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Commentary on Esther 9 verses 20–32
We may well imagine how much affected Mordecai and Esther were with the triumphs of the Jews over their enemies, and how they saw the issue of that decisive day with a satisfaction proportionable to the care and concern with which they expected it. How were their hearts enlarged with joy in God and his salvation, and what new songs of praise were put into their mouths! But here we are told what course they took to spread the knowledge of it among their people, and to perpetuate the remembrance of it to posterity, for the honour of God and the encouragement of his people to trust in him at all times.
I. The history was written, and copies of it were dispersed among all the Jews in all the provinces of the empire, both nigh and far, Est 9:20. They all knew something of the story, being nearly concerned in it - were by the first edict made sensible of their danger and by the second of their deliverance; but how this amazing turn was given they could not tell. Mordecai therefore wrote all these things. And if this book be the same that he wrote, as many think it is, I cannot but observe what a difference there is between Mordecai's style and Nehemiah's. Nehemiah, at every turn, takes notice of divine Providence and the good hand of his God upon him, which is very proper to stir up devout affections in the minds of his readers; but Mordecai never so much as mentions the name of God in the whole story. Nehemiah wrote his book at Jerusalem, where religion was in fashion and an air of it appeared in men's common conversation; Mordecai wrote his at Shushan the palace, where policy reigned more then piety, and he wrote according to the genius of the place. Even those that have the root of the matter in them are apt to lose the savour of religion, and let their leaf wither, when they converse wholly with those that have little religion. Commend me to Nehemiah's way of writing; that I would imitate, and yet learn from Mordecai's that men may be truly devout though they do not abound in the shows and expressions of devotion, and therefore that we must not judge nor despise our brethren. But, because there is so little of the language of Canaan in this book, many think it was not written by Mordecai, but was an extract out of the journals of the kings of Persia, giving an account of the matter of fact, which the Jews themselves knew how to comment upon.
II. A festival was instituted, to be observed yearly from generation to generation by the Jews, in remembrance of this wonderful work which God wrought for them, that the children who should be born might know it, and declare it to their children, that they might set their hope in God, Psa 78:6, Psa 78:7. It would be for the honour of God as the protector of his people, and the honour of Israel as the care of Heaven, a confirmation of the fidelity of God's covenant, an invitation to strangers to come into the bonds of it, and an encouragement to God's own people cheerfully to depend upon his wisdom, power, and goodness, in the greatest straits. Posterity would reap the benefit of this deliverance, and therefore ought to celebrate the memorial of it. Now concerning this festival we are here told,
1.When it was observed - every year on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the twelfth month, just a month before the passover, Est 9:21. Thus the first month and the last month of the year kept in remembrance the months that were past, even the days when God preserved them. They kept two days together as thanksgiving days, and did not think them too much to spend in praising God. Let us not be niggardly in our returns of praise to him who bestows his favours so liberally upon us. Observe, They did not keep the day when they fought, but the days when they rested, and on the fifteenth those in Shushan, and both those days they kept. The sabbath was appointed not on the day that God finished his work, but on the day that he rested from it. The modern Jews observe the thirteenth day, the day appointed for their destruction, as a fasting-day, grounding the practice on Est 9:31, the matters of their fastings and cry. But that refers to what was in the day of their distress (Est 4:3, Est 4:16), which was not to be continued when God had turned their fasts into joy and gladness, Zac 8:19.
2.How it was called - The feast of Purim (Est 9:26), from Pur, a Persian word which signified a lot, because Haman had by lot determined this to be the time of the Jews' destruction, but the Lord, at whose disposal the lot is, had determined it to be the time of their triumph. The name of this festival would remind them of the sovereign dominion of the God of Israel, who served his own purposes by the foolish superstitions of the heathen, and outwitted the monthly prognosticators in their own craft (Isa 47:13), frustrating the tokens of the liars and making the diviners mad, Isa 44:25, Isa 44:26.
3.By whom it was instituted and enacted. It was not a divine institution, and therefore it is not called a holy day, but a human appointment, by which it was made a good day, Est 9:19, Est 9:22. (1.) The Jews ordained it, and took it upon themselves (Est 9:27), voluntarily undertook to do as they had begun. Est 9:23. They bound themselves to this by common consent. (2.) Mordecai and Esther confirmed their resolve, that it might be the more binding on posterity, and might come well recommended by those great names. They wrote, [1.] With all authority (Est 9:29), as well they might, Esther being queen and Mordecai prime-minister of state. It is well when those who are in authority use their authority to authorize that which is good. [2.] With words of peace and truth. Though they wrote with authority, they wrote with tenderness, not imperious, not imposing, but in such language as the council at Jerusalem use in their decree (Act 15:29): "If you do so and so, you shall do well. Fare you well." Such was the style of these letters, or such the salutation or valediction of them: Peace and truth be with you.
4.By whom it was to be observed - by all the Jews, and by their seed, and by all such as joined themselves to them, Est 9:27. The observance of this feast was to be both universal and perpetual; the proselytes must observe it, in token of their sincere affection to the Jewish nation and their having united interests with them. A concurrence in joys and praises is one branch of the communion of saints.
5.Why it was to be observed - that the memorial of the great things God had done for his church might never perish from their seed, Est 9:28. God does not work wonders for a day, but to be had in everlasting remembrance. What he does shall be for ever, and therefore should for ever be had in mind, Ecc 3:14. In this affair they would remember, (1.) Haman's bad practices against the church, to his perpetual reproach (Est 9:24): Because he had devised against the Jews to destroy them. Let this be kept in mind, that God's people may never be secure, while they have such malicious enemies, on whom they ought to have a jealous eye. Their enemies aim at no less then their destruction; on God therefore let them depend for salvation. (2.) Esther's good services to the church, to her immortal honour. When Esther, in peril of her life, came before the king, he repealed the edict, Est 9:25. This also must be remembered, that wherever this feast should be kept, and this history read in explication of it, this which she did might be told for a memorial of her. Good deeds done for the Israel of God ought to be remembered, for the encouragement of others to do the like. God will not forget them, and therefore we must not. (3.) Their own prayers, and the answers given to them (Est 9:31): The matters of their fastings and their cry. The more cries we have offered up in our trouble, and the more prayers for deliverance, the more we are obliged to be thankful to God for deliverance. Call upon me in the time of trouble, and then offer to God thanksgiving.
6.How it was to be observed. And of this let us see,
(1.)What was here enjoined, which was very good, that they should make it, [1.] A day of cheerfulness, a day of feasting and joy (Est 9:22), and a feast was made for laughter, Ecc 10:19. When God gives us cause to rejoice why should we not express our joy? [2.] A day of generosity, sending portions one to another, in token of their pleasantness and mutual respect, and their being knit by this and other public common dangers and deliverances so much the closer to each other in love. Friends have their goods in common. [3.] A day of charity, sending gifts to the poor. It is not to our kinsmen and rich neighbours only that we are to send tokens, but to the poor and the maimed, Luk 14:12, Luk 14:13. Those that have received mercy must, in token of their gratitude, show mercy; and there never wants occasion, for the poor we have always with us. Thanksgiving and almsgiving should go together, that, when we are rejoicing and blessing God, the heart of the poor may rejoice with us and their loins may bless us.
(2.)What was added to this, which was much better. They always, at the feast, read the whole story over in the synagogue each day, and put up three prayers to God, in the first of which they praise God for counting them worthy to attend this divine service; in the second they thank him for the miraculous preservation of their ancestors; in the third they praise him that they have lived to observe another festival in memory of it. So bishop Patrick.
(3.)What it has since degenerated to, which is much worse. Their own writers acknowledge that this feast is commonly celebrated among them with gluttony, and drunkenness, and excess of riot. Their Talmud says expressly that, in the feast of Purim, a man should drink till he knows not the difference between Cursed be Haman, and Blessed be Mordecai. See what the corrupt and wicked nature of man often brings that to which was at first well intended: here is a religious feast turned into a carnival, a perfect revel, as wakes are among us. Nothing more purifies the heart and adorns religion than holy joy; nothing more pollutes the heart and reproaches religion than carnal mirth and sensual pleasure. Corruptio optimi est pessima - What is best becomes when corrupted the worst.
The fateful days in which God gives the victory over the enemies to his true confessors must never be forgotten but must be celebrated all over the world by every generation, because the remembrance of the future rest of souls and of the resurrection of the bodies on the day of judgment must be kept alive with firm hope among all the faithful. And no church of Christ in the whole world must be deprived of this religious celebration but, always remembering this truly saving rite, must be ready at any moment and make herself worthy of receiving future blessings so that what she now celebrates in this world with faith and hope she may possess there forever in true reality and eternal blessedness. In the meantime, while we journey as pilgrims, the zeal of the teachers and the admonishment of the church must lead us to follow the example of Esther and Mordecai in doctrine and zeal so that we may be always devout in observing this rite which is to be celebrated and performed.
For we require this admonition so that we will have always in our hearts the peace of Christianity, and will adopt the truth of the Gospel itself; which will prevent us from inadvertently falling, through discord and disagreement, into the errors of the heretics from which there can be no salvation but certain damnation and ruin. So all those who recognize that, through the seed of the word of God, they have been reborn in baptism from the Church and the ministry of the sacred teachers as sons to God the Father, are certainly required to fast in piety, i.e. to lead a pious, chaste and modest life; to send up the cries of their prayers and teachings; to celebrate the days of lots, i.e. of the victory to come, with reverence and firm hope; and to observe with robust faith and good works everything contained in the book of the two Testaments.
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SUMMARY
Esther 9:29 formally and authoritatively establishes the annual observance of the Feast of Purim. Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wielding their immense royal authority, penned a definitive "second letter" to ensure the widespread, perpetual, and legally binding commemoration of the Jewish people's miraculous deliverance from Haman's genocidal plot. This pivotal act transformed a spontaneous celebration of survival into a divinely sanctioned and officially ratified annual holiday, cementing the enduring legacy of God's providential care and the resilience of His covenant people.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Esther 9:29 employs several significant literary devices to underscore its importance. The most prominent is Irony, as the very name of the holiday, "Purim," is derived from the "lot" (pur) Haman cast to determine the day of the Jews' destruction (Esther 3:7). This transforms a symbol of intended evil into a perpetual commemoration of divine deliverance, highlighting God's sovereign ability to turn the enemy's schemes against them. The emphasis on "all authority" and the designation of this as a "second letter" also functions as Emphasis and Climax, underscoring the finality and absolute legitimacy of the Purim decree. The narrative builds to this point, where the highest human powers (Esther and Mordecai) formally solidify the divine deliverance into an enduring tradition, making this verse a Narrative Climax for the establishment of the holiday. Furthermore, the collaborative act of "writing" by Esther and Mordecai serves as a powerful instance of Synergy, demonstrating how combined leadership and authority can achieve monumental and lasting outcomes for God's people.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Esther 9:29 powerfully illustrates the theme of God's providential care, even when His name is not explicitly mentioned in the book. The decisive actions of Esther and Mordecai, empowered by their positions within the Persian court, serve as instruments of divine will, ensuring that a miraculous deliverance is not forgotten but enshrined as a perpetual reminder of God's faithfulness to His covenant people. This act of "confirming" the holiday speaks to the profound theological importance of remembrance in the life of faith, transforming a historical event into a foundational truth to be passed down through generations. It underscores that human leadership, when aligned with God's overarching purposes, can establish lasting legacies that reinforce faith, identity, and hope, demonstrating how God works through human agency to accomplish His redemptive plan.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Esther 9:29 challenges believers to consider the enduring significance of God's interventions in their lives and in the life of the community of faith. Just as Esther and Mordecai ensured the perpetual remembrance of Purim, we are called to intentionally commemorate and pass on the stories of God's faithfulness. This involves not only personal reflection but also communal practices that solidify our identity and hope in Him. Whether it's through family traditions, church holidays, personal journaling, or sharing testimonies, establishing consistent ways to "confirm" and remember God's past mercies strengthens our faith for future challenges and builds a legacy of trust for those who come after us. This verse also highlights the profound responsibility of those in positions of influence—whether formal or informal—to use their "authority" and resources for the good of God's people and the advancement of His kingdom, ensuring that truth, righteous practices, and the memory of His saving acts are upheld and transmitted across generations.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was a "second letter" necessary after Mordecai had already sent one?
Answer: While Mordecai's initial letter, described in Esther 9:20-28, initiated the observance of Purim and established the general practice, the "second letter" mentioned in Esther 9:29 carried significantly greater weight and ultimate authority. Mordecai, though powerful as the king's viceroy, was still a subject. Queen Esther, however, held the highest female position in the empire and possessed direct, intimate access to the king. Her joint authorship with Mordecai, writing "with all authority" (Hebrew: kol-tôqeph', signifying absolute power), elevated the decree to the highest possible legal and royal sanction. This ensured its universal acceptance, enforcement, and perpetual observance across the vast Persian Empire, leaving no doubt as to its legitimacy and importance for all future generations. It transformed a widely accepted custom into an officially ratified and unchallengeable royal decree, securing its place in Jewish tradition for millennia.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Esther 9:29, with its emphasis on the authoritative establishment of a feast of remembrance, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the New Covenant's institution of the Lord's Supper. Just as Purim commemorates a miraculous deliverance from physical annihilation and the reversal of a death decree, the Lord's Supper, instituted by Christ Himself, commands believers to remember His ultimate deliverance from spiritual death and the power of sin through His atoning sacrifice on the cross. Jesus, possessing all "authority in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18), commanded His disciples, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19). This sacred sacrament serves as a "second letter," a new covenant decree, confirming the reality of salvation and ensuring its perpetual remembrance and proclamation until His glorious return (1 Corinthians 11:26). The deliverance in Esther, though significant, foreshadows the infinitely greater redemption wrought by the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, whose authority transcends all earthly power and whose saving act is the ultimate reason for eternal remembrance, celebration, and worship.