Matthew Henry Complete Commentary
on the Whole Bible
Current Chapter:
Introduction
OF THE BOOK OF
E S T H E R.
How the providence of God watched over the Jews that had returned out
of captivity to their own land, and what great and kind things were
done for them, we read in the two foregoing books; but there were many
who staid behind, having not zeal enough for God's house, and the holy
land and city, to carry them through the difficulties of a removal
thither. These, one would think, should have been excluded the special
protection of Providence, as unworthy the name of Israelites; but our
God deals not with us according to our folly and weakness. We find in
this book that even those Jews who were scattered in the provinces of
the heathen were taken care of, as well as those who were gathered in
the land of Judea, and were wonderfully preserved, when doomed to
destruction and appointed as sheep for the slaughter. Who drew up this
story is uncertain. Mordecai was as able as any man to relate, on his
own knowledge, the several passages of it; quorum pars magna
fuit--for he bore a conspicuous part in it; and that he wrote such
an account of them as was necessary to inform his people of the grounds
of their observing the feast of Purim we are told
(Esther 9:20,
Mordecai wrote these things, and sent them enclosed in letters
to all the Jews), and therefore we have reason to think he was the
penman of the whole book. It is the narrative of a plot laid against
the Jews to cut them all off, and which was wonderfully disappointed by
a concurrence of providences. The most compendious exposition of it
will be to read it deliberately all together at one time, for the
latter events expound the former and show what providence intended in
them. The name of God is not found in this book; but the apocryphal
addition to it (which is not in the Hebrew, nor was ever received by
the Jews into the can on), containing six chapters, begins thus,
Then Mordecai said, God has done these things. But, though the
name of God be not in it, the finger of God is, directing many minute
events for the bringing about of his people's deliverance. The
particulars are not only surprising and very entertaining, but edifying
and very encouraging to the faith and hope of God's people in the most
difficult and dangerous times. We cannot now expect such miracles to be
wrought for us as were for Israel when they were brought out of Egypt,
but we may expect that in such ways as God here took to defeat Haman's
plot he will still protect his people. We are told,
I. How Esther came to be queen and Mordecai to be great at court, who
were to be the instruments of the intended deliverance,
Esther 1:1-2:23
II. Upon what provocation, and by what arts, Haman the Amalekite
obtained an order for the destruction of all the Jews,
Esther 3:1-15
III. The great distress the Jews, and their patriots especially, were
in thereupon,
Esther 4:1-17
IV. The defeating of Haman's particular plot against Mordecai's life,
Esther 5:1-7:10
V. The defeating of his general plot against the Jews,
Esther 8:1-17
VI. The care that was taken to perpetuate the remembrance of this,
Esther 9:1-10:3
The whole story confirms the Psalmist's observation
(Psalms 37:12,13),
The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his
teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him; he sees that his day is
coming.