Esther 2:18

18 Then the king held a great banquet for Esther. He invited all his officials and his advisers. He also declared that day a holiday in the provinces, and he handed out gifts from his royal generosity.

Esther 2:18 Meaning and Commentary

Esther 2:18

Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and
servants, even Esther's feast
A feast to all his nobles, courtiers, and ministers of state, on account of his marriage with Esther; which, according to the Greek version, was held seven days; but, according to Josephus, it lasted a whole month ^F20:

and he made a release to the provinces;
of taxes and tribute due to him, as was the custom of the kings of Persia when they came to the throne, as Herodotus ^F21 relates; so Smerdis the magus, that mounted the throne after Cambyses, pretending to be his brother, released them for three years to come ^F23; and Grotius says kings used to do it at their marriage, but gives no instance of it:

and gave gifts:
according to the latter Targum, to the provinces, all of them, that he might be sure that the people of Esther shared his favours, who were as yet unknown; but rather these gifts were given to his nobles, or it may be to Esther; so the former Targum,

``he gave to her a gift and portion:''

according to the state of the king;
his royal ability and munificence, and suitable to his grandeur; and it was usual with the Persian kings to give to their wives whole cities for one thing or another, as for necklaces, hair laces, shoes ^F24; Socrates ^F25 speaks of a whole country in Persia called the "Queen's girdle", and another her "Headdress".

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 11. c. 6. sect. 2.)
F21 Erato, sive, l. 6. c. 59.
F23 Thalia, sive, l. 3. c. 67.
F24 Herodot. Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 98. Cicero in Verrem, l. 3. Orat. 8.
F25 In Plat. Alcibiad.

Esther 2:18 In-Context

16 So Esther was taken to King Xerxes in his royal palace in the month of Tebeth, the tenth month, in the seventh year of his reign.

17 Now, the king loved Esther more than all the other women and favored her over all the other virgins. So he put the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

18 Then the king held a great banquet for Esther. He invited all his officials and his advisers. He also declared that day a holiday in the provinces, and he handed out gifts from his royal generosity.

19 When the virgins were gathered a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate.

20 Esther still had not revealed her family background or nationality, as Mordecai had ordered her. Esther always did whatever Mordecai told her, as she did when she was a child.