A verse by verse commentary on Esther 10 dealing with the greatness of Mordecai in becoming second in rank next to king Xerxes.

1. ESTHER 10 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
The Greatness of Mordecai
1 King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the
empire, to its distant shores.
BAR ES, "A tribute - Perhaps an allusion to some fresh arrangement of the tribute
likely to have followed on the return of Xerxes from Greece.
Upon the isles of the sea - Cyprus, Aradus, the island of Tyre, Platea, etc.,
remained in the hands of the Persians after the victories of the Greeks, and may be the
“isles” here intended.
CLARKE, "Laid a tribute upon the land - On the one hundred and twenty-seven
provinces of which we have already heard.
The isles of the sea - Probably the isles of the Aegean sea, which were conquered by
Darius Hystaspes. Calmet supposes that this Hystaspes is the Ahasuerus of Esther.
GILL, "And the King Ahasuerus laid a tribute on the land, and upon the
isles of the sea. Which include all his dominions, both on the continent, and on the
sea, the Aegean sea; though Aben Ezra thinks it regards such as were not under his
government, but stood in fear of him, of whom he demanded tribute. If Ahasuerus was
Xerxes, perhaps his exchequer might be drained by his wars with the Grecians, which
put him upon this; though some understand this of his renewing the taxes and tribute,
which he remitted upon his marriage with Esther, Est_2:18.
HE RY, "I. How great and powerful king Ahasuerus was. He had a vast dominion,
both in the continent and among the islands, from which he raised a vast revenue.
Besides the usual customs which the kings of Persia exacted (Ezr_4:13), he laid an
additional tribute upon his subjects, to serve for some great occasion he had for money
(Est_10:1): The king laid a tribute. Happy is our island, that pays no tribute but what is
laid upon it by its representatives, and those of its own choosing, and is not squeezed or
oppressed by an arbitrary power, as some of the neighbouring nations are. Besides this
instance of the grandeur of Ahasuerus, many more might be given, that were acts of his
power and of his might. These however are not thought fit to be recorded here in the

2. sacred story, which is confined to the Jews, and relates the affairs of other nations only
as they fell in with their affairs; but they are written in the Persian chronicles (Est_
10:2), which are long since lost and buried in oblivion, while the sacred writings live, live
in honour, and will live till time shall be no more. When the kingdoms of men, monarchs
and monarchies, are destroyed, and their memorial has perished with them (Psa_9:6),
the kingdom of God among men, and the
JAMISO , "Est_10:1-3. Ahasuerus’ greatness, Mordecai’s advancement.
Ahasuerus laid a tribute — This passage being an appendix to the history, and
improperly separated from the preceding chapter, it might be that the occasion of
levying this new impost arose out of the commotions raised by Haman’s conspiracy.
Neither the nature nor the amount of the tax has been recorded; only it was not a local
tribute, but one exacted from all parts of his vast empire.
K&D 1-3, "And King Ahashverosh laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of
the sea. Est_10:2. And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the statement of
the greatness of Mordochai to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the
book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? The Chethiv ‫אחשׁרשׁ‬ is a clerical
error for ‫ּשׁ‬‫ר‬ֵ‫ו‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ֲ‫ה‬ፍ. The word ‫ס‬ ַ‫,מ‬ service, here stands for tribute. As the provinces of the
kingdom paid the imposts for the most part in natural produce, which they had reared
or obtained by the labour of their hands, their labour (agriculture, cattle-keeping, etc.)
was to a certain extent service rendered to the king. The matter of Est_10:1 seems
extraneous to the contents of our book, which has hitherto communicated only such
information concerning Ahashverosh as was necessary for the complete understanding
of the feast of Purim. “It seems” - remarks Bertheau - “as thou the historian had
intended to tell in some further particulars concerning the greatness of King
Ahashverosh, for the sake of giving his readers a more accurate notion of the influential
position and the agency of Mordochai, the hero of his book, who, according to Est_9:4,
waxed greater and greater; but then gave up his intention, and contented himself with
referring to the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia, which contained
information of both the power and might of Ahashverosh and the greatness of
Mordochai.” There is not, however, the slightest probability in such a conjecture. This
matter may be simply explained by the circumstance, that the author of this book was
using as an authority the book of the chronicles alluded to in Est_10:2, and is quite
analogous with the mode observed in the books of Kings and Chronicles by historians
both of Babylonian and post-Babylonian days, who quote from the documents they make
use of such events only as seem to them important with regard to the plan of their own
work, and then at the close of each reign refer to the documents themselves, in which
more may be found concerning the acts of the kings, at the same time frequently adding
supplementary information from these sources, - comp. e.g., 1Ki_14:30; 1Ki_15:7, 1Ki_
15:23, 1Ki_15:32; 1Ki_22:47-50; 2Ki_15:37; 2Ch_12:15, - with this difference only, that
in these instances the supplementary notices follow the mention of the documents, while
in the present book the notice precedes the citation. As, however, this book opened with
a description of the power and glory of King Ahashverosh, but yet only mentioned so
much concerning this ruler of 127 provinces as was connected with the history of the
Jews, its author, before referring to his authorities, gives at its close the information
contained in Est_10:1, from the book of the chronicles of the kingdom, in which
probably it was connected with a particular description of the power and greatness of
Ahashverosh, and probably of the wars in which he engaged, for the sake of briefly

3. intimating at the conclusion whence the king derived the means for keeping up the
splendour described at the commencement of the book. This book of the chronicles
contained accounts not only of the power and might of Ahashverosh, but also a ‫ה‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ ָ‫ר‬ ָ , a
plain statement or accurate representation of the greatness of Mordochai wherewith the
king had made him great, i.e., to which he had advanced him, and therefore of the
honours of the individual to whom the Jews were indebted for their preservation. On
this account is it referred to. For Mordochai was next to the king, i.e., prime minister of
the king (‫ה‬ֶ‫נ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫,מ‬ comp. 2Ch_28:7), and great among the Jews and acceptable to the
multitude of his brethren, i.e., he was also a great man among the Jews and was beloved
and esteemed by all his fellow-countrymen (on ‫צוּי‬ ָ‫,ר‬ comp. Deu_23:24), seeking the good
of his people and speaking peace to all his race. This description of Mordochai's position
with respect both to the king and his own people has, as expressive of an exalted frame
of mind, a rhetorical and poetic tinge. Hence it contains such expressions as ‫יו‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫א‬ ‫ּב‬‫ר‬, the
fulness of his brethren, ‫ּוב‬ ‫שׁ‬ ַ‫ר‬ ָ ; comp. Psa_122:9; Jer_38:4. On ‫ּום‬‫ל‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ‫ר‬ ֶ ִ , comp. Psa_
85:9; Psa_35:20; Psa_27:3. ‫ּו‬‫ע‬ ְ‫ר‬ַ‫ז‬ in parallelism with ‫ּו‬ ַ‫ע‬ is not the descendants of
Mordochai, or his people, but his race. Comp. on this signification of ‫ע‬ ַ‫ר‬ֶ‫,ז‬ 2Ki_11:1; Isa_
61:9. The meaning of the two last phrases is: Mordochai procured both by word and
deed the good and prosperity of his people. And this is the way in which honour and
fortune are attained, the way inculcated by the author of the 34th Psalm in Psa_34:13,
when teaching the fear of the Lord.
BE SO , ". King Ahasuerus, laid a tribute upon the land — That is, he laid a tax
upon every part of his dominions, both on the continent, and on the islands over
which his power extended. By the isles here mentioned are meant those in the
Æegean sea, conquered by Darius Hystaspes.
COFFMA , "A FI AL OTE O THE GREAT ESS OF MORDECAI
"And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea.
And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the full account of the greatness
of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of
the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was next
unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of
the brethren, seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed."
The purpose of the author in this very short chapter is that of stressing the greatness
of Mordecai, the key word being that, in all the world, no one was any greater than
Mordecai except the king. "Mordecai was next unto king Ahasuerus"! This
required a preliminary note on how great was Ahasuerus. He was the ruler of most
of the world as it was known then, from India to Ethiopia, with one hundred
twenty-seven provinces, and here is added a note that he laid tribute upon the land
and the isles of the sea. After the Grecian campaign, in which Xerxes suffered
defeat, his dominion over the isles of the sea was reduced, but still existed. "Cyprus
and Aradus were among the isles he still ruled."[1]

4. ot only was Mordecai next to king Ahasuerus, but his mighty deeds were written
in the book of the chronicles of the Medo-Persian empire, along with that of their
mighty kings. Incidentally, we have here the most conspicuous evidence that the
Medo-Persian Empire was never two empires, but only one; the record of all their
kings was in the same book!
"The author of Esther here emphasized the great power and wealth of Xerxes in
order to show the marvelous providence of God in elevating a despised Jew to a
position of honor and trust in such an empire."[2]
Many things we would like to know. For example, how long did Esther remain on
the throne as queen? How many years did Mordecai continue as Prime Minister?
"But Esther was not written to record the lives of emperors, queens, or prime
ministers, but to preserve the record of a great national deliverance of God's people,
a deliverance which would bring comfort and hope to millions of Jews through
millenniums of time."[3]
"Seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed" (Esther 10:3).
"The meaning of these two phrases is that Mordecai procured both by word and
deed the good and prosperity of his people. This is the way in which honor and
fortune are attained, the way indicated in the 34th Psalm (Psalms 34:13-15), when
teaching the fear of the Lord."[4]
Joyce Baldwin pointed out that, "These three verses are couched in thoroughly
Biblical terms. Zechariah 9:10 speaks of the Messiah that, `He shall speak peace to
the nations (Zechariah 9:10)'; and no earthly ruler could have done more than to
speak peace to his people."[5]
"Speaking peace to all his seed" (Esther 10:3). In all probability Mordecai was a
eunuch, and therefore we understand `his seed' here to be a reference to God's
Israel.
COKE, "Esther 10:1. Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, &c.— 1:e. He laid a
tax upon every part of his dominions, both on the continent and in the islands over
which his power extended. By the isles here mentioned, are meant those in the
AEgean sea conquered by Darius Hystaspes. See Usher's Chron. and Calmet, who
here goes on to comment on the remaining chapters of Esther, which may be found
in the Apocrypha; but the Hebrew text concludes as in our Bibles. He observes, after
Paul Lucas, that the tombs of Mordecai and Esther are still to be seen at Amadam,
in the synagogue of the Jews, who are much more numerous in that place than in
any other town in Persia.
REFLECTIO S.—We are here informed,
1. That Ahasuerus laid a general tribute on all his dominions. Either the tribute he
had remitted, chap. Esther 2:18 or if, as is supposed, this was Xerxes, his expensive
expeditions made it necessary to replenish his treasury. In arbitrary governments,
the king's will is law. Blessed be God for the secure enjoyment of liberty and

5. property!
2. The greatness of this mighty monarch was at large recorded in the chronicles or
records of his kingdom, where Mordecai's name also bore a distinguished place, and
reflected honour upon the master to whom he owed his advancement.
3. Mordecai, good as he was great, endeared himself by every act of kindness and
favour to his countrymen. His honours had not changed his manners; he was
courteous and kind to all his brethren, and his desire to serve them seemed but to
increase with his ability. Universally respected and beloved, his greatness caused no
envy; while the multitude of his brethren were deeply sensible that for all their
happiness and prosperity they were indebted to his kindness and protection under
God. ote; He is truly great, whose power and dignity are employed for the public
good.
We have now finished our comment on the historical books of the Old Testament.
Of the period of history from the return of the Jews out of Babylon to the birth of
our Saviour, having no inspired writings, the reader must endeavour to gain a
knowledge from such apocryphal and profane historians as are extant. See 2
Chronicles 36. In some measure however to supply the deficiency, we here subjoin,
from Dr. Taylor's Scripture Divinity, a brief account of the state of the Jews and of
other nations from this period to the time when our Lord came into the world.
"After the Babylonish captivity," says he, "the Jews no more lapsed into idolatry,
but remained steady in the acknowledgment and worship of the one living and true
God. Even then they fell into new ways of perverting religion, and the wise and holy
intentions of the divine law. I. By laying all the stress on the external and less
momentous parts of it, while they neglected the weighty and substantial, true
holiness of heart and life. Mankind are too easily drawn into this error. While they
retain a sense of religion, they are too apt to listen to any methods by which it may
be reduced to a consistency with the gratification of their passions, pride, and
avarice. Thus, by placing religion in mere profession, or in the zealous observance of
rites and ceremonies, instead of real piety, truth, purity, and goodness, they learn to
be religious without virtue. II. By speculating and commenting upon the divine
commands and institutions, till their force is quite enervated, and they are refined
into a sense that will commodiously allow a slight regard instead of sincere
obedience. III. By confirming and establishing the two former methods of
corrupting religion, by tradition and the authority of learned rabbis; pretending,
that there was a system of religious rules delivered by word of mouth from Moses,
explanatory of the written law, known only to those rabbis; to whose judgment,
therefore, and decision, all the people were to submit."
"This, in time, the space of 219 years, became the general state of religion among the
Jews, after they had discarded idolatry. And this spirit prevailed among them for
some ages, (290 years) before the coming of the Messiah. But, however, it did not
interfere with the main system of Providence, or the introducing the knowledge of
God among the nations, as they still continued steadfast in the worship of the true

6. God, without danger of deviating from it. Besides, they were now, much more than
formerly, exercised in reading, thinking, and reasoning, and were more capable, of
themselves, of judging what was right, Luke 12:57. And several of them did so
judge. Some of them were truly religious and virtuous; and all of them had strong
expectation of the Messiah about the time of his appearance; and were sufficiently
qualified to judge of religious matters, and of the evidences of his mission. Thus the
Jews were prepared by the preceding dispensation for the reception of the Messiah,
and the just notions of religion which he was sent to inculcate; insomuch that their
guilt must be highly aggravated, if they rejected him and his instructions. It could
not be for want of capacity, but of integrity, and must be assigned to wilful
blindness and obduracy. Out of regard to temporal power, grandeur, and
enjoyments, they loved darkness rather than light."
"In the mean time, the pagan nations had made great openings in wisdom and
virtue. Those arts that began in Greece, had travelled into other lands; learning had
got footing among the illiterate; and humanity and social affections among the
barbarous; and many good and useful books, useful even to this day among
christians, were written in ethics for the right conduct of life. The light of nature
was carried high; or rather, the darkness of it was much enlightened. Such was, at
length, the state of the Gentiles, God having still been pleased, from time to time, to
raise up among them persons uncommonly endowed, for their instruction, and to fit
them for the day when he should more explicitly reveal himself and his sacred will
to them."
"For many ages the Jews had been well known in the eastern empires, among the
Assyrians, Chaldeans, Medes, and Persians; but, till the time of Alexander the
Great, they had no communication with the Grecians. About the year before Christ
332, Alexander built Alexandria in Egypt; and, to people his new city, removed
thither many of the Jews, allowing them the use of their own laws and religion, and
the same liberties with the Macedonians themselves. The Macedonians, who spake
the Greek language, and other Greeks, were the principal inhabitants of Alexandria.
From them the Jews learned to speak Greek, which was the common language of the
city, and which soon became the native language of the Jews that lived there; who,
on that account, were called Hellenists, or Greek-Jews, mentioned Acts 6:1-9; Acts
11:20. These Greek-Jews had synagogues in Alexandria; and for their benefit the
five books of Moses, which alone, at first, were publicly read, were translated into
Greek, (by whom is uncertain) and read in their synagogues every sabbath-day. And
in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, about 168 years before Christ, when the
prophets also began to be read in the synagogues of Judea, the prophets also were
translated into Greek for the use of the Alexandrian Jews. This translation
contributed much to the spreading of the knowledge of true religion among the
nations in the western parts of the world."
"For the Jews, their synagogues and worship were, after Alexander's death,
dispersed almost every where among the nations. Ptolemy, one of Alexander's
successors, having reduced Jerusalem and all Judea, about 320 years before Christ,
carried 100,000 Jews into Egypt, and there raised considerable numbers of them to

7. places of trust and power; and several of them he placed in Cyrene and Lybia.
Seleucus, another of Alexander's successors, about 300 years before Christ, built
Antioch in Cilicia, and many other cities, in all thirty-five, and some of them capital
cities in the greater and lesser Asia; in all which he planted the Jews, giving them
equal privileges and immunities with the Greeks and Macedonians; especially at
Antioch in Syria, where they settled in great numbers, and became almost as
considerable a part of that city, as they were at Alexandria. See Dr. Prideaux's Con.
Anno 293. Ptotemy Soter 12. On that memorable day of Pentecost, Acts 2:5; Acts
2:9; Acts 2:11-12 were assembled in Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, out of every
nation under heaven; namely, Parthians, Medes, and Persians, of the province of
Elymais, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia,
Pamphylia, Egypt, Cyrene in Lybia, and Rome, Cretes, and Arabs, who were all
either natural Jews, or devout men, 1:e. proselytes to the Jewish religion. And in
every city of the Roman empire, where Paul preached, he found a body of his
countrymen, the Jews; except in Athens, which was at that time, I suppose, a town
of no considerable trade: which shews that the Jews and their synagogues, at the
time of our Lord's appearance, were providentially scattered over all the Roman
empire; and had in every place introduced, more or less, among the nations, the
knowledge and worship of God; and so had prepared great numbers for the
reception of the gospel."
"About the time that Alexander built Alexandria in Egypt, the use of the Papyrus,
for writing, was first found out in that country. Dr. Prideaux's Con. Anno 332.
Darius, 4: p. 706 vol. 2: This invention was so favourable to literature, that Ptolemy
Soter, one of Alexander's successors, was thereby enabled to erect a museum, or
library; which by his son and successor Philadelphus, who died 247 years before
Christ, was augmented to 100,000 volumes; and by succeeding Ptolemies to 700,000.
Part of this library, which was placed in a separate building from the other part,
happened to be burnt when Julius Caesar laid siege to Alexandria; but after that
loss, it was again much augmented, and soon grew up to be larger, and of more
eminent note, than the former; and so it continued for many ages to be of great fame
and use in those parts, till at length it was burnt and finally destroyed by the
Saracens, in the year of our Lord 642. Dr. Prideaux's Con. vol. 3: p. 21, &c. anno
284. This plainly proves how much the invention of turning the Papyrus into paper,
contributed to the increase of books, and the advancement of learning, for some
ages before the coming of our Lord. For doubtless, by this means, private hands
would also more easily be supplied with books than before."
"Add to all this, that the world, after many changes and revolutions, was, by God's
all-ruling wisdom, thrown into that form of civil affairs which best suited with the
great intended alteration. The many petty states and tyrannies, whose passions and
bigotry might have run counter to the schemes of Providence, were all swallowed up
in one great power, the Romans; to which all appeals lay; the seat of which, Rome,
lay at a great distance from Jerusalem, the spring from whence the gospel was to
arise, and flow to all nations. And therefore, as no material obstruction to the gospel
could arise, but from that one quarter, none could suddenly arise from thence, but
only in process of time, when the gospel was sufficiently spread and established, as it

8. did not in the least interfere with the Roman polity or government. The gospel was
first published in a time of general peace and tranquility throughout the whole
world, which gave the preachers of it an opportunity of passing freely from one
country to another, and the minds of men the advantage of attending calmly to it.
Many savage nations were civilized by the Romans, and acquainted with the arts
and virtues of their conquerors."
"Thus the darkest countries had their thoughts awakened, and were growing to a
capacity of receiving, at the stated time, the knowledge of true religion. So that all
things and circumstances conspired now with the views of heaven, and made this
apparently the fulness of time, (Galatians 4:4.) or the fittest juncture for God to
reveal himself to the Gentiles, and to put an end to idolatry throughout the earth.
ow the minds of men were generally ripe for a purer and brighter dispensation,
and the circumstances of the world were such as favoured the success and progress
of it."
CO STABLE, "V. MORDECAI"S GREAT ESS CH10
Perhaps the writer mentioned Ahasuerus" tax ( Esther 10:1) because Mordecai had
something to do with it, or perhaps this tax reflects God"s blessing on the king for
preserving the Jews ( Genesis 12:3).
Appeal to the official chronicles ( Esther 10:2) claimed historicity for the events
recorded in Esther (cf. 1 Kings 14:19; et al.). These documents are not available to
us today. They may have been Persian [ ote: Moore, p99.] or Jewish [ ote:
Baldwin, p115.] archives.
Mordecai was one of several biblical characters whom God elevated to a position of
high government rank (cf. Joseph, Daniel , and ehemiah). Scholars have long
compared the stories of Esther and Joseph because the settings of both are in
countries other than Israel, as well as because of other similarities. [ ote: See ibid,
p25 , n1 , for a list of such studies.] He used his position of influence to benefit his
people ( Esther 10:3). However, there is no evidence that either Mordecai or Esther
had any desire to return to Jerusalem and become part of God"s theocratic
program there. o one prevented them from doing so either, before Esther became
queen (cf. ehemiah 2:5).
ELLICOTT, "(1) Laid a tribute.—The disastrous expedition to Greece must have
taxed the resources of the empire to the utmost, and fresh tribute would therefore be
requisite to fill the exhausted coffers. Besides this, a harassing war was still going
on, even ten years after the battle of Salamis, on the coast of Asia Minor, and this
would require fresh supplies.
The isles of the sea.—The chief island yet remaining to the Persian Empire was
Cyprus. Those in the Ægean Sea were now free from Persian rule, but possibly,
even after the loss, the old phrase may have been retained; just as in modern times
we have Kings of “England, France, and Ireland,” and of “the two Sicilies, and

9. Jerusalem” &c.
PULPIT, "CO CLUSIO .—THE GREAT ESS OF AHASUERUS, A D OF
MORDECAI U DER HIM (Esther 10:1-3.). The Book of Esther might have been
expected to terminate with the institution of the Purim feast. All that has gone
before is subordinate to this, and the reader would be satisfied, and require no
more, if the book stopped at the end of Esther 9:1-32. But the writer, perhaps from
personal attachment to Mordecai, perhaps from mere patriotic pride in him, cannot
bring himself to lay down the pen until he has put on record the full greatness of his
hero, and the strength and support that he was to the Jews of his day. He has
already told us that "this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater" (Esther 9:4).
He now expands this statement. The essence of Mordecai's greatness consisted in his
being "next unto king Ahasuerus" (Esther 9:3), his chief minister and alter ego.
Thus the greatness of Ahasuerus is involved in his. So the chapter commences with a
few words of Ahasuerus' greatness. It has already been noticed more than once
(Esther 1:1; Esther 8:9) that he "ruled from India to Ethiopia, over an hundred and
twenty-seven provinces." It is now added that he "laid a tribute upon the land, and
upon the isles of the sea" (ver 1). This mention of "laying a tribute' was the chief
reason why in former days so many writers, including Hooker, identified the
Ahasuerus of this book with Darius, the son of Hystaspes. But it is not necessary to
suppose that the first laying of a tribute on the provinces of the Persian empire is
here intended; and Xerxes, after the Grecian expedition, which seriously altered the
bounds of his dominions, may well have made a new assessment, in which the
islands of the AEgean, or some of them, and certain other maritime tracts, were
included. For the rest of Ahasuerus' "power and his might," the writer is content to
refer his readers to "the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia"
(Esther 9:2), which contained also an account of "the greatness of Mordecai,
whereto the king advanced him." This greatness forms the sole subject of the
concluding verse, which declares Mordecai's position—
Esther 10:1
King Ahasuerus laid a tribute on the land. Darius, the son of Hystaspes, was the
first to do this (Herod; 3.89); but, as the tribute had to be rearranged from time to
time (ibid; 6.42), any subsequent Persian monarch who made a fresh arrangement
might be said to "lay a tribute on the land." Xerxes is not unlikely to have done so
after his return from Greece, as he had lost portions of his territories. And on the
islands of the sea. The Hebrew expression translated by "islands of the sea" includes
maritime tracts. Xerxes by the Greek expedition lost the islands of the AEgean, but
still held certain tracts upon the coast of Europe, which were occupied for a
considerable time by Persian garrisons. These would necessarily be included in any
assessment that he may have made, and it is even not unlikely that Xerxes would lay
his assessment on the AEgean islands, though he might not be able to collect it.

10. 2 And all his acts of power and might, together
with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai,
whom the king had promoted, are they not
written in the book of the annals of the kings of
Media and Persia?
BAR ES, "Power and ... might - In the later years of Xerxes his “power and
might” were chiefly shown in the erection of magnificent buildings, more especially at
Persepolis. He abstained from military expeditions.
Kings of Media and Persia - Media takes precedence of Persia because the
kingdom of Media had preceded that of Persia, and in the “book of the Chronicles” its
history came first.
CLARKE, "The book of the chronicles of Media and Persia? - The Persians
have ever been remarkable for keeping exact chronicles of all public events. Their
Tareekhs, which are compositions of this kind, are still very numerous, and indeed very
important.
GILL, "And all the acts of his power, and of his might,.... As Xerxes was a very
mighty and powerful prince:
and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king
advanced him; the history of that, and which tended not a little to the greatness,
dignity and prosperity of the king himself, and his whole kingdom:
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and
Persia? to which the reader is referred by the writer of this book, the which were in
being in his times, but now lost: had they been preserved, they might have been of great
use to lead into the history of the Medes and Persians, which for want of them is very
dark and intricate; the writer of this book having nothing further to do with it, than as it
related to the affairs of the Jews.
JAMISO , "the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai — The experience of
this pious and excellent Jew verified the statement, “he that humbleth himself shall be
exalted” [Mat_23:12; Luk_14:11; Luk_18:14]. From sitting contentedly at the king’s gate,
he was raised to the dignity of highest subject, the powerful ruler of the kingdom. Acting
uniformly on the great principles of truth and righteousness, his greatness rested on a

11. firm foundation. His faith was openly avowed, and his influence as a professor of the
true religion was of the greatest usefulness for promoting the welfare of the Jewish
people, as well as for advancing the glory of God.
BE SO , "Verse 2
Esther 10:2. All the acts of his power, and of his might, and of the greatness of
Mordecai — These words signify, that as this king did great things, so they were to
be ascribed very much to the management of Mordecai after he was advanced to the
highest authority in the kingdom. But it was not the design of the author of this
history to relate such things, for which he refers to the public records of the
kingdom, which were kept in some part of the king’s house, as appears from Esther
6:1, and were extant in those days, when this book was written. But they are lost
long since, and buried in oblivion, while the sacred writings remain throughout the
world. When the kingdoms of men, monarchs and their monarchies, are destroyed,
and their memorial is perished with them, the kingdom of God among men, and the
records of that kingdom, shall remain as the days of heaven.
PULPIT, "All the acts of his power and of his might. These are unknown to us.
After the failure of the Grecian expedition Xerxes attempted nothing further on that
side of his empire, and the Greeks consequently record nothing more concerning
him. He may have made expeditions in other directions. But the chief evidences that
we have of his activity point to his having sought to gratify his ambition and give
vent to his .grand ideas by erecting magnificent buildings. The book of the
chronicles. See Esther 2:23; Esther 6:1; Esther 9:32. The kings of Media and Persia.
It is indicative of the intimate connection of the two Iranian empires that one
"book" contained the records of both. The fact of the connection is fully established
by profane history. Its exact nature is not perhaps even yet fully understood.
"Media" seems to be placed before "Persia" in this place on chronological grounds,
because the Median history preceded the Persian history, and was therefore
recorded first in the "book."
3 Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King
Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in
high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he
worked for the good of his people and spoke up
for the welfare of all the Jews.

12. BAR ES, "Mordecai ... was next unto king Ahasuerus - See Est_2:5 note.
Artabanus (Est_1:14 note) was favorite toward the end of Xerxes’ reign, i. e. in his 20th
and 21st years.
CLARKE, "Was next unto king Ahasuerus - He was his prime minister; and,
under him, was the governor of the whole empire.
The Targum is extravagant in its encomiums upon Mordecai: “All the kings of the
earth feared and trembled before him: he was as resplendent as the evening star among
the stars; and was as bright as Aurora beaming forth in the morning; and he was chief of
the kings.”
Seeking the wealth of his people - Studying to promote the Jewish interest to the
utmost of his power.
Speaking peace to all his seed - Endeavoring to settle their prosperity upon such a
basis, that it might be for ever permanent. Here the Hebrew text ends; but in the ancient
Vulgate, and in the Greek, ten verses are added to this chapter, and six whole chapters
besides, so that the number of chapters in Esther amounts to sixteen. A translation of
these may be found in the Apocrypha, bound up with the sacred text, in most of our
larger English Bibles. On any part of this work it is not my province to add any comment.
This is the last of the historical books of the Old Testament, for from this time to the
birth of Christ they had no inspired writers; and the interval of their history must be
sought among the apocryphal writers and other historians who have written on Jewish
affairs. The most complete supplement to this history will be found in that most
excellent work of Dean Prideaux, entitled The Old and New Testaments connected, in
the History of the Jews and Neighbouring Nations, from the Declension of the Kingdoms
of Israel and Judah to the time of Christ, 4 vols. 8vo. 1725. The editions prior to this date
are not so complete.
We have already seen what the Feast of Purim means, and why it was instituted; if the
reader is desirous of farther information on this subject, he may find it in the works of
Buxtorf, Leusden, Stehlin, and Calmet’s Dictionary, article Pur.
GILL, "For Mordecai the Jew was next unto Ahasuerus,.... The second man in
the kingdom, the principal of the counsellors, and prime minister of state:
and great among the Jews; highly respected by them, in great honour and esteem
with them, for which there was great reason:
and accepted of the multitude of his brethren; or of many, of most, of the
greatest part of them; for, let a man be ever so deserving, there are some that will envy
his greatness, cavil at everything done by him, and speak evil of him without any just
reason:

13. seeking the wealth of his people; their good, their welfare and happiness, temporal
and spiritual:
and speaking peace to all his seed; not only to his family, but to all the Jews who
were of the same seed with him, the seed of Abraham; either speaking to them in an
humble and condescending manner, being very humane, affable, and courteous; or
speaking for them to the king, asking of him for them what might conduce to their peace,
prosperity, and happiness. No mention is made in this history of the death and burial
either of Mordecai or Esther; but the author of Cippi Hebraici says (z), that Mordecai
was buried in the city of Shushan, and that all the Jews in those parts assemble at his
grave on the day of Purim, and sing songs, playing on tabrets and pipes, rejoicing that
there was a miracle wrought; and the same writer says (a), they do the like at that time at
the grave of Esther, half a mile from Tzephat, read this book that bears her name, eat,
drink, and rejoice. Benjamin of Tudela says (b), they were both buried before a
synagogue, at a place called Hamdan.
HE RY, "How great and good Mordecai was.
1. He was great; and it does one good to see virtue and piety thus in honour. (1.) He
was great with the king, next to him, as one he most delighted and confided in. Long had
Mordecai sat contentedly in the king's gate, and now at length he is advanced to the head
of his council-board. Men of merit may for a time seem buried alive; but often, by some
means or other, they are discovered and preferred at last. The declaration of the
greatness to which the king advanced Mordecai was written in the chronicles of the
kingdom, as very memorable, and contributing to the great achievements of the king. He
never did such acts of power as he did when Mordecai was his right hand. (2.) He was
great among the Jews (Est_10:3), not only great above them, more honourable than any
of them, but great with them, dear to them, familiar with them, and much respected by
them. So far were they from envying his preferment that they rejoiced in it, and added to
it by giving him a commanding interest among them and submitting all their affairs to
his direction.
2. He was good, very good, for he did good. This goodness made him truly great, and
then his greatness gave him an opportunity of doing so much the more good. When the
king advanced him, (1.) He did not disown his people the Jews, nor was he ashamed of
his relation to them, though they were strangers and captives, dispersed and despised.
Still he wrote himself Mordecai the Jew, and therefore no doubt adhered to the Jews'
religion, by the observances of which he distinguished himself, and yet it was no
hindrance to his preferment, nor looked upon as a blemish to him. (2.) He did not seek
his own wealth, or the raising of an estate for himself and his family, which is the chief
thing most aim at when they get into great places at court; but he consulted the welfare
of his people, and made it his business to advance that. His power, his wealth, and all his
interest in the king and queen, he improved for the public good. (3.) He not only did
good, but he did it in a humble condescending way, was easy of access, courteous and
affable in his behaviour, and spoke peace to all that made their application to him. Doing
good works is the best and chief thing expected from those that have wealth and power;
but giving good words is also commendable, and makes the good deed the more
acceptable. (4.) He did not side with any one party of his people against another, nor
make some his favourites, while the rest were neglected and crushed; but, whatever
differences there were among them, he was a common father to them all, recommended
himself to the multitude of his brethren, not despising the crowd, and spoke peace to all

14. their seed, without distinction. Thus making himself acceptable by humility and
beneficence, he was universally accepted, and gained the good word of all his brethren.
Thanks be to God, such a government as this we are blessed with, which seeks the
welfare of our people, speaking peace to all their seed. God continue it long, very long,
and grant us, under the happy protection and influence of it, to live quiet and peaceable
lives, in godliness, honesty, and charity!
JAMISO , "For Mordecai ... was next unto King Ahasuerus ... great among
the Jews, etc. — The elevation of this pious and patriotic Jew to the possession of the
highest official power was of very great importance to the suffering church at that
period; for it enabled him, who all along possessed the disposition, now to direct the
royal influence and authority in promoting the interests and extending the privileges of
his exiled countrymen. Viewed in this light, the providence of God is plainly traceable in
all the steps that led to his unexpected advancement. This providential interposition is
all the more remarkable, that, as in the analogous case of Joseph, it was displayed in
making the ordinary and natural course of things lead to the most marvelous results. To
use the pious words of an eminent prelate, “though in the whole of this episode there
was no extraordinary manifestation of God’s power, no particular cause or agent that
was in its working advanced above the ordinary pitch of nature, yet the contrivance, and
suiting these ordinary agents appointed by God, is in itself more admirable than if the
same end had been effected by means that were truly miraculous.” The sudden
advancement of individuals from obscurity and neglect to the highest stations of power
and influence is, in Eastern courts, no extraordinary nor infrequent occurrence. The
caprice, the weak partiality of the reigning sovereign, or, it may be, his penetrating
discernment in discovering latent energy and talent, has often “raised the beggar from
the dunghill, and set him among princes” [1Sa_2:8]. Some of the all-powerful viziers in
modern Persia, and not a few of the beys in Egypt, have been elevated to their respective
dignities in this manner. And, therefore, the advancement of “Mordecai, who was next
unto Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews,” was in perfect accordance with the rapid
revolution of “the wheel of fortune” in that part of the world. But, considering all the
circumstances of Mordecai’s advancement, not only his gaining the favor of the king, but
his being “accepted of the multitude of his brethren, it was beyond all controversy the
doing of the Lord, and was truly marvelous in his people’s eyes.”
accepted of the multitude of his brethren — Far from being envious of his
grandeur, they blessed God for the elevation to official power of so good a man.
speaking peace to all his seed — While his administration was conducted with a
mild and impartial hand, he showed a peculiarly warm and friendly feeling to all his
countrymen when asked his counsel or his aid.
BE SO , "Esther 10:3. Mordecai the Jew was next unto King Ahasuerus — Long
had he sat contentedly at the king’s gate, but now at length he is arrived at the
presidency of the king’s council. Men of merit may, for a time, seem buried alive;
but often, by some means or other, they are discovered and preferred at last. And
great among the Jews — ot only great above them, and more honourable than any
of them, but great with them, and dear to them, which they manifested by giving
him a commanding interest among them, and submitting all their affairs to his
direction; and accepted of his brethren — His greatness did not make him forget or
disown his brethren, nor was he ashamed of his relation to them, though they were

15. strangers and captives, dispersed and despised. And they did not envy his greatness,
according to the disposition very prevalent among mankind in such cases, but
rejoiced in it, and blessed God for it, and commended and loved him for the right
and proper exercise of his great power. Seeking the wealth of his people — He did
not seek his own wealth, and the raising of an estate for himself and his family,
which is the chief thing most men aim at when they get into great places at court;
but he consulted the welfare of his people, and made it his business to advance that.
His power, his wealth, and all his interest with the king and queen, he improved for
the public good. And speaking peace to all his seed — He was easy of access,
courteous and affable, condescending and kind in his carriage, and ready, to the
uttermost of his power, to assist all that made application to him. Doing good works
is the best and chief thing expected from those that have wealth and power, but
giving good words is also commendable, and makes the good deeds the more
acceptable. It is said, to all his seed, probably to signify that he did not side with any
one party of his people against another, nor make some of them his favourites, while
the rest were neglected and crushed; but whatever differences there were among
them, he was a common father to them all, and spoke peace to them all without
distinction. Thus making himself acceptable by humility and beneficence, he was
universally accepted, and gained the good-will of all his brethren.
Thus have we gone through all the historical books of the Old Testament. If our
readers have received any edification from our endeavours to illustrate the Divine
Oracles, and have been thereby assisted to read them with more pleasure and profit
than formerly, we beseech them to give all the praise to the Father of lights, from
whom every good and perfect gift cometh, and especially all true understanding,
and knowledge of his word: and to entreat him to afford us the continuance and
increase of his gracious assistance in the further prosecution of our work, especially
as we are to enter next on the more sublime and spiritual parts of the sacred
writings.
ELLICOTT, "(3) Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus.—We have seen
that the events recorded in this book carry us to the year 470 B.C., at which time
Mordecai was at the zenith of his greatness. How long he kept it, whether death or
disgrace brought it to a close, and if the latter, from what cause, we cannot say. All
we know is, that near the end of Xerxes’ reign his favourite and chief adviser was
Artabanus, the captain of the guard, by whom he was murdered in B.C. 464. The
last we hear of Mordecai, whatever was his afterfate, is that he was loyal to his
people, and approved himself their benefactor, “seeking the wealth (i.e., weal—
literally, good), and speaking peace to all his seed,” all of the stock of Israel.
PARKER, "A wonderful book is this book of Esther! We are told that the name of
God does not once occur in it. How fond people are of counting times in which
names appear! Observe, it is the name of God that is not in it: God himself is in
every line of it. This distinction should be carefully marked by all men who are
verbal statisticians, who take note of how many times the name of Christ appears in
a sermon. The name of Christ may never be mentioned, and yet Christ may be in the
sermon from end to end, the inspiration of its power, the secret of its pathos, the

16. charm of its earnestness. It is but frivolous work to be counting the number of times
in which the name of God occurs in this book or that, or the name of Christ occurs
in this sermon or in that: is the Spirit Divine there? Is the thought from eternity or
from time? Is it a mighty rushing sound from heaven, or is it but a whirlwind
carrying nothing with it but thick dust? Men can answer the question well. There is
a spirit in Prayer of Manasseh , and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him
understanding If God be for us, who can be against us?
"Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and
accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and
speaking peace to all his seed" ( Esther 10:3).
What narrow escapes we have in life! How near being hanged was even Mordecai
one night! Who can tell what will happen tomorrow? Blessed is that servant who
when his Lord cometh shall be found waiting. The faithful servant shall be called up
into friendship and honour and coronation. You are in great straits to-day—to-
morrow you may have great riches. "Hope springs eternal in the human breast."
There is a sentimental hope which is never to be trusted; there is a hope which is the
blossom of righteousness or the music of reason. Every Christian has the spirit of
hope given to him as part of his divine estate: quench not the Spirit. We are not
delivered in order that we may crush our enemies; we are not Christians in order
that we may slay the heathen; we have not been adopted into God"s family that we
may go out with a naked sword to cut down every infidel, sceptic, atheist, and
unbeliever: we are saved that we may save; we have this honour given to us that we
may call others to the same great joy. Let us, if we are delivered men—let us, if we
are saved from peril, strait, and sore extremity—let us show our gratitude by our
benevolence.
So we part with the brilliant queen, in some respects the Lady Macbeth of her day.
The oldest blood of history warmed her veins, and the light of generations of heroes
shone in her glorious eyes. She was developed by circumstances. ow she is timid,
calculating, half afraid, half ashamed: her courage comes and goes like the blood-
tide on fair cheeks, and anon she is as an unquenchable fire. How carefully she laid
her finger on the king"s pulse! How well she kept the neck of Haman within reach
of her crushing heel! She saw wonders, too, in her dreams! Countless hosts of
murdered Jews; women begging for pity, and so doubling the very agony they
hoped to abate; children speared, and hurled into depths like refuse too vile to waste
fire upon: then Mordecai, grey with grief, bowed down with sorrow"s invisible
burden, and sad with woe never to be all known;—his quivering old life now
yielding to despair, and now rising to an impossible hope,—herself, killed, and
buried amid oaths and jeers—and Haman, his breast a hell, rejoicing with infernal
joy as the last Jew gasped and died. Then the dream changed: a king was
approached, interested, mollified; a fair woman grasped a moral sceptre, addressed
a heart-speech to a willing ear, transfixed with eloquent finger the prince of villains,
and on a morning cool and bright the enemy who plotted the murder of others
swung from a gallows fifty cubits high! Thus life hints itself in dreams. Thus in the
night we see outlines invisible in the glare of day. Thus, and thus, and thus, the great

17. Spirit comes to establish his infinite purpose. We do not strain the moral of the story
by calling for an Esther to stand up in modest courage in the presence of devastating
forces—drunkenness, lust, selfishness, oppression, slavery, and all wrong. The
Woman must deliver us. She knows the availing method: her tongue is the
instrument of eloquence; her eyes see the path that lies through all the darkness; she
can mark the time, estimate the forces that are foremost, and strike violently
without violence, and mightily without exaggeration. We want no dramatic attitude,
no public display, no vaunting ostentation or self-assertion;—we want the might of
light, the stratagem of love, the courage of faith, the word of deliverance. Are not
women themselves beaten, starved, dishonoured? Are not children cast out,
neglected, left to die? Are not lies triumphant, are not honour and truth thrown
down in the streets? The true propriety is to be unselfishly sincere, high-minded,
fearless,—O that women would take up the sad world"s cause and live and die for
Christ. When did Jesus discourage the ministry of women? When did he order them
home with gruff disdain? Did he not need them all, and make them rich with his
blessing?
PULPIT, " ext unto king Ahasuerus. Compare Genesis 41:40; Daniel 5:7; Daniel
6:3. Profane history neither confirms this nor contradicts it. We know almost
nothing of Xerxes from profane sources after his return to Susa in B.C. 479.
Accepted of. Or, "beloved by." The wealth of his people. i.e. their welfare. Speaking
peace to all his seed. It is generally allowed that by "his seed", we must understand
those of the same stock with himself—"the seed of Israel." "Speaking peace" to
them seems to mean "promoting their peace and safety"—insuring them, so long as
he lived and ruled, a quiet and peaceful existence.