Esther 10:3

3 and how Mordecai of the kin of the Jews was the second from king Ahasuerus, and was great with (the) Jews, and acceptable to the people of his brethren, and he sought good things to his people, and spake those things, that pertained to the peace of his seed. (and also how that Mordecai, the Jew, was second only to King Ahasuerus, and that he was a great man among the Jews, and accepted by all the people of his kinsmen, and how he sought only the good for his people, and did what he could to bring peace to all their descendants.)

Esther 10:3 Meaning and Commentary

Esther 10:3

For Mordecai the Jew was next unto Ahasuerus
The second man in the kingdom, the principal of the counsellors, and prime minister of state:

and great among the Jews;
highly respected by them, in great honour and esteem with them, for which there was great reason:

and accepted of the multitude of his brethren;
or of many, of most, of the greatest part of them; for, let a man be ever so deserving, there are some that will envy his greatness, cavil at everything done by him, and speak evil of him without any just reason:

seeking the wealth of his people;
their good, their welfare and happiness, temporal and spiritual:

and speaking peace to all his seed;
not only to his family, but to all the Jews who were of the same seed with him, the seed of Abraham; either speaking to them in an humble and condescending manner, being very humane, affable, and courteous; or speaking for them to the king, asking of him for them what might conduce to their peace, prosperity, and happiness. No mention is made in this history of the death and burial either of Mordecai or Esther; but the author of Cippi Hebraici says F26, that Mordecai was buried in the city of Shushan, and that all the Jews in those parts assemble at his grave on the day of Purim, and sing songs, playing on tabrets and pipes, rejoicing that there was a miracle wrought; and the same writer says F1, they do the like at that time at the grave of Esther, half a mile from Tzephat, read this book that bears her name, eat, drink, and rejoice. Benjamin of Tudela says {b}, they were both buried before a synagogue, at a place called Hamdan.


FOOTNOTES:

F26 P. 70. Ed. Hottinger.
F1 Ib. p. 64.
F2 Itinerar. p. 96.

Esther 10:3 In-Context

1 Forsooth king Ahasuerus made tributary each land, and all the isles of the sea; (And King Ahasuerus made every land, and all the islands of the sea, to pay him taxes/to pay tribute to him through forced labour;)
2 whose strength and empire and his dignity and highness, by which he enhanced Mordecai, be written in the books of (the kings of) Media and of Persia; (and his strength and rule, as well as the dignity and highness to which he promoted Mordecai, all be written about in The Books of the Kings of Media and Persia;)
3 and how Mordecai of the kin of the Jews was the second from king Ahasuerus, and was great with (the) Jews, and acceptable to the people of his brethren, and he sought good things to his people, and spake those things, that pertained to the peace of his seed. (and also how that Mordecai, the Jew, was second only to King Ahasuerus, and that he was a great man among the Jews, and accepted by all the people of his kinsmen, and how he sought only the good for his people, and did what he could to bring peace to all their descendants.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.