verus f writes; but rather, as the former Targum,
lifting up her eyes to heaven, and perhaps putting up
a secret ejaculation for direction and success: if I
have found fayour in thy sight, 0 king; as she cer-
tainly had heretofore, and even now: and if it please
the king, let' my life be given me at my petition; not
riches, nor honour, nor any place or post at court, or
in any of the king's dominions for any friend of her's,
was her petition; but for her own life, that that
might not be taken away, which was included in the
grant the king had made to Haman, though ignorant-
ly, to slay all the Jews, she being one of them: and
my people at my request; that is, the lives of her peo-
ple also, that was. her request; her own life and her
people's were all she had to ask.
Ver. 4. For we are sold, I and my people, to be de-
strayed, to be slain, and to perish, &c.] She makes use
of these several words, to expre. ss the utter destruction
of her and her people, without any exception; not
only the more to impress the king's mind with it, but
she has respect to the precise words of the decree,
ch. iii. 13. as she has also to the 10,000 talents of silver
Haman offered to pay the king for the grant of it,
when she says, we are sold, or delivered to be destroy-
ed: but if we had been sold for bondmen and bond-
women, I had held my tongue: should never have asked
for deliverance from bondage, but have patiently sub-
raitted to it, however unreasonable, unjust, and af-
flictire it would have been; because it might have
been borne, and there might be hope of deliverance
from it at one time or another; though it is said, slaves
with the Persians were never made frees; but that
being the case would not have been so great a loss to
the king, who would have reaped some advantage by
their servitude; whereas, by the death of them, he
must sustain a loss which the enemy was not equal to,
and which he could not compensate with all his riches;
which, according to Ben Melech, is the sense of the
next clause: although the enemy could not countervail
the king's damage; or, for the enemy cannot, &c. the
10,000 talents offered by him, and all the riches that
he has, arc not an equivalent to the loss the king
would sustain by the death of such a multitude of peo-
ple, from whom he received so large a tribute; but
this the enemy regarded not; and so Jarchi interprets
it, the enemy took no care of, or was concerned about
the king's damage; but there is another sense, which
Aben Ezra mentions, and is followed by some learned
men, who take the word for enemy to signify distress,
trouble, and anguish, as in Psal. iv. 1. and cxix. 143. and
read the words, .for this distress would not be reckoned
the king's damageh, or loss; though it would have
been a distress to the Jews to have been sold for
slaves, yet the loss to the king would not be so great
as their death, since he would receive benefit by their
service.
Vet. 5. Then the King Ahasuerus answered and said
unto Esther the queen, &c.] The words in the original
text lic thus, and the King Ahasuerus said, and he said
to Esther the ttuecn; which doubling of the word does
not signify, as Jarchi suggests, that before he spoke
to her by a messenger, or middle person, but, now he
knew she was of a royal family, he spoke to her him-
self; but it is expressive of tbe ruffle of his mind, and
the wrath and fury he was in, that he said it again and
again, with a stern countenance and great vehemence
of speech: who is he ? and where is he ? who is the
man ? and where does he live ? that durst presume in
his heart to do so; that has boldness, impudence, and
courage enough to perpetrate so vile an action: or that
has filled his heart{i}; the devil no doubt tilled his heart
to do it, see Acts v. 3. but the king had either forgot
the decree he had granted, and the countenance he
had given him to execute it; or, if he remembered it,
he was now enraged that he should be drawn in to
such an action by him; and perhaps tilt now was ig-
norant of Esther's descent, and knew not that she
would be involved in the decree.
Ver. 6. And. Esther said, the adversary and enemy
is this wicked Hanzan, &c.] Who was not only an
enemy to her and her people, but an adversary to the
king, by advising and persuading him to that which
was to the loss of his revenues, as well as of his reputa-
tion; also, she pointed at him, and gave trim his just
character; her charge of wickedness upon him, as it
was true, it was honourably made to his face before
the king, of which, if he could, he had the opportu-
nity of exculpating himself: then Haman was afraid
before the king and the queen; gave visible signs of his
confusion, consternation, and trouble of mind, by the
fall of his countenance, his pale looks, his trembling
limbs, and quivering lips, being- struck dumb, and not
able to speak one word for himself.
Vet. 7. And the king, arising from the banquet of
wine in his wrath, went into the palace-garden, &c.]
Not being able to bear the sight of Human, who had
done such an injury both to himself and to the queen;
as also that his wrath might subside, and he become
more composed and sedate, and be able coolly to de-
liberate what was fitting to be done in the present case:
and tlaman stood up to make request for his life to
Esther the queen; hoping that her tentier heart might be
wrought upon to shew mercy to him, and be prevailed
on to cutrent the king to spare his life; and this request
he made in the most submissive manner: for he saw
that there was evil determined against him by the lcing;
he perceived it both by the king's countetenance, by the
rage he went oat in, and by the threatening words which
he very probably uttered as he went out.
Vet. 8. Then the king returned out of the palace-gar-
den into the place of the banquet of wine, &c.] Being
a little cooler, and more composed in his mind, see
oh. i. 5. and Hannah was .fallen upon the bed whereon
Esther was; not the bed she lay on to sleep in the night,
(for it cannot be thought that it was a bedchamber in
which the banquet was,) but on the bed or couch on
which she sat or reclined at the banquet, as was the
custom in the eastern countries; now, by, or near this,
as the word may be rendered, Haman fell down, even
at the feet of the queen, begging for mercy; and some
think he might embrace her feet or knees, as was the
custom Of the Greeks and Romans as they were sup-


{f} Hist. Sacr. l. 2.
{g} Alex. ab. Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 3. c. 20.
{h} \^ruh\^ adversitas, Drusius, De Dieu; angustia, Cocc. Lexic. in rad.
\^hwv\^.
{i} \^wbl walm rva\^ qui replevit cor suum, Drusius; implevit, De Dieu.