Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary

on the Whole Bible

Back to Biblesnet.com Home Page

---

[Table of Contents] [Previous] [Next]

Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708)

---

Esther

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Chapter 7 Chapter 8

Chapter 9 Chapter 10

---

AN

EXPOSITION,

W I T H   P R A C T I C A L   O B S E R V A T I O N S,

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

(ch. ix. 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,

ch. i., ii.

II. Upon what provocation, and by what arts, Haman the Amalekite

obtained an order for the destruction of all the Jews,

ch. iii.

III. The great distress the Jews, and their patriots especially, were

in thereupon,

ch. iv.

IV. The defeating of Haman’s particular plot against Mordecai’s life,

ch. v.-vii.

V. The defeating of his general plot against the Jews,

ch. viii.

VI. The care that was taken to perpetuate the remembrance of this,

ch. ix., x.

The whole story confirms the Psalmist’s observation

(Ps. xxxvii. 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.

---

[Table of Contents] [Previous] [Next]

Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708)

---

Back to Bibles Net . Com – Online Christian Library Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary – Free Download Contact Us

---