Esther 10

⁷ Such a royal decree would be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which could not be repealed (verse 19). In the Persian Empire, once a law was written it could not be revoked.

⁸ The word Jew is derived from the name Judah; when the Israelites returned to Judah from exile in Babylon, they became known as “Jews.” Soon the term “Jew” was applied to all Israelites in the postexilic period, no matter what tribe they belonged to or where they lived.

⁹ It is not certain why Mordecai refused to kneel down before Haman; many Israelites had knelt before their superiors in the past. Neither is there any evidence that Haman was claiming divine honor. Some scholars believe Mordecai refused to kneel because of pride. Other scholars, however, believe it was because Haman was an Amalekite. He is called an Agagite (verse 1), which may be derived from the name Agag, an Amalekite king whom the Benjamite Saul defeated five hundred years earlier (1 Samuel 15:1–9). The Amalekites had been enemies of Israel since the time of the Exodus (Exodus 17:8–16). Now the Benjamite Mordecai, himself likely related to Saul’s father Kish (1 Samuel 9:1–2; Esther 2:5), was continuing this struggle between Jews and Amalekites. Mordecai clearly disapproved of Haman’s appointment and thus refused to honor him.

¹⁰ From early times, the Israelites cast lots in order to determine God’s will. Other ancient people cast lots to choose the most auspicious time for scheduling important events. In Persia, the lot was called a pur; the plural form was “purim.” “Purim” became the name of an annual Jewish festival that celebrated the Jews’ deliverance from Haman’s plot (see Esther 9:20–28).

¹¹ The king’s signet ring was the symbol of his royal authority. It was used as a stamp to seal official documents; it took the place of the written signature we are accustomed to today.

¹² Notice that the writer avoids mentioning the prayer that always accompanied Jewish fasting: the writer’s literary purpose is to show that behind all the human activities he has been describing, God is working out His purposes—whether or not people pray to Him or even mention His name.

¹³ It was believed that wearing another person’s robe would confer on the wearer the honor and prestige of the owner. The same would apply to riding the king’s horse.

¹⁴ Purim is the plural form of the word pur, which means “lot.” The name is derived from the fact that Haman cast the lot to determine on which day he would destroy the Jews (verse 24).