Ester 10

Ester 10:1-3

10:1 "laid a tribute on the land and on the coastlands of the sea" Xerxes I lost the Aegean islands in his Greek campaign, but apparently retained some islands on the eastern Mediterranean coast and some off of the coast of Egypt and Palestine. However, this verse is meant to show the greatness of Ahasuerus in his taxing program (the word, only here, later meaning of "tribute" [BDB 586 I], which originally meant "forced labor," e.g., Gen. 49:15; Jos. 16:10; 17:13; 1 Kgs. 4:6; 5:13-14; 12:18; 2 Chr. 10:18, cf. TEV, NET), which was desperately needed after the Persian wars. It is a closing comment on Mordecai as a good administrator (cf. Esth. 10:2). Mordecai helped his people, but also was a faithful servant of Xerxes (cf. Esth. 10:3) and helped the whole nation (like Daniel and his three friends). In II Maccabees the feast of Purim is known as the feast of Mordecai (cf. II Macc. 15:36), which shows the historicity of the book of Esther and the greatness of Mordecai in Jewish tradition. Mordecai was not second in command for an extended period of time (possibly only 8 years), if secular history is to be trusted. 10:2 "the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia" This does not refer to the biblical books of 1 & 2 Chronicles, but could refer to the official court documents which were kept and archived ("Media and Persia" gives credence to this view) a personal diary of Xerxes (cf. Esth. 2:23; 6:1) a Jewish account of Jewish life in Persia (access to a Jewish governmental leader)