Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/3_100_t.lzh/3_169.TXT

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grandeur; and it was usual with the Persian kings to
give to their wives whole cities for one thing or an-
other, as for necklaces, hairlaces, shoes, &c. {x}; Socrates {y}
speaks of a whole country in Persia called the Queen's
girdle, and another her Head-dress.
Vet. 19. And when the virgins were gathered together
the second time, &c.] Some think this second collec-
tion is that which was made when Esther was taken
and brought to the keeper of the women, called the
second, in reference to a former collection of them,
made when Vashti was taken and made queen; but as
there is no proof of any such collection then made,
rather the case was this, such was the lust of the king,
though he had a queen he loved, and a multitude of
concubine's, yet a second collection of virgins was made
for his gratification: then Mordecai sat in the king's
gate; or court, being an officer in it, promoted by the
interest of Esther, though not as yet known to be a
relation of her's: so *** in Xenophou [z} is used of the
court of the king of Persia, as the Ottoman or Turkish
court is now called the Porte.
Vet. 2O. Esther had sot shewcd her kindred nor her
people, as Mordecai had charged her, &c.] As not
before, so neither since she was made queen, see vet.
10. though, according to the Targums, she was urged
to it by the king himself:for Esther did the command-
meat of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with
him: which shewed great humility in her, notwith-
standing her advancement, great respect to him, and a
sense of gratitude for the kindness he had shewn; and
this charge to her was still continued by Mordecai,
partly that she might not fall into contempt, and pa.rtly
to prevent hatred and envy to the Jewish nation,
through her promotion; but chiefly so it was ordered
in Providence, the proper time be:,ng not yet come.
Ver. o_1. In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's
gate, &c.] Being, as before observed, an officer at
court: two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and
Teresh, of those that kept the door; of the inner court,
as Aben Ezra, of the doors of his bedchamber; per-
haps they were the chief of his body-guards, as the
Septuagint version; in after-times, such officers were
about the chambers of great personages as their
gnat,is {a}: these were wroth, and sought to lay hand on
the King Ahasuerus; to poison him, as Jarchi and

both the Targums; however, to take away his life by
some means or another. Gorionides b says their design
was, while the king was asleep, to cut off his head,
and carry it to the king of Greece; there being at that
time great wars between the kingdom of Greece and
the kingdom of Persia, which exactly agrees with the
times of Xerxes, and with this part of Iris reign, abottt
the seventh year of it ,, what was the occasion of this
wrath is not said, it is thought to be either the divorce
of Vashti, whose creatures they were, or the marriage
of Esther, and particularly the promotion of Mordecai,
fearing they should be turned out of their places; so
the former Targum.
Ver. 22. And the thing was lcnown to Mordecai, &c.]
But by what ,neans does not appear; the Jewish
writers say {c}, these two men were 'Farsians, and spoke
in the Tarsinn language, which they thought Morde-
cai did not understand; but he, being skilled in lau-
ghages, overheard them, and understood what they
said; but, according to Josephus {d}, it was discovered
to him by Baruabazus, a servant of one of the cham-
berlains; the latter Targum says, it was shewed unto
him by the Holy Ghost: who told it unto Esther, and
Esther certified the king thereof in Mordecai's name;
whose name she mentioned, partly as a voucher of the
truth of what she reported, and partly to ingratiate
Mordecai to the king, that hc might bc still yet more
promoted in due time.
Ve,'. 23. And when inquisition was made of the mat-
ter, it was found out, &c.] That these two mcn had
entered into a conspiracy to take away the king's life;
full proof and evidcnce were given of it: therefore
they were both hanged on a tree; Josephus {c} says they
were crucified; but hanging was frequent among the
Persians, as Grotius observes, and better agrees with
the word here used: and it was written int the book of
the chronicles before the king; in a diary kept by the
king's order, in which memorable events were set
down, and might be done in tl;c presence of the king,
as well as the book lay open before him to read at any
timc; and this is observed to agree with the manner
of Xerxes, who is reported {f} to sit on a throne of gold
to behold a sca-fight between the Grccians and Per-
sians, and had several scribes by hhn to take down
whatever was done in the light.

THIS chapter gives an account of the promotion of
Haman, and of the mortification of him by Mordecai,
who refused to bow to him, upon which he vowed re-
venge on him, and on all his people the Jews, ver.
1--6 for which purpose, through a false representa-
tion of them, he obtained letters of the king, and sent
to the deput:,es o[' all the provinces to destroy them
all on a certain day fixed, vcr. 7--15.
Vet. 1. drier these things, &c.] After the marriage
of Esther, and the ,liscovery of the conspiracy to
take away the king's life, five years after, as Aben
Ezra observeS, at least more than four years, for so it
appears from ver. 7. did King Ahasuerus promote Ha-
man the son of Hammcdatha the .rigagile ; whom botlt
the Targams make to descend from Amalek, and to
be of the stock or family of Agag, the common name
of the kings of Amalek; and so Josephus{g}; but this
is not clear and certain; in the apocryphal Esther he


{x} Herodot. Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 98. Cicero in Verrem, l. 3. Orat. 8.
{y} In Plat. Alcibiad.
{z} Cyropaedia, l. 8. c. 2, 5, 11, 40.
{a} Vid. Pignorium de Servis, p. 408, &c. & Popma de Servis, p. 33.
& Alstorph. de Lectis Vet. c. 12.
{b} Hist. Heb. l. 2. c. 1. p. 72.
{c} T. Bab. Megillah, fol. 13. 2. Targum prius & Jarchi in loc.
{d} Antiqu. l. 11. c. 6. sect. 4.
{e} Ibid.
{f} Plutarch. in Themistocle.
{g} Ut supra, sect. 5.