubines, that is, secondary wives; from among whom the king then chose one as his primary wife and Queen, as here he chose Esther. For marriage was effected by the mutual consent of the man and woman to the marital union.
Hence Josephus, book 11, chapter 6: "When," he says, "Esther had come to the king, he, delighted with her and captivated by love for her, lawfully married her, and celebrated the nuptials with her in the twelfth month of the seventh year of his reign, which month is called Adar."
You may ask whether Esther, a believer, could lawfully marry Ahasuerus, an unbeliever. I answer that she could, because Deuteronomy 7:3 only forbids Jews from contracting marriages with Canaanites, not with Persians and other Gentiles. So Bellarmine, Serarius, Sanchez, and others. Add that Esther could not refuse this royal edict, lest she provoke the king's wrath against herself and the other Jews; indeed, if she had resisted, the king could have taken advantage of her against her will and done her violence. Finally, Esther and Mordecai felt God's prompting toward entering into marriage with the king, in order to win him over to their entire nation; and thus to avert the danger of death from Haman that was threatening them.
Allegorically, "Esther the queen is the Blessed Virgin Mary," says St. Bonaventure in the Mirror, chapter 7, "who was led into the bedchamber of the King at the Assumption, into the chamber of eternal rest, having the grace of the true King above all women, that is, above all angelic intelligences, and above all blessed souls, so that in Mary there is grace above the grace of all the blessed; for truly the King of kings placed on her head a royal diadem so precious, so delightful, so wonderful, that it is unspeakable to every tongue, and inscrutable to every mind." Therefore Methodius in his homily on the Presentation teaches that Mary's sacred head was crowned by God. For this reason Robert, book 3 on Song of Songs 4, explains of her: "You shall be crowned from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards: You shall be crowned, he says, that you may be Queen of Saints in heaven, and Queen of kingdoms on earth."
In the anagogical sense, the Blessed Virgin assumed into heaven was there crowned Queen of heaven, of men, and of Angels. Hence in Apocalypse 12:1, she is called "a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars," see what is said there. Hear St. Bernard, On the Assumption: "Then the Blessed Virgin, like another Esther, was led from the dining hall of the women, that is, from the Church Militant, and through the whole host of the heavenly army, to the bedchamber of Ahasuerus, that is, of the most high God, so that to her applies the prophetic word: You held my right hand, and in your will you led me, and with glory you received me. Which today was truly fulfilled, when all the citizens of heaven saw her ascending, abounding in the delights of the divine embraces, leaning upon her Beloved." Rightly therefore the Church sings, as St. Ildephonsus testifies, sermon On the Assumption: "The Virgin Mary was taken up to the ethereal bridal chamber, in which the King of kings sits upon a starry, nay, as Ildephonsus says, an ineffable throne."
Verse 17: The King Loved Her More than All the Women
17. AND THE KING LOVED HER MORE THAN ALL THE WOMEN, because Esther surpassed all in beauty, modesty, moderation, purity, grace, and holiness; hence she was a type of the Blessed Virgin, whom the Angel greeted, saying: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women," Luke 1.
Verse 18: He Gave Rest to All the Provinces
Verse 18. AND HE GAVE REST TO ALL THE PROVINCES, from taxes and other burdens, that is, he relaxed the tributes which he himself had previously imposed on the people. For Herodotus, book 3, teaches that Darius had imposed many taxes: "For under Cyrus," he says, "and then under Cambyses, nothing had yet been established concerning tributes, but gifts were brought. On account of this regulation of tributes, and other such things, the Persians say that Darius was a shopkeeper, Cambyses a master, and Cyrus a father: because Darius turned everything to profit, Cambyses was harsh and peevish; but Cyrus acted mildly, and by every means strove to deserve well of them."
Others understand this "rest" as being from labors, as if to say: Darius ordered everyone to cease from their work, and to observe festive days in joy and feasting, on account of such distinguished nuptials celebrated with Esther.
AND HE BESTOWED GIFTS ACCORDING TO PRINCELY MUNIFICENCE, that is, royal munificence; for in Hebrew it is 'according to the magnificence of the king,' which, namely, befitted so great a king as Darius was.
Verse 19: When Virgins Were Sought a Second Time
19. AND WHEN VIRGINS WERE SOUGHT A SECOND TIME. From this it appears that virgins were sought for Ahasuerus twice, for this is what the words mean. For polygamy was customary at that time, especially among kings. Hence Solomon had 700 queens and 300 concubines, that is, secondary wives. So even now the kings of the Turks, Arabs, and Indians have a great throng of wives. For lust is insatiable, as well as fastidious and curious; for those whom they have known once, they soon grow weary of, and seek another, so that they do not so much satisfy their lust as change it, and try whether the pleasure might be greater elsewhere.
Verse 20: She Did All Things as She Had Been Accustomed
20. SHE DID ALL THINGS AS SHE HAD BEEN ACCUSTOMED TO DO AT THE TIME WHEN HE HAD RAISED HER AS A LITTLE CHILD. See here Esther's rare obedience, for though she had become queen, indeed empress, she nevertheless obeyed Mordecai just as she had obeyed when she was a little girl, and through this obedience God most wisely directed her in all things, so that she might overthrow Haman and deliver the people from death.
Verse 21: Bigthana and Teresh, Two Eunuchs
21. BIGTHANA AND TERESH, TWO EUNUCHS (Palatines and courtiers of Darius), ETC., WISHED TO RISE UP AGAINST THE KING AND KILL HIM. For what reason? Various authors assign various probable causes. The Septuagint gives this one, that the king had preferred Mordecai over them. Others say it was because he had divorced Vashti and replaced her with Esther. Others, that they were not content with their rank and station, but aspired to a greater one, indeed to the kingdom, just as Smerdis the Magus had before Darius seized the kingdom by fraud. Others more plausibly say they wished to transfer the kingdom to another man, who was first after the king; and therefore they think that Haman was aware of, or even the author of, their conspiracy, and they gather this from the fact that in chapter 12, verse 6, it is said that Haman was offended with Mordecai, because he had been the cause of these two eunuchs being hanged. They were therefore friends, supporters, and agents of Haman, so that when the king was killed by them, Haman might seize the throne as the one next to the king; and because, as the king says in chapter 16, verse 12, of Haman: "Who was puffed up to such a swelling of arrogance that he strove to deprive us of our kingdom and our spirit," that is, our life. For the ambition to reign stops at nothing and overturns everything. This is supported by what Josippus the son of Gorion writes: "When Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate," he says, "he noticed the whispering of two eunuchs of the king, who were guarding the gate, and plotting how they might raise their hand against the king, and carry his severed head to the king of Macedonia, who had already declared war against the kings of Persia. But when the eunuchs had been hanged on the cross, Haman was very angry that his counselors had been put on the cross, and he endeavored to exterminate all the Jews." Of this war declared by the king of Macedonia against Darius and the Persians, we read nothing elsewhere; but there could have been some suspicion of it, both because shortly afterwards Xerxes the son of Darius waged war against the Macedonians and Greeks; and because Alexander the Great, who was king of Macedonia, transferred the monarchy from Darius Codomannus and the Persians to himself and the Macedonians some years later; and also because Haman, who was a Macedonian, aspired to the kingdom, about which more at chapter 3, verse 1.