Esther 8:7-17

7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Behold, ¹I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows,^[a] because he intended to lay hands on the Jews.

8 But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, ²and seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring ³cannot be revoked."

9 ⁴The king's scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to ⁵the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces ⁶from India to Ethiopia, provinces, ⁷to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language.

10 ⁸And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus ⁹and sealed it with the king's signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on ¹⁰swift horses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud,

11 saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city ¹¹to gather and defend their lives, ¹²to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, ¹³and to plunder their goods,

12 ¹⁴on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.

13 ¹⁵A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies.

14 So the couriers, mounted on their ¹⁶swift horses that were used in the king's service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.

15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king ¹⁷in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown^[b] and ¹⁸a robe of fine linen and purple, ¹⁹and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

16 The Jews had ²⁰light and gladness and joy and honor.

17 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and ²¹a holiday. ²²And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, ²³for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.

Esther 8:7-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ESTHER 8

This chapter relates the gifts Ahasuerus gave to Esther and Mordecai, Es 8:1,2, the suit Esther made to him to reverse the letters for the destruction of the Jews, Es 8:3-6, which, though it could not be formally granted, was in effect done by letters sent to the Jews, giving them power to rise in their own defence, and slay their enemies, Es 8:7-14, the consequence of which, and the advancement of Mordecai, were matter of great joy to the Jews, Es 8:15-17.

Cross References

• 1. ver. 1
• 2. ver. 10; Esther 3:12
• 3. [Esther 1:19; Dan. 6:8, 12, 15]
• 4. Esther 3:12
• 5. See Ezra 8:36
• 6. Esther 1:1
• 7. Esther 1:1
• 8. Esther 1:22; Esther 3:12
• 9. Esther 3:12, 13
• 10. Esther 3:12
• 11. 1 Kings 4:28
• 12. Esther 9:2, 15, 16, 18
• 13. Esther 3:13; Esther 7:4
• 14. [Esther 9:10, 15, 16]
• 15. Esther 3:13; Esther 9:1
• 16. Esther 3:14; Esther 4:8
• 17. [See ver. 10 above]
• 18. [Genesis 41:42; Daniel 5:29]
• 19. [1 Chronicles 15:27]
• 20. [Esther 3:15]
• 21. [Psalms 97:11]
• 22. Esther 9:19, 22; 1 Samuel 25:8
• 23. Esther 9:27
• 24. Esther 9:2

Footnotes

• [a]. Or stake
• [b]. Or headdress