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2:1–18 Now that his queen has been deposed (Esther 1:19–22), the Persian king decides what to do next. It is this decision that leads to the introduction of the main characters of the story: Mordecai and Esther, both of whom are Jewish (vv. 5, 7).

Esther 2:12 and 2:16 indicate that about two years pass between the king’s first edict in the story (1:22) and Esther becoming part of the king’s harem (v. 8). It is during this time that the king’s second absurd edict—finding virgins from around the empire to become part of his harem, as a first step to seeking a new queen—is issued (vv. 1–4).

2:1 he remembered Vashti It is unclear how much time passed between the decree in 1:22 and this moment. It may be that the king remembers the events of his drunken party as early as the next day and now has to decide what further action to take. It also could be that the narrative has already significantly moved forward in time, with the king later recalling the events of his party when finding himself in need of a queen. The text could also imply that the king is recollecting events with Vashti, perhaps positive ones.

This verse makes clear that the king is no longer angry at Vashti, but nonetheless maintains his former position against her. This could be because he was unable to revoke his former decree (1:19). Either way, the narrative further emphasizes the ridiculousness of the situation and the king.

2:2 the king’s servants These may be the same servants as those mentioned in 1:10. Unlike 1:13–15, the king does not seek advice here, but is offered it anyways; he then proceeds to make a decision without the further council of those mentioned in 1:13–15.

attractive young virgins These are the only three requirements of the types of women the king seeks: beautiful, young, and someone who has not had intercourse. It is not described how young the women being sought are, but according to ancient Near Eastern culture, they could have been as young as a woman in the first stages of puberty—around age 12. Marriage commonly occurred between ages 12 and 14.

Had the proper requirements for seeking a Persian queen been followed, Esther would have been disqualified on the basis of her parentage. Kings of the Persian Empire of this period were supposed to only marry women from one of the seven noble Persian families (according to Greek historian Herodotus, Histories, 1.135; 3.84; 7.61). The seven men who helped depose Vashti likely represent these seven families in the narrative (1:14). Their involvement in the initial decision could explain this breach of protocol.

This search of ridiculous proportions—across the empire—and the king’s actions in 8:2–15, echo the legendary story of King Shekriya in Arabian Nights (compare v. 4). There is also a literary parallel to the search throughout all of Israel for a young woman to accompany an older King David (1 Kgs 1:1–4).

2:3 Let the king appoint chief officers These officers could have been appointed solely for this project; alternatively, existing government officials could have been given this responsibility in addition to their regular tasks.

The king’s desires and quick, dim-witted actions are emphasized throughout the book. Whether the king seeks advice or not, he makes poor decisions—showing the ineptness of the Persian court.

let them gather every attractive young virgin The Hebrew here does not indicate whether the women have a choice in this matter. It is also ambiguous about whether all young, attractive virgins are required to participate. This could imply an action of human trafficking, a voluntary contest, or a hand-selection of the attractive women from each region by the regional officials.

This type of ambiguity is common in the edicts of the Persian court throughout the book of Esther and emphasize the ridiculousness of the king (e.g., Esther 1:22; 3:12–4:3). This type of ambiguity leading to misunderstanding, and the general misdirection of the kingdom, regularly occurs in the book.

the harem In Esther, this term refers generally to the house where the women lived. The women being gathered were not yet regarded as concubines, since the concubines were specifically in the care of Shaashgaz, a different eunuch (v. 14).

beauty treatment The Hebrew noun here is derived from a verb best understood to mean “to scrape or rub”—the word seems to imply some sort of exfoliation treatment, which would agree with the six-month process mentioned in v. 12.

2:5–6 This portion of the narrative may be intended to explain Mordecai’s access to the grounds of the royal palace—a fact that becomes integral to the narrative (vv. 11, 19; 4:1–2). Many of the Jews exiled in 596 bc were influential; Mordecai’s relatives even could have been nobility. Second Kings 24:12–14 reveals that the deportation specifically involved the men of valor, craftsmen, and smiths, and that only the poorest people of the land remained in Jerusalem during the 596 bc deportation. The former empire, Babylon, intentionally utilized noble foreigners in their courts; Persia likely had similar practices (Dan 1:3–5).

It is unclear whether the Hebrew in these verses should be interpreted as saying that Mordecai was deported with the exiles in 596 bc. If this is the case, then Mordecai’s old age (well over 100 years) presents historical issues. Although it defies the most natural reading of the Hebrew syntax, the deportation could be understood as referring to one of Mordecai’s relatives, probably his father, Jair. The mention of Shimei and Kish would then act as a parenthetical thought referencing Mordecai’s ancient relatives—with Shimei being the one from Saul’s household (2 Sam 16:5) and Kish being Saul’s father (1 Sam 9:1–2).

2:5 a Jew The common term for the Hebrew people after the exiles to Assyria and Babylon (compare Ezra 4:12; Neh 1:2). The narrative emphasizes Mordecai’s ethnicity to focus on the racial tension of the story and prejudices at work.

Mordecai A Babylonian name; Mordecai’s Hebrew name is never given.

Mordecai HBD

a Benjaminite The narrative may emphasize Mordecai being a member of the Israelite tribe of Benjamin because his later foe, Haman, could represent an ancient foe of the Benjaminites, dating to the time of Saul (see note on Esther 3:1).

2:6 Jeconiah Jeconiah (also rendered as Jehoiachin) reigned for only three months in 596 bc, and it was following his reign that the first Babylonian deportation occurred.

Jehoiachin EDB

Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar reigned from 605–562 bc. See note on Dan 1:1.

Babylon See note on Mic 4:10.

2:7 that is Esther Jews of the exile commonly received and used foreign names; these names were often in addition to their Hebrew names (compare Dan 1:7).

his uncle’s daughter Esther and Mordecai are technically first cousins, but Mordecai functions as Esther’s adopted father. Mordecai’s uncle Abihail, who is of unknown origins (but presumably also from the tribe of Benjamin) is Esther’s father (Esther 2:15).

a beautiful figure and was very attractive Esther is described similarly to Rachel in Gen 29:17. The Hebrew expression here indicates that she is physically attractive—in terms of her body, including her face, and her overall appearance.

2:8 Esther 2:12 indicates that twelve months pass between Esther becoming part of the harem and entering the king’s private quarters. Thus, Esther became part of the king’s harem in December 480 bc or January 479 bc. It is not indicated precisely how Esther becomes part of the harem, outside of that she is attractive (v. 7).

If the narrative of Esther is mapped to known historical events, then she becomes part of the king’s harem during Persia’s invasion of Greece. This war lasted two years and included the burning of the Acropolis in Athens, but ultimately ended in defeat for the Persians (480–479 bc). Although Persia remained primarily in control of their former empire—from India to Ethiopia, as 1:1 indicates—they never fully recovered from their defeat in Greece.

This war makes the events of the book of Esther chronologically problematic: It would be difficult, although not impossible, for king Ahasuerus (Xerxes) to conduct the actions described in the narrative while engaged in warfare in Greece.

the king’s palace The women do not actually enter the king’s presence at this point, but instead merely begin living in his complex (compare v. 13).

The precise number of women gathered from around the empire is unknown, but Artaxerxes, the king after Ahasuerus, had 360 concubines, according to a much later historian, Plutarch (Artaxerxes 27.5). King Solomon had 300 concubines and 700 wives (1 Kgs 11:4).

2:9 seven chosen maids Hegai quickly appoints seven women to specifically assist Esther.

Accelerating the beginning of the twelve-month beauty regimen may have increased Esther’s chances of being chosen by providing her with the potential to visit the king earlier.

2:10 did not disclose her people To keep her national identity secret, Esther would have eaten unclean food, as Esther 2:9 may be implying (Lev 11:46–47) and broken a number of other ceremonial regulations (compare Dan 1:8 and Deut 7:1–6).

It is Esther’s guardian, Mordecai—who functions as her father—who makes this request, so culturally and by very broadly applied standards of the law, she would be disobeying her father if she refused (Esth 1:7; Exod 20:12). Although this would not have given Esther an excuse, per se, the detail in the narrative is meant to foreshadow hostilities against the Jewish people and Mordecai’s sneakiness to prevent the hostilities. Esther’s actions can be understood as sacrifice for the greater good, but they are still in sharp contrast to actions of characters like Daniel—a tension the narrative seems to leave to the reader to resolve (see Dan 1 and note on Dan 1:8).

2:12–14 The narrative is interrupted by an excursus in Esther 2:12–14 about the process of preparing virgins to visit the king. It is clear that this visitation is a sexual act: Each woman visits the king in the evening and does not return until the morning. After her return, she transitions from the group of virgins to the group of concubines.

Although the details of the beauty regimen the women went through prior to visiting the king is unknown, the Hebrew text indicates that it involved two separate six-month treatments, which included skin treatments and an elaborate perfume process. The extravagance of the process fits with the overall extravagance of the king seen in ch. 1.

2:12 the oil of myrrh A fragrant oil harvested from the resin of trees; regularly referenced in the ot in sexual contexts (e.g., Prov 7:17; Song 1:13; 5:5). Since oil is specifically mentioned, the myrrh seems to have been used to enhance the skin’s appearance, likely following some sort of exfoliation (compare note on Esth 2:3).

Myrrh EDB

2:13 all that she asks Whatever the woman deemed necessary to prepare herself for the king was granted to her, implying that she could wear whatever clothing or jewelry she desired.

2:14 concubines Once the king had intercourse with a woman, she was separated from the virgins, placed under the leadership of a different eunuch (Shaashgaz), and would only see the king again if he specifically asked for her. Presumably, women who were not chosen would spend the rest of their days in the king’s harem.

This text also seems to imply that, at times, concubines had sexual relations with the king once and were never called on again. Life for these concubines was more like widowhood than marriage. Although they lived a life of luxury, it seems that concubines in the Persian Empire were treated essentially like property of the king—primarily viewed as sexual partners with no legal rights. Any child born as a result of their intercourse with the king would have likely been trained to work in the palace and had no rights to the throne. Only the son of the king and his queen could be a legitimate heir.

Concubinage, Concubines TBD

2:15 After the interlude of vv. 12–14, the narrative transitions back to the story of Esther. Esther is once again depicted as carefully following the recommendations of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem of virgins, just as she had carefully followed Mordecai’s instructions (compare v. 10). This seems to imply that she followed Hegai’s instructions on how to dress and adorn herself.

carried favor The depiction of Esther as winning everyone’s favor seems to imply a further level of compromise as a Jewish person. To win everyone’s favor, Esther must have acted, dressed, and eaten like a Persian.

Esther could have made this compromise because she sees becoming queen as so vital and because of her desire to keep honor Mordecai’s instructions. Nonetheless, once she marries the king, she is breaking an additional Jewish law—to not marry a foreigner, because that would lead to worshiping their gods instead of Yahweh (Deut 7:3–4). Nonetheless, the text does not indicate that Esther worshiped foreign gods, so she could have kept the essentials of her religion while compromising on the particulars. A similar level of compromise is evident with Joseph (see Gen 41:51). Joseph is also depicted as winning favor with nearly all people he encounters: Potiphar (Gen 39:4), the chief jailer (Gen 39:21), and Pharaoh himself (Gen 50:4). But Joseph is also the reason why his family survives a famine (Gen 46–47).

Esther, although a heroine, is not depicted as perfect but instead as an intercessor for her people. She does what it takes to accomplish this purpose (compare Esth 5:12). The difficulties of keeping the law while serving God’s people—especially in terms of navigating divine will and human involvement—seem to be intentionally open-ended in Esther.

2:16 Tebeth in the seventh year of his reign December 479 bc or January 478 bc, about four years after Vashti had been deposed. Esther enters the king’s quarters either at the end of Persia’s war with Greece or while it is taking place.

Chronologically, this places Esther’s first encounter with the king and subsequent coronation—which the continuous narrative of vv. 16–17 seems to indicate takes place right away—about 20 years before Ezra returns to Jerusalem with a group of Jewish exiles and approximately 34 years before Nehemiah returns.

2:17 loved The Hebrew word here indicates preference, not romantic love. Malachi uses the same word to describe Yahweh’s choice of Jacob over Esau (Mal 1:2–3).

a royal crown The remaining narrative depends on this plot point. Esther, over all other women presented to the king, is chosen to replace Vashti as queen and is given her crown (likely an adorned turban) to symbolize the action (compare Esther 1:11).

2:18 a great banquet Those with access to the royal court are invited to a feast celebrating the new queen Esther. The same group of people invited to the king’s first festival are invited again to this festival (1:3).

In typical extravagance of the narrative, the king also declares a general holiday, which seems to have involved temporary reprieve from taxes (or perhaps from government work) and the distribution of gifts from the king’s own supply (perhaps food from his personal store).

The princes representing the seven noble families of Persia and Media were presumably also invited to this event (see note on 1:14); their implicit confirmation of the decision of Esther could explain the breach in protocol for selecting a bride (see note on v. 2).

2:19–23 For an unknown reason, the Hebrew text notes that a group of virgins are once again gathered—why this would occur after the king has already chosen his bride is unclear and perhaps for this reason the ancient Greek translation, the Septuagint, omits the line entirely. Why Esther is with the virgins when she is no longer a virgin is also unknown. But since she is the queen (and not a concubine; compare v. 14), presumably she could do as she wished and chose to spend time with the virgins.

The critical point of this passage is that Mordecai is present at the entrance of the king’s compound and is free to roam about the compound as he wishes—indicating that he has an official role. This gives Mordecai the ability to speak with Esther, although presumably he had to do so with some level of secrecy since she is the queen and since his relationship to her is still a secret (v. 20; compare vv. 7, 10). Mordecai’s location also gives him the opportunity to learn of a devious plot. It is unclear how much time elapses between when Esther becomes queen and the events of vv. 19–23 (see note on 3:1–7).

2:21 gate of the king The gate may have been a common place of meeting or business (e.g., Ruth 4:1–12). Mordecai may have stood at the gate for a variety of reasons, such as business, to exchange or overhear information (if his official role required it), or to be close to Esther without raising suspicion.

Bigthana and Teresh Bigthan (or “Bigthana”) may be the same as the Bigtha of Esther 1:10. Although the Hebrew text does not indicate why these men plot to assassinate the king, outside of their anger, such a plot would not have been uncommon. Ahasuerus (Xerxes) eventually fell victim to such a plot.

2:22 he told it to Queen Esther It seems that Mordecai intentionally transmits this information via Esther, so that she is rewarded with him. He could have passed the information along to another official or requested access to the king’s presence. Neither Mordecai nor Esther are rewarded at this point in the story. This foreshadows forthcoming events.

2:23 the two of them were hanged on the gallows The Hebrew here indicates that these men were impaled, not crucified or hung with rope. Impalement was a common practice in the ancient Near East and was not necessarily how perpetrators were killed—often they would be killed beforehand. Impalement involved driving a long stake through a body, so that the body could be hung in the air for display (compare Deut 21:22–23).

The display was meant to incite fear—to show what would happen to the enemies of a leader—and was intended to humiliate anyone affiliated with the perpetrator (e.g., Josh 8:29; 10:26; 1 Sam 31:10).

Impalement BEB

Ets TWOT

scroll of the events of the days The official records of the reign of Ahasuerus (Xerxes).

FSB

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