We are now at chapter nine. The year went by and it is now the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. The Jews assembled in all the cities waiting to attack those who would try to destroy them. Many of the non Jews were afraid of them. The nobles and officials decide to side with the Jews because Mordecai had become very powerful and influential. The Jews used swords to kill their enemies, destroying five hundred men in the citadel of Susa alone. They also killed Haman's ten sons, but they did not lay hands on the plunder. This is again a reference to the time Saul was to completely destroy the Agagites and not take plunder. Saul broke the rules. Mordecai, his supposed descendent didn't. It was redemption.
The king heard about the destruction in Susa and the death of Haman's sons. He asked Esther if there was anything else she wanted. Esther requested that the Jews in Susa be allowed to continue protecting themselves the next day as well. She also wanted Haman's sons to be hung on gallows. The king agreed. The next day, the fourteenth of Adar, three hundred more men were killed by the Jews in Susa. But the plunder was not taken.
On the fifteenth of Adar, the Jews rested "and made it a day of feasting and joy." The author says this is why rural Jews celebrate this event on the fourteenth of Adar and the Jews of Susa presumably celebrate on the fifteenth. It became day of joy and feasting and for giving presents to each other. Mordecai sent letters throughout the empire giving instructions about how in the future they were to celebrate those days that the Jews were saved from their enemies. The Jews agreed that they and their descendents would uphold this celebration the same two days every year. It was called Purim, because Haman had cast lots to find out what day would be good for the Jews destruction. A lot was called the "pur." That is where the word Purim is supposed to have come from.
We are now at chapter ten. King Xerxes required tribute from his entire empire, "to its distant shores," which would have included Jerusalem, Israel, and Palestine. Every thing he did, and the full account of Mordecai's greatness, are supposed to have been written in the annals of the kings of Media and Persia. Too bad we don't have those records. We do have Herodotus' account of Xerxes' exploits and they do not contain any information about Mordecai or Esther. Nothing outside the bible does. Mordecai the Jew was supposedly second in command to Xerxes and held in high esteem by all the Jews. That's a pretty big deal, if it is true. However, that suspiciously similar to Joseph's relationship to Pharaoh in the book of Genesis. Plus, Neither Mordecai or Esther are mentioned anywhere else in the bible.
This book was written by an unknown author. It does not mention any other Old Testament characters, places, or events. It does not mention Yahweh, or any of his commandments. It does not mention any uniquely Jewish religious or cultural practises or beliefs. It does not claim to be the inspired word of a god. It seems to merely serve as an explanation for the celebration of Purim. It is my considered opinion that the celebration had some other less exalted explanation and this story was derived to give the holiday legitimacy. I could be wrong about that. However, the holiday seems to be used as a good reason to have a party with a lot of alcohol.
Herodotus tells us that Xerxes wife Amestris (Vashti?), when she was old, "made return for her her own life to the god who is said to be beneath the earth by burying twice seven children of Persians who were men of renown." In other words, she tried to get immortality by sacrificing fourteen children. Nice lady. Xerxes was assassinated about 465 BCE, after reigning about 21 years.
Showing posts with label Haman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Haman. Show all posts
Friday, October 4, 2019
Esther part ten.
We are now at Esther chapter five. It is the third day of the Jew's fasting for Esther. Esther puts on her royal robes and goes to seek an audience with the king. The king sees her and extends his royal scepter. Esther goes to him. The king calls her "Queen Esther" and says he will grant her anything, up to half the kingdom. This is also what Herod promises his wife's daughter in Mark 6:23. First, we already know it is highly unlikely Esther was the Queen. Second, I wonder if anyone ever called a king's bluff and asked for half a kingdom. (I'm guessing that is a purely fictional trope.)
Esther chooses to ask the king if he and Haman will come to a banquet she has prepared that day. (Notice the contrast to the fast Esther has just been on)The king sends for Haman and they go to Esther's banquet. The king is pretty sure Esther hasn't actually asked for what she wants yet. While they are drinking wine, he asks her again what he can give her. She asks that the king and Haman come back to another banquet the next day.
Haman was pleased as punch with the mark of the queen's favor. However, when he went out of the king's gate and saw that Mordecai would still not show him physical signs of respect, he was furious. He didn't do anything to Mordecai, but went home and bragged to his wife and friends about his current exalted position and the fact that he got to attend the queen's banquet. Then he complained about Mordecai being the one thing that irritated him. His wife and friends had a solution: build a gallows 75 feet high, then ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai on it. Haman gleefully decided to carry out this proposal. Seventy five feet is about as tall as a seven story building. My commentary suggests it is either an exaggeration or the gallows was built on top of the city wall. I vote for exaggeration.
We are now at chapter six. The night after Esther's banquet, the king has insomnia. He orders the book of the record of his reign to be read to him. While the record is read, the king hears the story of how Mordecai foiled the plot of the king's assassination. He asked what had been done to reward Mordecai and the answer is nothing. By that time, Haman had come back to work and was getting ready to ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had built. Wow. That was fast. Haman had a 75 foot gallows built over night.
Haman is told to come into the presence of the king. The king asks Haman a hypothetical question, "What should be done for the man the king delights to honor." Ooh, boy. Haman is sure the king is talking about him! Who else could it be? Haman proceeds to describe his own fantasy about being honored. He wants to wear a royal robe that the king has worn, and ride on a horse the king has ridden. The horse is to have a royal crest on its head and is to be led through the streets by one of the noble princes who would be proclaiming, "This is what is being done for the man the king delights to honor."
The king loves this idea and tells Haman to do everything single he suggested.....for Mordecai. The tables have turned. So Haman himself had to lead Mordecai through the streets proclaiming, "This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor." That must have stung. Afterward, Haman ran home in shame to tell his wife and friends what happened. They tried to console him by reminding him that Mordecai was a Jew and all the Jews were going to be destroyed any way. Then Haman had to hurry off to attend the next banquet being given by Esther for Haman and the king. The
Till next time.
Esther chooses to ask the king if he and Haman will come to a banquet she has prepared that day. (Notice the contrast to the fast Esther has just been on)The king sends for Haman and they go to Esther's banquet. The king is pretty sure Esther hasn't actually asked for what she wants yet. While they are drinking wine, he asks her again what he can give her. She asks that the king and Haman come back to another banquet the next day.
Haman was pleased as punch with the mark of the queen's favor. However, when he went out of the king's gate and saw that Mordecai would still not show him physical signs of respect, he was furious. He didn't do anything to Mordecai, but went home and bragged to his wife and friends about his current exalted position and the fact that he got to attend the queen's banquet. Then he complained about Mordecai being the one thing that irritated him. His wife and friends had a solution: build a gallows 75 feet high, then ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai on it. Haman gleefully decided to carry out this proposal. Seventy five feet is about as tall as a seven story building. My commentary suggests it is either an exaggeration or the gallows was built on top of the city wall. I vote for exaggeration.
We are now at chapter six. The night after Esther's banquet, the king has insomnia. He orders the book of the record of his reign to be read to him. While the record is read, the king hears the story of how Mordecai foiled the plot of the king's assassination. He asked what had been done to reward Mordecai and the answer is nothing. By that time, Haman had come back to work and was getting ready to ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had built. Wow. That was fast. Haman had a 75 foot gallows built over night.
Haman is told to come into the presence of the king. The king asks Haman a hypothetical question, "What should be done for the man the king delights to honor." Ooh, boy. Haman is sure the king is talking about him! Who else could it be? Haman proceeds to describe his own fantasy about being honored. He wants to wear a royal robe that the king has worn, and ride on a horse the king has ridden. The horse is to have a royal crest on its head and is to be led through the streets by one of the noble princes who would be proclaiming, "This is what is being done for the man the king delights to honor."
The king loves this idea and tells Haman to do everything single he suggested.....for Mordecai. The tables have turned. So Haman himself had to lead Mordecai through the streets proclaiming, "This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor." That must have stung. Afterward, Haman ran home in shame to tell his wife and friends what happened. They tried to console him by reminding him that Mordecai was a Jew and all the Jews were going to be destroyed any way. Then Haman had to hurry off to attend the next banquet being given by Esther for Haman and the king. The
Till next time.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Esther and Herodotus part eight
We are at chapter three, verse 2. It is about the the beginning of the twelfth year of Xerxes' reign, a little more than four years after he supposedly made Esther Queen. Haman has been exalted by the king, who has commanded that all the royal officials at the king's gate kneel down to Haman. Mordecai dies not kneel down or pay Haman honor. Why? Who knows. Maybe because he's supposed to be an Agagite, an hereditary enemy of the Israelites. However, though it makes for a good story, it's highly unlikely that was actually the case. Five hundred years had passed since the alleged enmity between the two tribes. Even if it actually happened, what are the chances that level of disdain would travel that far through the centuries, maintaining its fervor?
The royal officials wanted to know why Mordecai would not comply. He did not answer or change his behavior. The officials told Haman to see what he would do about it, as well as revealing to Haman that Mordecai was a Jew. Haman was hopping mad. When he found out who Mordecai's people were, he decided to kill the lot of them throughout the whole kingdom.
It was the first month (Nisan) of the twelfth year of Xerxes's reign. Haman cast lots to see when would be a good time to kill all the Jews. The lot fell on the twelfth month, the last month (Adar) of the year. Haman went to Xerxes and told him "there is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples. In all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king's laws. It is not in the king's interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business.
Haman is offering to pay for the extermination of the Jews if the king will sign off on it. He doesn't appear to tell the king who he is going to exterminate, though. The king gives Haman his royal ring, which basically gives him the power to do almost anything. Xerxes also tells him to forget about the money, Haman is allowed to do whatever he wants to the people. If this story was true, Xerxes was an idiot. He gave Haman carte blanche to destroy a bunch of people in his kingdom, without even asking any questions?!!
On the thirteenth day of the first month, Haman had the royal scribed write out his orders in the various languages of the empire and had them sent out by couriers to all the king's provinces. The orders were written in the name of Xerxes and sealed with his ring. They said that "all the Jews, young and old, women and children," were to be killed on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month. Permission was also given to plunder the goods of the Jews. Extra copies of the edict were issued and sent out so that all the non-official peoples of every tribe would also be ready to attack the Jews.
It probably wasn't a coincidence that the day the author says this declaration was written, the thirteenth of Nisan, was the day before the Fast of the first born and two days before the Jewish Passover week. Another interesting coincidence is that in Persia/Iran, the thirteenth day of the first month was an annual celebration called Sizdeh Be-dar. This day is traditionally around the American date of April first or second and has been a day to play pranks, since before the time our story takes place! The Jews were also to be killed on the thirteen day of the last month. Thirteen certainly looked like an unlucky number for them.
Till next time.
The royal officials wanted to know why Mordecai would not comply. He did not answer or change his behavior. The officials told Haman to see what he would do about it, as well as revealing to Haman that Mordecai was a Jew. Haman was hopping mad. When he found out who Mordecai's people were, he decided to kill the lot of them throughout the whole kingdom.
It was the first month (Nisan) of the twelfth year of Xerxes's reign. Haman cast lots to see when would be a good time to kill all the Jews. The lot fell on the twelfth month, the last month (Adar) of the year. Haman went to Xerxes and told him "there is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples. In all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king's laws. It is not in the king's interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business.
Haman is offering to pay for the extermination of the Jews if the king will sign off on it. He doesn't appear to tell the king who he is going to exterminate, though. The king gives Haman his royal ring, which basically gives him the power to do almost anything. Xerxes also tells him to forget about the money, Haman is allowed to do whatever he wants to the people. If this story was true, Xerxes was an idiot. He gave Haman carte blanche to destroy a bunch of people in his kingdom, without even asking any questions?!!
On the thirteenth day of the first month, Haman had the royal scribed write out his orders in the various languages of the empire and had them sent out by couriers to all the king's provinces. The orders were written in the name of Xerxes and sealed with his ring. They said that "all the Jews, young and old, women and children," were to be killed on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month. Permission was also given to plunder the goods of the Jews. Extra copies of the edict were issued and sent out so that all the non-official peoples of every tribe would also be ready to attack the Jews.
It probably wasn't a coincidence that the day the author says this declaration was written, the thirteenth of Nisan, was the day before the Fast of the first born and two days before the Jewish Passover week. Another interesting coincidence is that in Persia/Iran, the thirteenth day of the first month was an annual celebration called Sizdeh Be-dar. This day is traditionally around the American date of April first or second and has been a day to play pranks, since before the time our story takes place! The Jews were also to be killed on the thirteen day of the last month. Thirteen certainly looked like an unlucky number for them.
Till next time.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Esther and Herodotus part seven
We are at Esther 2:11. Esther has undergone a year of intensive beauty treatments. It was her turn to get deflowered go to the king. She had permission to take whatever she wanted, but limited herself to what the head eunuch suggested. This made her very likable. "She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, in the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign." That was in the winter, somewhere around 479 BCE, at least four years after the banquet in chapter one.
The text tells us the king was highly attracted to Esther and liked her better than all the other virgins he sampled. "So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti." If this story is about the historical king of Persia, Xerxes, and his actual queen, Amestris, the last statement is a blatant falsehood. It is historically unbelievable that this king should have take a woman of unknown origin and make her his queen in place of the mother of his heirs, just because she made a good impression in the bedroom. Not only that, Amestris was obviously a wickedly jealous woman, if Herodotus is to be believed.
Next, the king gave a great banquet, "Esther's banquet." He invited all the nobles and officials and gave out presents. Did he ask the new queen to show up at the banquet when everyone was drunk? It doesn't say.
Verse 19 is rather odd. It says, "when the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate." So, the king chose his new queen but kept rounding up virgins any way. Why was Mordecai sitting at the king's gate? The text has only said that he has been concerned about Esther's fate. By now, she's been in the royal compound for over a year. I'm pretty sure the implication is that he has found some occupation there. Perhaps as a scribe or other servant. The text goes on to say that from his position at the gate, Mordecai continues to give Esther instructions, and she continues to follow them. Plus, at Mordecai's command, she still has not told anyone she is a Hebrew,
While Mordecai was still sitting at the king's gate. He happened to discover a plot to kill the king. Mordecai relayed the news to Esther who reported it to the king, The report was "investigated and found to be true." The conspirators were hanged and the event was written in the king's records.
We are now at chapter three. Some time has passed between chapters two and three, possibly up to five years, as we will see. Enter the villain, Haman the Agagite. We are told that the king elevated him and gave "him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles." It may not be obvious, but the author is having a little fun with words here. Way back in Chronicles, all the Agagites were supposedly destroyed during the reign of Saul. How could Haman be an Agagite at least 500 years later? Back in the day, Agag was a king whose downfall by the Israelites was allegedly predicted in Numbers 24:7, "Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted." The name Agag meant "high." It has the connotation of great or exalted. Numbers was playing off that meaning to say that Agag may be high, but Israel would be higher. This prediction is supposed to have come true with the destruction of Agag and his kingdom in Chronicles.
So, when the author of Esther called Haman an Agagite, he is basically saying that Haman may look high and mighty now, but he's cruising for a fall. And at the hands of a possible descendant of Saul no less.
Till next time.
The text tells us the king was highly attracted to Esther and liked her better than all the other virgins he sampled. "So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti." If this story is about the historical king of Persia, Xerxes, and his actual queen, Amestris, the last statement is a blatant falsehood. It is historically unbelievable that this king should have take a woman of unknown origin and make her his queen in place of the mother of his heirs, just because she made a good impression in the bedroom. Not only that, Amestris was obviously a wickedly jealous woman, if Herodotus is to be believed.
Next, the king gave a great banquet, "Esther's banquet." He invited all the nobles and officials and gave out presents. Did he ask the new queen to show up at the banquet when everyone was drunk? It doesn't say.
Verse 19 is rather odd. It says, "when the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate." So, the king chose his new queen but kept rounding up virgins any way. Why was Mordecai sitting at the king's gate? The text has only said that he has been concerned about Esther's fate. By now, she's been in the royal compound for over a year. I'm pretty sure the implication is that he has found some occupation there. Perhaps as a scribe or other servant. The text goes on to say that from his position at the gate, Mordecai continues to give Esther instructions, and she continues to follow them. Plus, at Mordecai's command, she still has not told anyone she is a Hebrew,
While Mordecai was still sitting at the king's gate. He happened to discover a plot to kill the king. Mordecai relayed the news to Esther who reported it to the king, The report was "investigated and found to be true." The conspirators were hanged and the event was written in the king's records.
We are now at chapter three. Some time has passed between chapters two and three, possibly up to five years, as we will see. Enter the villain, Haman the Agagite. We are told that the king elevated him and gave "him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles." It may not be obvious, but the author is having a little fun with words here. Way back in Chronicles, all the Agagites were supposedly destroyed during the reign of Saul. How could Haman be an Agagite at least 500 years later? Back in the day, Agag was a king whose downfall by the Israelites was allegedly predicted in Numbers 24:7, "Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted." The name Agag meant "high." It has the connotation of great or exalted. Numbers was playing off that meaning to say that Agag may be high, but Israel would be higher. This prediction is supposed to have come true with the destruction of Agag and his kingdom in Chronicles.
So, when the author of Esther called Haman an Agagite, he is basically saying that Haman may look high and mighty now, but he's cruising for a fall. And at the hands of a possible descendant of Saul no less.
Till next time.
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