Chapter Eight

1–2. The exaltation of Mordecai. 3–6. Esther’s requests for the revocation of Haman’s edict. 7–12. A new edict to the Jews. 13–17. The sixth addition to the book: the text of the edict to the Jews. The distribution of the edict and its reception.

Esther 8:1. On that day King Artaxerxes gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews; and Mordecai came before the king, because Esther revealed what he was to her. “He came before the king,” that is, he became the king’s closest servant, in place of Haman. “Esther revealed what he was to her,” that is, she disclosed her kinship with Mordecai and all the benefits he had shown her as her guardian.

Esther 8:3. And Esther continued to speak before the king and fell at his feet, and wept and pleaded with him to turn aside the malice of Haman the Agagite and his scheme, which he had devised against the Jews. Esther 8:4. And the king held out to Esther the golden scepter; and Esther arose and stood before the king, Esther 8:5. and said: if it please the king, and if I have found favor before him, and if this matter is right before the king, and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, which he wrote for the destruction of the Jews in all the provinces of the king; Esther 8:6. for how can I endure to see the evil that shall come upon my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? Esther 8:7. And King Artaxerxes said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew: behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the tree, because he laid his hand upon the Jews; Esther 8:8. now you also write concerning the Jews, as you see fit, in the name of the king and seal it with the king’s ring; for a letter written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be changed. The fall of Haman and the favors shown to Esther and Mordecai did not avert the terrible fate threatening the Jews under Haman’s edict. According to Persian law, once an edict issued in the king’s name had been sent out, it could not lose its force (Esth 8:8). Therefore the king, yielding to Esther’s pleas, had to devise only such a compromise by which the edict already issued would weaken its effects, if not completely nullify them. He entrusted this to Mordecai and Esther themselves, giving them the right to write concerning the Jews (condemned to destruction) “as you see fit”—these words directly hinted at and authorized them to write concerning the Jews the same thing that had been written of their enemies, who on the appointed day were to rush upon the Jews with weapons in hand.

Esther 8:9. And the royal scribes were called at that time in the third month, that is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day of it, and all was written as Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors, and the rulers of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred twenty-seven provinces, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and to the Jews in their own script and in their own language. Esther 8:10. And he wrote in the name of King Artaxerxes and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent the letters by couriers on horseback, on dromedaries and mules of the king, Esther 8:11. wherein the king permitted the Jews who are in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the mighty people of the peoples and provinces who are hostile to them, their children and women, and to plunder their possessions, Esther 8:12. on one day throughout all the provinces of King Artaxerxes, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that is the month of Adar. Esther 8:13. A copy of the edict to be delivered in every province, as a law proclaimed to all peoples, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves upon their enemies. Esther 8:14. The couriers riding upon the swift horses of the king went forth with haste and speed, with the king’s command. And the edict was proclaimed also in Susa, the capital. The account of the circumstances of the writing of the first (Haman’s) edict (Esth 3:12) is repeated almost verbatim in the account of the writing of the second edict (Esth 8:9-10). It should be noted that there seems to be a somewhat longer interval than one might expect between the issuance of the first edict and the writing of the second. For the first edict “the royal scribes were called in the first month” (the 13th day), whereas for the writing of the second “the royal scribes were called in the third month” (the 23rd day). Almost three months—which seems too long for such an urgent important matter, which Mordecai could learn of sooner and together with Esther could attempt to change in his favor much earlier. However, we must take into account that the time of summoning the scribes did not precisely indicate the date of the edict’s release: the scribes, once “called in the first month,” could only complete their immense task of copying the edict into many copies over the course of more than a month. It may also be that Mordecai did not learn of Haman’s edict immediately, and when matters turned in his favor, he could not so quickly prepare everything necessary for his new edict, so that the scribes the second time may not have been called immediately after Haman’s execution. All this makes it sufficiently plausible that the second edict (Mordecai’s) was separated from the first (Haman’s) by nearly three months. The substance of Mordecai’s edict reproduces that of Haman’s almost verbatim, only reversing the roles, or more precisely—assigning to the Jews the very same role that was granted in Haman’s edict to their destroyers alone: according to Esth 3:13—it was prescribed: “to kill, to annihilate and to destroy all the Jews, young and old, little children and women... and to plunder their possessions.” The same thing is said in Esth 8:11 concerning the king’s permission to the Jews—“to gather and to defend their lives, to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the mighty people of the peoples and provinces who are hostile to them, their children and women, and to plunder their possessions.”

“Esther 8. Esther 8:12a) [A copy of this edict is as follows:” “Esther 8_12b The great King Artaxerxes to the governors from India to Ethiopia of one hundred twenty-seven provinces and to those who are loyal to us, greetings.” “Esther 8_12c Many, being elevated by the abundant kindness of their benefactors and lavishly honored, have become excessively arrogant and not only seek to harm our subjects, but, being unable to satiate their pride, attempt to devise schemes against their very benefactors,” “Esther 8_12d not only do they lose all sense of human gratitude, but, puffed up by the insolence of the foolish, wickedly think to escape the judgment of the all-seeing and eternal God.” “Esther 8_12e But often also many, being clothed with power to manage the affairs of their trusted friends, by their persuasion make them responsible for the shedding of innocent blood and subject them to irredeemable calamities,” “Esther 8_12f deceiving the innocent and righteous intentions of the rulers by the craftiness of deceitful lies.” “Esther 8_12g This can be seen not so much from ancient histories, as we have said, as from the deeds wickedly committed before you by the malice of those unworthy of power.” “Esther 8_12h Therefore it is necessary for us to be concerned for the future, in order to establish our kingdom in peace for all people everywhere,” “Esther 8_12i not tolerating changes, but examining what presents itself with due foresight.” “Esther 8_12k Thus Haman, son of Hammedatha, a Macedonian, truly alien to Persian blood and far removed from our goodness, having been received by us as a guest, attained such favor as we have toward every people,” “Esther 8_12l so much so that he was proclaimed our father and honored by all, representing the second person at the royal throne;” “Esther 8_12m but, not restraining his pride, conspired to deprive us of power and life,” “Esther 8_12n and sought by various deceitful means to destroy our savior and perpetual benefactor Mordecai and the innocent consort of the kingdom Esther, together with all their people.” “Esther 8_12o Thus he intended to make us without people and to deliver the power of Persia to the Macedonians.” “Esther 8_12p We find the Jews, condemned by this wicked man to destruction, to be not harmful, but living according to the most just laws,” “Esther 8_12q children of the Most High, the greatest living God, who has given us and our fathers the kingdom in the best condition.” “Esther 8_12r Therefore you will do well not to execute the letters sent by Haman, son of Hammedatha; for he, who committed this crime, has been hanged at the gates of Susa with all his house, by the will of God who rules over all, having speedily inflicted upon him a just judgment.” “Esther 8_12s Publish a copy of this edict openly in every place and permit the Jews to use their own laws and aid them, so that those who attack them in the time of distress may be repaid by them on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar, on that very day.” “Esther 8_12t For God, who rules over all, has instead of destruction brought joy to the chosen race.” “Esther 8_12u And you, among your honored festivals, celebrate this glorious day with great rejoicing, so that both now and in the future it may be a memorial of salvation for us and for those Persians favorably disposed to us, and a destruction of those who plotted against us.” “Esther 8_12x Any city or region in general that does not comply with this shall be ruthlessly laid waste by sword and fire and shall become not only uninhabitable for men, but also forever detestable to beasts and birds.]” “Esther 8. Addition 6 (Esther 8:12a-12x) gives the exact text of the edict in favor of the Jews, conceived and issued by Mordecai to nullify the power of Haman’s edict. The text of the edict provides several remarkable details that do not appear with obvious clarity in the Hebrew text. Thus, at the beginning of the edict, it is hinted that Haman’s intention to harm the Jews, the king’s subjects, was in a sense an attempt against the king himself (“attempt to devise schemes against their very benefactors”—Esther 8_12c). Later this thought is stated even more clearly; Haman is directly accused of conspiring to “deprive us—i.e., the king himself—of power and life... to make us without people and to deliver the power of Persia to the Macedonians” (Esther 8_12m-12o). We have already said above that the idea of Macedonian origin for Haman presents a great stretch; there is no doubt that the accusation of Haman of attempting “to deliver the power of Persia to the Macedonians” should only be explained as an unfortunate adaptation by the book’s author to the contemporary significance, growth and success of Greek culture and dominance. It is also notable that the edict’s composer over-exerted himself in praising the Jews and rewarding them in the king’s name with every expression of his favor. In contrast to Haman (“truly alien to Persian blood and far removed from our goodness”—Esther 8_12k), the edict presents Mordecai as “our savior and perpetual benefactor” (Esther 8_12n), and the Jews as “living according to the most just laws, children of the Most High, the greatest living God, who has given us and our fathers the kingdom in the best condition” (Esther 8_12p-12q). All this, of course, presented nothing exaggerated or unnatural for Jewry, but—placed in the mouth of a heathen despotic king—seems not entirely natural and plausible. Such is also the command to all subjects (not just the Jews)—to “aid” (Esther 8_12s) the Jews in the destruction of their enemies, to celebrate this day of destruction “with great rejoicing... among your honored festivals” (Esther 8_12u), with the threat proclaimed that “any city or region in general that does not comply with this shall be ruthlessly laid waste by sword and fire and shall become not only uninhabitable for men, but also forever detestable to beasts and birds” (Esther 8_12x). This is already purely Jewish intolerance, yielding perhaps only to the later human-hating sentiments of the Talmud and having, undoubtedly, a common origin with it.” Esther 8:15. And Mordecai came forth from the king in royal apparel of blue and white and with a great golden crown and a mantle of fine linen and purple. And the city of Susa rejoiced and was glad. Esther 8:16. And for the Jews there was light and joy and gladness and honor. Esther 8:17. And in every province and in every city, in every place to which the king’s command and his edict came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. And many from among the peoples of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them. “For the Jews there was light.” Light, that is, an abundance of illumination in houses, among all peoples served as an expression of joy. Esth 8:14-15 correspond almost verbatim to Esth 3:14-15, placing Mordecai in place of Haman and the joy that had come in place of the former sorrow. Especially emphasized is the difference in the mood of the capital Susa, which upon the issuance of the first edict was “in confusion,” but upon the issuance of the second “rejoiced and was glad.” This, of course, first of all refers to the Jews, whose joy and gladness did not dispel the fear and confusion of others, who at this time had the misfortune of being under suspicion in the eyes of the Jews.