Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and published by seven stories press. Esther the niv application commentary kindle edition by. Keith mathison agrees with the other experts when he says, karen jobes has written the most engaging, interesting, and helpful commentary on the book of esther presently available. The whole history of this book in its connected order, with the occurrences in the persian empire at that time, will be found in the introduction. Esther the book of esther easyenglish bible god is in control esther a commentary by robert bryce. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of esther in easy english. Jon levenson capably guides readers through both versions, demonstrating their coherence and their differences.
Each verse has been translated into an english sentence that means what the original hebrew verse means. Artaxerxes this man was son of xerxes and stepson of esther. During the second banquet, queen esther revealed her origin to the king, begged. The events in the book of esther occurred from 483. Esther commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament.
Esther the niv application commentary kindle edition by jobes, karen h download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. You can find the best commentary on esther for you using the tools on the right side. History is wholly silent about both vashti and esther. The book of esther is the only one not found in the dead sea scrolls. The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is. The whole history of this book in its connected order, with the occurrences in the persian empire at that time, will be found. God gave jacob the name israel when he promised to make jacob s descendants god s special people genesis 32. Esther ebd the queen of ahasuerus, and heroine of the book that bears her name. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. Working preacher is a ministry brought to you by luther seminary. However, sometimes ezra calls them the people of israel. Christian commentaries on the book began to emerge in the later medieval period, they were. The book was originally written in hebrew, but the ancient greek translation known as the septuagint abbreviated lxx is also a very important witness to the text. Study the bible online using commentary on esther 8 and more.
He overcame the jews and he took many jews to babylon. The book of esther is renowned for its literary artistry, which functions as the principal vehicle for the book s. Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history. Much that is in the book deals with the relationship of jews and gentiles. Study the bible online using commentary on esther and more. Esther the niv application commentary kindle edition. The original text of the megillah book of esther with a running commentary culled from the talmud and midrash, the great torah commentators and the chassidic masters. The book of esther is about a jewish girl adopted by her uncle, mordecai, after her parents died. We can see how accurately it illustrates what is happening to us when god is at work in the human heart. The means taken by esther to avert this great calamity from her people and her kindred are fully related in the book of esther. It is the last of the five scrolls ruth, song of songs, ecclesiastes, lamentations, and esther, and is read at the feast of purim. Xerxes, the persian king, rejected his wife queen vashti, and fell in love with esther at a beauty contest.
The events that the first chapter of the book of esther describes happened about 483 bc before christ. Jun 24, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and. Esther is the last of the historical books of the bible, so its main character is named esther that is, venus, the morning star, which sheds its light after all the other stars have ceased to shine, and while the sun still delays rising. The prayers of esther and mordecai are especially noteworthy. In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the book of esther was illustrated by j. The book of esther is a 20 movie starring jen lilley as queen esther and joel smallbone as king xerxes. That he might show it to esther and explain it to her. The book of esther page 2languages the literal, physical heart in literature is a reference to the thinking portion of a persons soul.
Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. Esther 8 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Xerxes this is the ahasuerus of the book of esther. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew bible, provides the story of the origin of purim, the blueprint for its celebration, and the authorization for its observance in perpetuity. See all of our coronavirus resources here toggle navigation. Megillah with indepth commentaryside by side version. The information structure of the book of esther in the septuagint by. We might even think that he does not care about us. The book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in.
She sent clothes for mordecai to put on instead of the sackcloth, but he would not accept them. On the mystical level king achashverosh alludes to gd, the king of the world. The book of esther does not mention the name of god. She commanded him to find out what was bothering mordecai, and why. Instead of a translation, i have rendered the meaning of the verses, in clear and modern english. God saves the jews esther the book of esther easyenglish bible god is in control esther a commentary by robert bryce short outline of esther. The greek septuagint remedied this situation by adding six passages which include the name of god.
She was a jewess named hadassah the myrtle, but when she entered the royal harem she received the name by which she henceforth became known. Esther was originally written in hebrew, which is represented by ch. The greek book of esther, included in the septuagint, is a retelling of the events of the hebrew book of esther rather than a translation and. Mervin breneman ezra, nehemiah, esther new american commentary, 1993. This little gem, tucked away in an obscure corner of the old testament, is a very rich book, and it is historical. Further artificialities are clear in the way characters are paired e. Over 100 years earlier, nebuchadnezzar the king of babylon had attacked jerusalem. In 1934 annie became a missionary in china with oms. There have been several explanation of this particular translation. The book of esther, according to the original text, and original chapter and verse system, explained in modern terms. Yet i myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. In esther, god providentially uses two exiled israelites to rescue his. Classical sources such as josephus, the jewish commentary esther rabbah and the.
The book of esther is renowned for its literary artistry, which functions as the principal vehicle for the books. Af, which most scholars regard as later additions to the book. Violence and the survival of israel in the book of esther. The events of the book of esther occurred during the reign of king ahasuerus, xerxes i. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star. The jews still commemorate this deliverance in the yearly festival purim, on the 14th and 15th of adar february, march. We have enlisted hundreds of friends biblical scholars, theologians, homileticians and pastors dedicated to the craft of biblical preaching to provide you timely, compelling and trustworthy content. It is erroneous to believe that biblical greek does not have a basic word order just. The author of the books of kings used a book called the history of the acts of solomon. Most of the families who returned from exile were originally from judah. Read esther 1 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. Several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr. In the hebrew bible, the book of esther is found in the third section of the canon, the writings.
The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control. Although there are unfortunately those today who suggest that some of the stories in the old testament are legends, there is substantial evidence that the events of esther actually occurred. Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the kings command and his decree to be executed. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p.
The book of esther is counted as an historical book in our english bibles, but in the jewish scriptures it is among the writings. Overview of the book of esther third millennium ministries. He that will lose his life for god, shall save it, or find it in a better life. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary.
This little gem, tucked away in an obscure corner of the old testament is a very rich book. Book of esther simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading esther the niv application commentary. The book of esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the jewish people in their synagogues to the present day. It took place in the days of israels captivity when. Esther 1, new living translation nlt the bible app.
The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not mentioned. The new jerome biblical commentarys njbc considerable detail, its comprehensiveness, and the arrangement of the books of the bible generally by the estimated date of the composition of each book make it not quite as easy to use as the oxford bible commentary or the harpercollins bible commentary, but the conclusions reached in each books. Esther 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. Vashti is sent for by the king, but refuses to come, esther 1. On the day that the enemies of the jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the jews themselves overpowered those who. Esther says to the christian that antijewish hostility is intolerable to god. Thus, the deeds of queen esther cast a ray of light forward into israels history from a dark time. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third. The book belongs to the socalled five scrolls hebr. Read esther commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. Esther 1 commentary old testament matthew henry st. There are a number of other helpful commentaries on the book of esther. The working preacher team believes that god uses good biblical preaching to change lives. Esther is the name of a book in the tanakh the hebrew bible and the old testament, and also its title heroine.
I always appreciate it when there is clear consensus on the best commentary on any given book of the bible. The books of ezra and nehemiah were written during his reign. This informative commentary part of jpss bible commentary series dissects the book of esther and, by extension, the jewish holiday of purim. His predecessor was king darius 522485 bc who is mentioned in ezra 4. Read esther 8 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. I have already mentioned brenemans commentary in my post on the top five ezranehemiah commentaries. The thing that makes the book of esther so fascinating is this is our story. How the providence of god watched over the jews that had returned out of captivity to their own land, and what great and kind things were done for them, we. Esther 1 easy english bible easy 1 this happened when king xerxes ruled over 127 parts of the kingdom of persia.
Berlin begins with a lengthy introduction, discussing esther as comedy and as diaspora literature. The following are five of the most helpful commentaries on. It is a deeply profound and moving narrative of historical events that displayed the providence of god. The book of esther has been preserved in ancient texts that diverge greatly from each other. Book of prophecy that reveals gods magnificent plan of salvation through the person and work of jesus christ. The writer of esther clearly intended the book to explain the origin of the celebration of purim, to institutionalize it as a commemoration of the great deliverance of the jews during the persian period see note on esther 9. The old testament library provides fresh and authoritative treatments.
He took esther as the new persian queen, not knowing she was an israelite. In other languages, the heart may be the emotional arena of the soul, and, in still others, heart may refer to the emotional part of the soul in reference to love. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. The book is named for the star of the story, a young jewish girl named hadassah who was taken from her guardian, mordecai, and forced to compete for the affection of the king. The book of esther is unusual gods name is not mentioned once, yet gods hand is. During world war ii she spent 21 months in a japanese concentration camp as a prisoner. He eventually chose esther as his queen, and by her influence the jews were saved from destruction. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press.
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