Est 2:1 After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.
So after he sobered up, he realized that what he had done might not have been the best choice (and he never consulted God).
Est 2:2 Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:
Their relationship was obviously not built upon love, but just superficial things like looks, which is easily replaceable.
Est 2:3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them:
Purification here, whatever it was, surely required a pile of rituals, “holy” clothes, rites of passage, nothing like the purity that existed naturally in the Shulamite girl portrayed in the Song of Solomon.
Est 2:4 And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.
So being that the king was a dry drunk at this point, relied on those ungodly men to make a decision based solely on beauty only skin deep.
Est 2:5 Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;
First of all, he’s NOT a Jew, he’s a Benjamite. Seems awful careless of the writer here (which is purportedly Mordecai). Mordecai, means a little man, or a worshipper of Mars, strange indeed for a Benjamite.
Est 2:6 Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried
away.
Jeconiah was carried away in 596 BC, and the reign of Ahaseurus is supposed to be Xerxes who reigned in 485 BC. If he was 20 at the carrying away (they took the young men capable of battle in the 2nd siege), then 596-485 = 111 + 20 = 131 years old at the writing here of Esther (and perhaps Older because Xerxes ruled from 485 BC – 465 BC (20 yrs), so Mordecai is anywhere from 131 – 151 years old.
Est 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.
So Mordecai (131 yrs old) had a cousin named Esther. How old exactly was this beautiful virgin girl? 130? 120? 90? I mean… really?
Est 2:8 So it came to pass, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.
Remember the verse with God’s name, said “Give due respect to women”, but they were doing anything but that, judging women on looks alone. Quite shallow compared to the Shulumite Girl of the song of Solomon.
Est 2:9 And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her, out of the king’s house: and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women.
More rituals and rites of passage for “purification”! How much of this was required of the beautiful Shulamite girl? None! Because she was already pure, unlike Esther here, she may have been beautiful but not a drop of purity in her.
Est 2:10 Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.
Mordecai is requiring her to hide her ancestry, which was not to be confused with Judah, she was a Benjamite, but the emanicipation of Judah had already taken place! They had been freed by Cyrus, the first Persian King that defeated Babylon. Why did she need to hide? Perhaps her REAL identity is in question.
Est 2:11 And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women’s house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her.
Mordecai would have to be a Eunuch to walk in the court of the women.
Est 2:12 Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)
This timeline required to for the women to be “purified” has a ring of evil, being that it was 6 mths + 6 mths, just to get them to smell good. The Shulamite girl was pure right away, none of this “waiting period” business.
Est 2:13 Then thus came every maiden unto the king; whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king’s house.
Each maiden could choose her clothing.
Est 2:14 In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s chamberlain, which kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name.
This is the house of women that were to be presented to the king. In the Song of Solomon, Solomon sought out the girl by going to where she lived, she was so special, but here the woman is seeking out the king.
Est 2:15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.
Hegai knew what the king liked, so Esther planned to where his favorite colors and what-not. Here everyone likes Esther, but in the case of the Shulamite girl, no one understood why she was so sought after by the king, and it was mainly because of her inner beauty which is priceless compared to outer beauty.
Est 2:16 So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
This is equivalent to our Dec – Jan. This was the month of the “winter sabbath”, when the King of Babylon came the 3rd time against Jerusalem.
Est 2:17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
So here we have Vashti the moral queen, getting replaced by one with less morals, willing to be paraded around in front of all the men after a week of drinking. It doesn’t say Esther loved the king at all, how nice of her to deceive the king, nothing like the Shulamite girl who wouldn’t have anyone except her love, her shepherd boy!
Est 2:18 Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther’s feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.
Esther gets her very own drunken brawl.
Est 2:19 And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai sat in the king’s gate.
What is Mordecai doing in this place? The gate was the place of a judge, but he’s not supposed to be a judge, but a eunuch in the court of the women!
Est 2:20 Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him.
Where was her loyalty? Not to her husband, the king, but to her uncle Mordecai, whom she was brought up with him. This means they were very close in age (120?, 131? Years old?)
Est 2:21 In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king’s gate, two of the king’s chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.
Mordecai seems to be sneaking around everywhere, snooping and listening in on peoples conversations.
Est 2:22 And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified the king thereof in Mordecai’s name.
So HE sneaks around and overhears some juicy gossip, and SHE sneaks around and tells the king what a great guy Mordecai is to have the king gain trust in the sneaky duo.
Est 2:23 And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.
Was it written? Never in history. It wasn’t worth mentioning because it wasn’t ever written at all.
They didn’t do this for God, it wasn’t to protect a prophet or God’s name, but to protect a king with low morals who threw his old queen to the curb because she wouldn’t party with him. I don’t see how this builds credentials in Mordecai’s case.


growth. Only God can see the heart.






southern US. The girl is saying that she is down to earth and lives with the country folk. In other words, if someone wanted to be like her and fall in love with the shepherd, then they could. The Shepherd puts himself within reach of all of the ones He loves.