Chapter Ten

1–3. Conclusion of the book. Addition 7 to the book: interpretation of Mordecai’s dream (after verse 3)

Esther 10:1. After this King Artaxerxes imposed a tax upon the land and upon the islands of the sea. Esther 10:2. Moreover, all the deeds of his power and of his might and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia, Esther 10:3. as also that Mordecai the Jew was second to King Artaxerxes and great among the Jews and held in favor by the multitude of his people, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke for the peace of all his race. Esth 10:1-3, promising as if to continue the history of Artaxerxes after Esther, suddenly breaks off with a simple reference to the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia, where all this is described, along with everything connected with the name of Mordecai. It is possible that the book’s author drew his narrative from these chronicles, breaking it off with such a disclaimer where it ceased to be necessary and adapting it better to the tastes of Jewish readers.

“Esther 10. Esther 10:3a. [And Mordecai said: From God was this,” “Esther 10_3b for I remembered the dream which I saw concerning these events; nothing in it remained unfulfilled.” “Esther 10_3c A small spring became a river, and there was light and sun and much water: this river is Esther, whom the king took to wife and made queen.” “Esther 10_3d And the two serpents—these are I and Haman;” “Esther 10_3e the nations—these are those gathered to destroy the name of the Jews;” “Esther 10_3f and my people—these are the Israelites, who cried to God and were saved. And the Lord saved His people and delivered us from all these evils, and God wrought signs and great wonders, which have not occurred among the heathen nations.” “Esther 10_3g Thus God ordained two lots: one for the people of God, and the other for all the nations,” “Esther 10_3h and these two lots came forth in the hour and season and on the day of judgment before God and all the nations.” “Esther 10_3i And the Lord remembered His people and justified His inheritance.” “Esther 10_3k And these days of the month of Adar shall be celebrated on the fourteenth and fifteenth day of this month, with solemnity and rejoicing and joy before God, for all generations in His people Israel.” “Esther 10_3l In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who said he was a priest and a Levite, and Ptolemy his son, brought this letter about Purim to Alexandria; and Lysimachos, son of Ptolemy, who was in Jerusalem, is said to have translated it.]” The Greek text gives a special seventh addition, offering in it an interpretation of Mordecai’s dream mentioned at the beginning of the book (see Addition 1—Esth 1:0), which becomes fully clear after the account of this entire history, which served as the basis for the establishment of the festival of Purim. The interpretation of the dream is attributed to Mordecai himself, who remembered this dream as the events that fulfilled it occurred. The addition concludes with a mention of informing Egyptian Jews about the circumstances of the establishment of Purim through a special “letter,” which can be understood as the book of Esther itself, in a form more or less close to the present. This acquainting occurred about a hundred years after the book was written, during the joint reign of Ptolemy XII and his sister and wife, the famous Cleopatra (52–30 B.C.). The festival of Purim (2 Macc 15:37, “the day of Mordecai”) is celebrated to this day with special solemnity in synagogues on the 13th of Adar; the eve of the festival is a day of fasting. In the evening of that day the festival itself begins—with the reading of the entire book of Esther. At this time the reader pronounces very quickly the place Esth 9:7-9 where the names of Haman and his sons are given, so far as possible—without taking a breath, to signify that all of them were hanged together. At this time the listeners raise an unimaginable noise, as also at each announcement of Haman’s name, thereby showing their strong indignation. On the morning of the 14th of Adar the reading is repeated, and the evening of the day is spent in great joy. To this day the custom of exchanging gifts is also observed, and necessarily gifts of a particular form—poppy cakes known as “Haman’s ears.” The time of celebrating Purim usually falls on the last days of our February or the first days of March, making it as it were the Jewish carnival.