1. on the third day] reckoning as the first day that on which (Esther 4:16) she gave her promise to Mordecai.

her royal apparel] in contrast with the mourning garb which she had worn while fasting.

in the inner court] Here the risk commenced: see Esther 4:11.

in the royal house, over against the entrance of the house] Part of the king’s house consisted of a pillared hall, having the throne in the middle of the side opposite to that which had an entrance admitting from the inner court. Thus the king, sitting on his throne and looking down the vista of pillars, would be able to see those standing without. ‘Entrance’ is more accurate than the A.V.’s ‘door,’ as the Heb. word simply denotes entrance, doorway.

Chap. Esther 5:1-8. Esther’s interview with the king

Esther is received graciously. The king, however, obviously guesses that she has an important object to gain in thus presenting herself, and so enquires the nature of her request. She is careful not to add to the difficulties of her position by anything like precipitancy in revealing her desire. She will shape her plans so as to secure the most favourable moment for preferring her petition.

2. held out to Esther the golden sceptre] See Esther 4:11.

touched] So among the Greeks the suppliant laid hold of the person or the garments of the person to whom the appeal was directed. The Vulgate makes Esther kiss the sceptre (‘osculata est summitatem virgae eius’). For the Greek apocryphal Additions, presenting a detailed account of Esther’s preparations for the interview and of the interview itself, see chaps. 14, 15.

3. it shall be given thee even to the half of the kingdom] The order of the words in the Heb. indicates the eagerness belonging to a rapid and authoritative declaration: to the half of the kingdom, yea, it shall be given thee. Cp. Herod’s promise to the daughter of Herodias (Mark 6:23). In Herod. ix. 109 we find Xerxes undertaking beforehand to grant whatever should be asked by his consort Amestris in return for a beautifully worked mantle which she had presented to him. He further tells us (Herod. ix. 110, 111) that on a certain day in the year a guest at the king’s table might make any request and that the king was bound to grant it.

4. That a subject like Haman should be admitted to make a third at the banquet to which the king was invited by his consort, seemed a specially marked instance of favour, arising from the position which the minister held in the estimation of his royal master. The higher the honour paid, the more startling and effective is the favourite’s ruin.

6. What is thy petition?] Esther having hazarded her life, the king recognises that she has some weighty reason for such an act, and in the cheerfulness induced by the banquet—a frame of mind upon which Esther had doubtless calculated—he repeats his question towards the end of the feast (see Herod. i. 133).

7, 8. Esther’s form of reply suggests that for the moment she meant to declare her grief, but suddenly breaks off for some reason which remains hidden from the reader. She virtually acknowledges, however, that she has a weighty petition to present, and promises that, if her two guests will repeat their visit under similar circumstances next day, she will postpone no longer.

9. in the king’s gate] Mordecai’s resumption of his old position indicates that he had put off his mourning apparel (see Esther 4:2) now that hope had dawned through Esther’s undertaking to plead with the king.

moved for him] better, as marg., trembled before him.

9–14. Haman’s proposed vengeance upon Mordecai

The greater Haman’s excitement and exultation at having reached the highest pinnacle of dignity attainable by a subject, the more did Mordecai’s conduct rankle within him and move his rage; so pointed was the contrast with the extreme adulation naturally exhibited by all others connected with the palace towards the king’s favourite.

10. Haman also on his side uses circumspection in carrying out his vengeful design. Instead of ordering immediate punishment to be inflicted upon his enemy, an act which we may safely assume would in virtue of his position be easy of accomplishment, he consults his wife and his friends.

Zeresh] The name is probably the Hebraised form of the Persian zaris, gilt or golden. Cp. the Greek Chryses, Chrysçis.

11. recounted unto them] A.V. less accurately, told them of.

and the multitude of his children] lit. and the multitude of his sons. Of these there were ten (Esther 9:7 ff.). Clearly his wife and intimates would be familiar with the size of his family. The point of his remark, however, lies in the circumstance that among the Persians, as also with the Jews (see Psalm 127:4 f.), to have many sons was considered to redound to a man’s credit (Herod. i. 136).

A characteristic comment in the Targum tells us that Haman had, besides these, 208 other sons. This it deduces from the combined numerical values of the three letters of the (one) Hebrew word rendered ‘and the multitude.[73]’

[73] ורב. ו = 6, ר = 200, ב = 2.

14. Let a gallows be made] Heb. tree. See Esther 2:23. ‘Fifty cubits’ is a hyperbolical expression meaning exceedingly high. The cubit at this time was probably equal to six handbreadths, and thus approximately 1½ feet in English measure. Zeresh and the rest considered it a safe assumption that one who had such influence with the king as to be permitted to condemn a whole nation to be exterminated within a few months, might reckon absolutely on obtaining authority to put an individual of that nation to death at once. Hence the order for the erection of the ‘gallows’ might be made beforehand, although according to Persian law the power of life and death resided in the king alone.