Esther 9:26-32

26 Therefore * they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. And ¹because of the instructions in this letter, both what they had seen in this regard and what had happened to them,

27 the Jews established and made a custom for themselves and for their descendants and for ²all those who allied themselves with them, so that they would not fail ³to celebrate these two days according to their regulation and according to their appointed time annually *.

28 So these days were to be remembered and celebrated throughout every generation, every family, every province and every city; and these days of Purim were not to fail from among the Jews, or their memory fade from their descendants.

29 Then Queen Esther, ⁴daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm ⁵this second letter about Purim.

30 He sent letters to all the Jews, ⁶to the 127 * * provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, namely, words of peace and truth,

31 to establish these days of Purim at their appointed times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established for them, and just as they had established for themselves and for their descendants with instructions ⁷for their times of fasting and their lamentations.

32 The command of Esther established these customs for ⁸Purim, and it was written in the book.

Esther 9:26-32 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ESTHER 9

In this chapter we have an account of the Jews gathering together, on the day fixed for their destruction, to defend themselves, which they did in all the provinces, and smote their enemies; Es 9:1-5. In Shushan the palace they slew the ten sons of Haman and five hundred men on that day, Es 9:6-11 and at the request of the queen they were allowed the next day to hang up his sons, when they slew three hundred men more, Es 9:12-15, in the provinces they slew 75,000 and those in one day only, and the following days they kept as a festival, but they in Shushan kept the two days following, Es 9:16-19, and which two days were established by Esther and Mordecai as festivals, to be observed as such in future ages, by the name of the days of Purim, Es 9:20-32.

Cross References

• 1. Esther 9:20
• 2. Esther 8:17
• 3. Esther 9:20, 21
• 4. Esther 2:15
• 5. Esther 9:20, 21
• 6. Esther 1:1
• 7. Esther 4:3
• 8. Esther 9:26

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "Therefore because of all the words"
• [b]. Lit "received"
• [c]. Lit "seed"
• [d]. Lit "it should not pass away"
• [e]. Lit "writing"
• [f]. Lit "pass away"
• [g]. Lit "end"
• [h]. Lit "seed"
• [i]. Lit "seed"
• [j]. Lit "words"
• [k]. Lit "words"