Esther 1: 1 – 22
For your eyes only
1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia), 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel, 3 that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him— 4 when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all. 5 And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. 6 There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble. 7 And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king. 8 In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had ordered all the officers of his household, that they should do according to each man’s pleasure. 9 Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus. 10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs; therefore, the king was furious, and his anger burned within him. 13 Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times (for this was the king’s manner toward all who knew law and justice, 14 those closest to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who had access to the king’s presence, and who ranked highest in the kingdom): 15 “What shall we do to Queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?” 16 And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: “Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the queen’s behavior will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come.’ 18 This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media will say to all the king’s officials that they have heard of the behavior of the queen. Thus, there will be excessive contempt and wrath. 19 If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. 20 When the king’s decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small.” 21 And the reply pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan. 22 Then he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province in its own script, and to every people in their own language, that each man should be master in his own house and speak in the language of his own people.
In reading this opening chapter my mind went to the 1981 British James Bond Spy Film named For your eyes only. In all these movies the hero falls in love with a beautiful woman. In this movie this woman is a Greek beauty whose parents are killed. The two come into each other’s presence through dangerous situations. Throughout their encounters Melina would rebuff any romantic approach by James Bond.
In the end the two defeat the evil people and the film closes with Melina inviting Bond to take an evening swim where she says the movie’s title to him, ‘for your eyes only.’
Today we are going to see a real-life issue of a beauty whose title should be, ‘for the king’s eyes only.’ This spoiled prideful monarch took for granted all his blessings and while having a drunken party with all his military leaders wanted to show off his beautiful wife to the drunken crowd. She would not go along with his order as we will see happen. This will lead to the development of our Great God to guide situations for the protection of His people.
Now as you know every good story or movie has some main characters. Likewise, we see that our Precious Holy Spirit worked out His wonders. So, let me take a little time in explaining to you the important people in the book of Esther.
‘Esther’ (star) was the Persian name of the heroine. It may have been given to her on her adoption by Mordecai, who was her uncle who raised her. It may well have been intended to hide her Jewish origin. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah (‘myrtle’).
The book deals with the question of the proposed treatment of Jews in the Persia empire during the reign of ‘Ahasuerus’, when a powerful courtier by the name of Haman, angry at not receiving from Jews the extreme obeisance that he demanded, determined to annihilate them, seeking to use his influence for that purpose. It indicates how they were signally delivered from what was for them a time of grave national emergency. It was a crisis even exceeding their slavery in Egypt, for it threatened almost total annihilation, something that Esther herself brings out (7.4). The intervention of God is, however, left to be inferred from the history outlined, as, quite unusually, the name or title of God is nowhere specifically mentioned in the book. On the other hand, it is made quite clear that Mordecai was sure of intervention.
The Holy Spirit who inspired this record for us wished to reveal how He worked in an unseen way in bringing about His purposes. His purposes for His people are continuing to work out without Him even being brought into the equation, as He quietly fashions history in accordance with His will. He brings home that even Jews in Persia are not outside His purview. But neither are they in the center of His will and worship. Indeed, some of the ‘coincidences’ depicted are quite remarkable, and would suggest to people at that time the hand of God. The Jews could hardly have failed to see in them that God was at work. Some, of course, cavil at the coincidences, suggesting that they indicate a work of fiction, but life is in fact full of such coincidences, many more remarkable than fiction, so that that argument really does not hold. And as someone once said, ‘when I pray the coincidences start to happen, and when I cease praying the coincidences cease’.
Examples of such coincidences are,
1). That Queen Vashti insulted her husband the king with the consequence that the beautiful Jewess Esther replaced her in the king’s confidence at just the right time (4.14), thus enabling her to act as she did.
2). That Esther, an exceedingly beautiful Jewess, who was also loyal, true and modest, was in the right place at the right time.
3). That the king, because of being unable to sleep (6.1), learned about Mordecai’s patriotic act the very night before Haman was hoping to have him executed.
4). That Haman, having anticipated honors for himself, had to bestow those honors on Mordecai, and having built gallows for Mordecai, found that he was hung on it himself.
There is nothing in any of these coincidences which is intrinsically improbable once we accept the fact that God was at work.
The main purpose of the book lies precisely in the continuing emphasis in it of what we might call the hand of Providence, something which comes out so strongly in the book. The author clearly wants to bring out how the invisible God of the Jews, the Unseen, without coming into prominence, directs history in accordance with His will, even for the undeserving, because He has His hand upon them. This would seem to us the message that the author was trying to get over to his contemporaries in Persia despite their low religious state and their secular interests. And central to it is the fact that the sacred lot was cast against God’s people only for its effectiveness to be overturned. He thus wanted them, and us, to know that, as their history revealed, ‘Providence’ was watching over the affairs of God’s people, even when they had failed to return to the land that He had given them. He had not utterly forsaken them. But an important secondary lesson is that in order for Providence to succeed, those in a position to do so must be willing to act in the spirit of ‘if I perish, I perish’ (4.16), while in contrast God’s people must never abase themselves before the overweening arrogance of the world whatever might be the cost (3.2). About the latter we should note that, whatever we might feel about Mordecai’s attitude towards Haman, the author clearly shows no disapproval of it.
The reigning king of Persia at the time when the incidents in the book took place was Xerxes I. He was a cruel and vicious monarch, capable of extreme acts. When a storm prevented him from crossing the Hellespont he ordered that the Hellespont be whipped and chained, and the bridge builders slain. Furthermore, after his army had been hospitably entertained on its march on Greece by Pythius the rich Lydian who also offered to contribute an enormous sum towards defraying the expenses of the war, he was infuriated by the request of Pythius, that the eldest of his five sons who were in Xerxes’ army might be released, to be the comfort of his declining years. Therefore, Xerxes commanded that this son be hewn into two pieces, and the parts placed so that his army passed between them. He would later murder his own brother and his brother’s wife in very unpleasant circumstances.
When he came to the throne his first tasks were to complete the building of the palace in Susa begun by Darius his father, and to bring a rebellious Egypt back into subjugation. The subjugation of Egypt was completed in the second year of his reign, and on achieving that he turned his attention towards Greece, in order to further his late father’s ambitions, and in order to wipe out what he saw as their insult towards his father consequent on the defeat at Marathon, and in order to expand his empire even further. This would lead to a four-year campaign against Greece which, after early successes, including the taking of Athens, resulted in the decimation of the Persian fleet (thus hitting his supply lines) and the withdrawal of Xerxes, leaving his general Mardonius to face the final humiliating defeats.
The opening chapter of Esther speaks of events which took place at this time, that is, in the third year of his reign (1.3), and seemingly therefore refers to what took place before the Greek expedition, a gathering together of the king’s nobles and officers. Indeed, the gathering of the nobles and king’s officers may well have been with that campaign in view. It was this expedition which explains the gap in years between the deposing of Vashti, in the third year of his reign (1.3), and the rise of Esther in the seventh year of his reign (2.16). Whilst on expedition he satisfied himself with the attractions of an older, and possibly his first, wife, Amestris, the daughter of a Persian general, who had two grown up sons active in the campaign. We learn this from Herodotus. Like most kings of those days Xerxes would have had a few wives. But Amestris was never called ‘the queen of Persia’ by Herodotus.
The narrative commences by bringing out the splendor of Xerxes I, describing the extent of the territory over which he ruled, and the vastness of its administration.
1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia),
Ahasuerus ‘Reigned from India even to Cush (the Northern Sudan).’ ‘India’ (hoddu) covers an area included in what we know as Pakistan. It consists of that part of the Indus valley and plains east of the Afghan mountains which were incorporated into the Persian empire by Darius I. Cush was south of Egypt, and mainly covered the region of Northern Sudan, and possibly parts of Ethiopia. Xerxes thus reigned over a vast empire.
Under Darius I the empire was divided up into twenty satrapies, each of which was subdivided into several provinces. The number of satrapies constantly varied. There were currently 127 provinces, thus averaging 6 provinces per satrapy. This involved a large administrative burden.
2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel,
Xerxes was resigning from Susa (Shushan) which we know from external sources to have been the case. And it would be from there that he planned his operation against the Greeks. It was to be a huge enterprise. We can therefore understand why, after his initial planning which itself took years, he would gather there his nobles and principal officers who would have responsibility for planning and organizing the whole affair. And necessarily such people had to be royally entertained.
Susa was a winter residence of the kings of Persia and had formerly been the capital of the kingdom of Elam. It was the name of both the capital city and of the royal fortress that occupied a separate part of the city. It was there that Nehemiah would later approach Xerxes’ son, Artaxerxes, about the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1.1). Ecbatana (200 miles north of Susa) was their summer residence, and according to Herodotus was a Medan city. It was there that the decree of Cyrus was discovered by Darius (Ezra 6.2). Persepolis (‘Persian city’ - 300 miles southeast) was, however, Xerxes' main residence and the ceremonial capital of the empire. This stood 72 feet above the rest of the city. A wall two and a half miles long surrounded it.
This party was a preview to the Greek campaign comes out in that Xerxes ‘showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty’. In other words, he revealed his preparations for war and the wealth that would back it up, either to convince the doubters, or to encourage his supporters, or possibly because of his extreme vanity, and it took him 180 days in which to do it. All who would be involved in leading that enterprise would be gathered there, as would those required to give it their backing. Such a gathering of the aristocracy necessarily required continual feasting. This suggestion is confirmed by Herodotus’ statement that prior to the invasion of Greece Xerxes gathered together an assembly to consider the matter.
3 that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him—
Thus, in the third year of his reign (c.483 BC) the feasting and drinking began and to it were invited ‘his princes (or high officials) and his servants (courtiers), the power (military might) of Persia and Media, and the nobles and princes/high officials of the provinces. It was a gathering of all the greats. It should be noted, however, that it is not necessarily said that the feast lasted 180 days as a combined event. Probably not all would remain over the whole period. They had an empire to run. It was rather the review of what was available for the enterprise that took one hundred and eighty days, as plans were made and officers were appointed, who set about preparing. But those who did remain would continue to feast with the king. For the king would hold a feast in his palace every night at which guests were gathered.
The two nations ‘Persia and Media’ were allies, and initially the Medes had been in the ascendancy, but all that had changed with the victories of Cyrus the Great, and it was now Persia that took the lead.
4 when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.
The next one hundred and eighty days were spent in reviewing the wealth, armaments and preparations which were available for the Greek enterprise. It was necessary for the confidence of the leadership to be boosted. And it no doubt brought the king great satisfaction. The main aim was to bring out the excessive wealth, power and splendor of the king. The spiritual lesson was that with all his wealth and power Xerxes was unable to prevent God controlling what he did.
Xerxes would be at the head of a huge army and the provisioning and armaments that would be required would be enormous. He thus wanted his subjects to be aware of what was at his disposal.
5 And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.
Once all the preparations had been made, and all the plans brought to readiness, the king then made another great feast to which all the men resident in the fortress were invited, both great and small. This feast lasted for seven days in the open air and took place in the court which was found in the garden by the king’s pavilion. This pavilion would probably have been a colonnaded open structure which could catch any breezes that there were. The feast would last for seven days because that was the divinely perfect number throughout that part of the Near East. It would be seen as full and complete. It was probably in the nature of a celebration that the plans for their venture into Greece were finalized, which would explain the exclusion of the women. There would be an excess of drinking. It was not necessarily the usual Persian practice to exclude women from feasts. But this feast had a kind of military status.
6 There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble.
The description of the scene gives the impression, either of an eyewitness, or of someone who knew the palace very well. The hangings are attached to the marble pillars by means of cords of fine linen and bluey-purple.
7 And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king.
At the feast the wine flowed abundantly due to the king’s abundant generosity. And it was drunk from golden vessels, each being individually patterned.
8 In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had ordered all the officers of his household, that they should do according to each man’s pleasure.
And the king had given a specific order that all should drink as it pleased them. Normally guests would drink when the king drank, but the king had given instructions to his officials that at this feast this requirement be abated. Thus, drunkenness would abound even more than usual, with uncontrolled drinking, whilst those who wished to be more abstemious were free to be so.
9 Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.
At the same time as the king was giving his magnificent feast for the men of the citadel, Vashti the queen made a feast for the women. This too was held in the royal house. All resulted from the magnificence of King Ahasuerus. No one was overlooked, whether great or small. We may, however, see in this something of Vashti’s proud nature. The women being excluded from the main event, she puts on an event to rival it.
Vashti was clearly the king’s favorite wife. She was probably much younger than Amestris, who was the daughter of a Persian general, and who accompanied him on his expedition against the Greeks. By that time, of course, Vashti was in disgrace. But her beauty was clearly outstanding. She was the most precious of all the possession of Ahasuerus, which is why he wanted to show her off. We know nothing about her apart from what we are told in this narrative, but we can surmise that she was of noble birth, otherwise she would not have dared to do what she did, nor would she have escaped so lightly. She may well have been the daughter of one of the seven chief nobles, for Herodotus tells us that the king was expected to take his queen from such. On the other hand, Ahasuerus may simply have conveniently forgotten that requirement. The fact that she would know full well what she was doing suggests that her pride in her status and awareness of her own worth made her ready to defy the king when he called on her to attend before his drunken assembly and face its ribald comments. It is noteworthy that she was not put to death, but simply permanently excluded from fulfilling the duties of a wife to Ahasuerus (verse 19), something which the king later regretted when he returned from his expedition against the Greeks (2.1).
Having displayed all his wealth and military power, Ahasuerus, heavily influenced by his drinking, determined to show all present at his feast the beauty of his then chief wife, and he consequently sent a band of leading officials to conduct her to the feast, only to unexpectedly meet with a rebuff. Important and beautiful woman though she was, such insubordination by a woman to her husband, and especially to her king, was almost totally unknown, and the consequence of it was that she was made into a public example. This finally resulted in a decree going out that all wives must in future be in subjection to their husbands, a rather unnecessary decree, but one designed to counter the influence of Queen Vashti’s behavior.
10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold.
On the last day of the feast, the king, being drunk, commanded his seven chief officials, who were his close servants, to bring the Queen, Vashti, into his presence wearing the crown royal, so that he could show off her beauty to his guests. In his favor we should note that he sent her, as a solid and reliable escort, seven of the chief officials in the land, but he was certainly subjecting her to an indignity beyond anything that she had known before, and to which she took exception. The Queen, like all the king’s women, was used to being cosseted and protected, and kept away from the eyes of the people, except when at a private feast or when seated on a royal throne. Now she was to become a gazing stock to men of all ranks and conditions, and men in an extreme state of drunkenness at that.
The king’s desire was merely to show off her extreme beauty, because she was ‘fair to look on’. But her every instinct rebelled against such treatment. It suggests that she must have belonged to a powerful family. No other would have dared to so defy the king. There is no difficulty with the idea that Amestris was Ahasuerus’ first wife, but subsequently replaced as chief wife by someone younger and more beautiful and from an equally powerful family, only for Amestris to be restored for a period during the Greek expedition because of Vashti’s disgrace.
12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs; therefore, the king was furious, and his anger burned within him.
‘‘But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command.’ In terms of those days the words are almost unthinkable. The king’s word was absolute. They were brave men who even took back word to the king of her refusal. And yet Vashti refused. It could only have been either as the result of her total confidence that she could bend the king to her will. She had no doubt often done so. But this time it was different. She was publicly humiliating him. Or it may have been because she came from a proud and powerful family, and refused to be subjected to humiliation, preferring rather to die, or look to the protection of her family.
These words must be seen in the light of what has gone before. Here was king Ahasuerus, king of a vast domain ‘from India to Africa’, ruler over 127 provinces, revealing his glory and splendor in preparation for defeat of those who had insulted his father, and now put in his place by a woman. It was almost inconceivable.
The public humiliation was simply too much for the king, and he burned with anger, and ‘was filled with wrath’. How dared she thwart his will? He was beside himself with fury. Ahasuerus was a cruel and despotic king, with a quick and violent temper, and he was not used to having his will thwarted. Such a proud despot would not stand for any disobedience from his wife, however much he loved her, for he loved himself better, and she probably knew it, which makes her decision even braver. She clearly felt the position very deeply.
13 Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times (for this was the king’s manner toward all who knew law and justice, 14 those closest to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who had access to the king’s presence, and who ranked highest in the kingdom): 15 “What shall we do to Queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?”
These wise men are described as those “who knew the times,” were magi and astrologers, who advised in accord with what they could discover from the heavenly bodies.
A comment is included explaining why the king sought to the ‘wise men’. It was because it was his custom to consult with those who knew ‘law and the point may well be that they had means of knowing the diktats and judgments of the gods (they were astrologers and diviners). Among these wise men were the king seven close advisers. These were seven nobles, who were heads of Persia’s and Media’s aristocratic families.
15 “What shall we do to Queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?”
The question put to the wise men was as to what should be done ‘according to law’ with Queen Vashti for refusing to do the bidding of King Xerxes. The king wants it to be quite clear to all that he is not acting out of spite. He wants to act in a way that history would approve of. It is an open question as to what is meant by ‘according to law’. This is unlikely to signify laws laid down, for this was an unusual case. Surely never had a queen so openly challenged the king’s authority. It may indicate general precedent based on what has happened in the past. What did the wisdom of the past say? What conclusions could be drawn from the past? The whole of life was bound up with the will of the gods, which was why the age was so superstitious, and why Haman, eager to destroy the Jews, nevertheless delayed it because the portents were against him. If this was so we have a hint to the non-naming of God, in that the gods of Persia are also not mentioned but assumed.
16 And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: “Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
Memucan, one of the seven nobles, acted as spokesman for them all. They had no doubt had detailed discussions and would almost certainly have consulted with the gods by divination, before coming up with their answer. And so, he stood before the king and his advisers and declared their joint decision. Vashti had committed a great wrong, not only against the king, but, by her bad example, also against the princes and the whole of society. For what she had done would soon be spread abroad so that all would know throughout the provinces of Ahasuerus (Xerxes).
17 For the queen’s behavior will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come.’
They conjured up a dreadful picture of gossiping women, laughing in secret behind men’s backs, and viewing their husbands with contempt, as they contemplated the brashness of Queen Vashti, and her treatment of the king. The women would be saying to each other, “The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she did not come”. In their view, unless properly dealt with, this could only have led to wholesale anarchy within the family. Women would begin to get above themselves and feel that they could treat their husband’s desires lightly. It had to be stopped. This was probably most felt by the nobles who had highborn and proud wives who might well become difficult.
18 This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media will say to all the king’s officials that they have heard of the behavior of the queen. Thus, there will be excessive contempt and wrath.
The nobles shuddered as they considered the effect that it might have on their own wives. The very princesses of Persia and Media, having learned of the behavior of the queen, would conduct themselves in a similar manner, and begin to treat their husband’s with contempt. They were no doubt proud enough as it was. And as a result, there would be ‘much contempt and anger’. Life would become a battlefield. This may well suggest that their main fear arose from the domination of their own wives. Thus, the only solution was to make an open example of Queen Vashti.
19 If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she.
Their solution was the issue of a solemn decree, one as binding as ‘the laws of the Persians and the Medes’ declaring that ‘Vashti’ (note the lack of her title) should no more come before Ahasuerus, and that her royal estates be given to someone more deserving. Note that from now on Vashti is no longer called queen’. She is simply ‘Vashti’. She has become just another woman in the harem.
She had refused to come into the king’s presence. From henceforth she should be banished from it forever. As she belonged to the king’s harem this would of course mean that she could never bear children. No one else would be allowed to have her. The fact that she was not cruelly put to death is probably an indication that she was a royal daughter, and therefore enjoyed some level of protection. She remained a part of the harem but with no contact with the king. In fact, many in the harem would be similarly neglected. The prospects of each depended on the king’s favor. But for Vashti her being rejected was a certainty, for it was fixed by the laws of the Persians and the Medes.
20 When the king’s decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small.”
Memucan’s fond hope was that once the way that the king had dealt with Vashti was publicly made known throughout the empire, all wives would give honor to their husbands, and obey them, whether they were important people or unimportant. In his view Vashti had put forward a claim for woman’s freedom which had to be stifled at birth. It was of course the view of a man and a courtier. It is doubtful if what was in the edict would make so great an impression on most people. They would continue to behave as they had before. Its effect would mostly be felt among the highborn.
21 And the reply pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan.
The king and his nobles were, however, pleased with Memucan’s suggestion. They all felt the same. And so, the king acted in accordance with Memucan’s word.
22 Then he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province in its own script, and to every people in their own language, that each man should be master in his own house and speak in the language of his own people.
He accordingly sent letter to the governors of all the provinces, in the script that they used, and to all the peoples in their own language. He was determined that all would understand what had happened. Some have suggested that he need simply have used Aramaic, but he clearly wanted it properly understood by all, even those at the lowest level (compare also 3.14; 8.9). The translating may well have taken place in the provinces as the governors acted to make the king’s instructions clear. And the gist of his edict was that every man should bear rule in his own house and should be free to speak in his own language, that is, in the language of his people. This last phrase ties in with the fact that the edict was translated into the many languages in use in the empire. It suggests that this was something already on the king’s mind as something that he would allow. The Persian kings regularly encouraged local autonomy. It may well be that requests had been received by him from the provinces on the matter, and that he therefore incorporated his will into the present edict.
It may be that ‘should speak according to the language of his people’ is giving the man the right to insist that in his own house only the local language could be used so that there could be no question of a foreign wife introducing her foreign language into the household. The man’s customs and authority were to prevail. We can compare the distress caused by the foreign wives who taught their own children the language of Ashdod, rather than the Jewish language of their father (Nehemiah 13.23). The idea behind the edict was thus to bolster the authority of men over their womenfolk. In practice, apart from among the aristocracy, it would have had little practical effect. But it was the aristocrats, with their powerful wives, who were most concerned.
So, the chapter which began with a description of the greatness of Ahasuerus, closes with an indication of how cavalierly he could be treated by his wife, and how subsequently he acted in a fit of resentment to punish her (2.1 may suggest that he regretted his action later), to alleviate his anger. The appeal to the gods and to the law was a mere blind, as later events show. All knew that their decision had to please the king. The great king was seen to have feet of clay.
