Esther 10:3

10:1-3 Greatness of Ahasuerus-Mordecai's advancement. - Many instances of the grandeur of Ahasuerus might have been given: these were written in the Persian chronicles, which are long since lost, while the sacred writings will live till time shall be no more. The concerns of the despised worshippers of the Lord are deemed more important by the Holy Spirit, than the exploits of the most illustrious monarch on earth. Mordecai was truly great, and his greatness gave him opportunities of doing the more good. He did not disown his people the Jews, and no doubt kept to the true religion. He did not seek his own wealth, but the welfare of his people. Few have it in their power to do so much good as Mordecai; but all have it in their power to do hurt, and who has it not in his power to do some good? We are not required to do what is not in our power, or is unsuited to our station; but all are bound to live under the influence of the tempers displayed in the saints, whose examples are recorded in the Bible. If we live by the faith of Christ, we shall be active according to the ability and opportunities he gives us, in promoting his glory and the best interests of men. If our faith be genuine, it will work by love. Wait in faith and prayer, and the event will be safe and glorious; our salvation is sure, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Mordecai the Jew was next unto Ahasuerus,.... The second man in the kingdom, the principal of the counsellors, and prime minister of state: and great among the Jews; highly respected by them, in great honour and esteem with them, for which there was great reason: and accepted of the multitude of his brethren; or of many, of most, of the greatest part of them; for, let a man be ever so deserving, there are some that will envy his greatness, cavil at everything done by him, and speak evil of him without any just reason: seeking the wealth of his people; their good, their welfare and happiness, temporal and spiritual: and speaking peace to all his seed; not only to his family, but to all the Jews who were of the same seed with him, the seed of Abraham; either speaking to them in an humble and condescending manner, being very humane, affable, and courteous; or speaking for them to the king, asking of him for them what might conduce to their peace, prosperity, and happiness.

(3) Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus. —We have seen that the events recorded in this book carry us to the year 470 B.C., at which time Mordecai was at the zenith of his greatness. How long he kept it, whether death or disgrace brought it to a close, and if the latter, from what cause, we cannot say. All we know is, that near the end of Xerxes’ reign his favourite and chief adviser was Artabanus, the captain of the guard, by whom he was murdered in B.C. 464. The last we hear of Mordecai, whatever was his afterfate, is that he was loyal to his people, and approved himself their benefactor, “seeking the wealth (i.e., weal—literally, good ) , and speaking peace to all his seed,” all of the stock of Israel. #define description=DESC #define abbreviation=ABBR #define comments=CMTS #define version=3

Esther 10:3 . Mordecai the Jew was next unto King Ahasuerus — Long had he sat contentedly at the king’s gate, but now at length he is arrived at the presidency of the king’s council. Men of merit may, for a time, seem buried alive; but often, by some means or other, they are discovered and preferred at last. And great among the Jews — Not only great above them, and more honourable than any of them, but great with them, and dear to them, which they manifested by giving him a commanding interest among them, and submitting all their affairs to his direction; and accepted of his brethren — His greatness did not make him forget or disown his brethren, nor was he ashamed of his relation to them, though they were strangers and captives, dispersed and despised. And they did not envy his greatness, according to the disposition very prevalent among mankind in such cases, but rejoiced in it, and blessed God for it, and commended and loved him for the right and proper exercise of his great power. Seeking the wealth of his people — He did not seek his own wealth, and the raising of an estate for himself and his family, which is the chief thing most men aim at when they get into great places at court; but he consulted the welfare of his people, and made it his business to advance that. His power, his wealth, and all his interest with the king and queen, he improved for the public good.

And speaking peace to all his seed — He was easy of access, courteous and affable, condescending and kind in his carriage, and ready, to the uttermost of his power, to assist all that made application to him. Doing good works is the best and chief thing expected from those that have wealth and power, but giving good words is also commendable, and makes the good deeds the more acceptable. It is said, to all his seed, probably to signify that he did not side with any one party of his people against another, nor make some of them his favourites, while the rest were neglected and crushed; but whatever differences there were among them, he was a common father to them all, and spoke peace to them all without distinction. Thus making himself acceptable by humility and beneficence, he was universally accepted, and gained the good-will of all his brethren. Thus have we gone through all the historical books of the Old Testament.

Accepted of the multitude of his brethren; who did not envy his greatness, as men most commonly do in such cases, but rejoiced in it, and blessed God for it, and praised and loved him for his right and sweet management of his vast power. To all his seed; or, for all his seed , to wit, the Jews, who were of the same seed and root from which he was descended. He spoke and acted with great kindness and friendliness to them, when they resorted to him upon any occasion.

Verse 3. - Next unto king Ahasuerus . Compare Genesis 41:40 ; Daniel 5:7 ; Daniel 6:3 . Profane history neither confirms this nor contradicts it. We know almost nothing of Xerxes from profane sources after his return to Susa in B.C. 479 . Accepted cf. Or, "beloved by." The wealth of his people. i.e. their welfare. Speaking peace to all his seed. It is generally allowed that by "his seed", we must understand those of the same stock with himself - "the seed of Israel." "Speaking peace" to them seems to mean "promoting their peace and safety" - insuring them, so long as he lived and ruled, a quiet and peaceful existence. Esther 10:3

For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and {a} accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed. (a) These three points are here set forth as commendable and necessary for him that is in authority to have the favour of the people, to procure their wealth, and to be gentle and loving to them.

3. For Mordecai … was next unto King Ahasuerus … great among the Jews, &c.—The elevation of this pious and patriotic Jew to the possession of the highest official power was of very great importance to the suffering church at that period; for it enabled him, who all along possessed the disposition, now to direct the royal influence and authority in promoting the interests and extending the privileges of his exiled countrymen. Viewed in this light, the providence of God is plainly traceable in all the steps that led to his unexpected advancement. This providential interposition is all the more remarkable, that, as in the analogous case of Joseph, it was displayed in making the ordinary and natural course of things lead to the most marvellous results. To use the pious words of an eminent prelate, "though in the whole of this episode there was no extraordinary manifestation of God's power, no particular cause or agent that was in its working advanced above the ordinary pitch of nature, yet the contrivance, and suiting these ordinary agents appointed by God, is in itself more admirable than if the same end had been effected by means that were truly miraculous." The sudden advancement of individuals from obscurity and neglect to the highest stations of power and influence is, in Eastern courts, no extraordinary nor infrequent occurrence.

The caprice, the weak partiality of the reigning sovereign, or, it may be, his penetrating discernment in discovering latent energy and talent, has often "raised the beggar from the dunghill, and set him among princes" [1Sa 2:8]. Some of the all-powerful viziers in modern Persia, and not a few of the beys in Egypt, have been elevated to their respective dignities in this manner. And, therefore, the advancement of "Mordecai, who was next unto Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews," was in perfect accordance with the rapid revolution of "the wheel of fortune" in that part of the world. But, considering all the circumstances of Mordecai's advancement, not only his gaining the favor of the king, but his being "accepted of the multitude of his brethren, it was beyond all controversy the doing of the Lord, and was truly marvellous in his people's eyes." accepted of the multitude of his brethren—Far from being envious of his grandeur, they blessed God for the elevation to official power of so good a man. speaking peace to all his seed—While his administration was conducted with a mild and impartial hand, he showed a peculiarly warm and friendly feeling to all his countrymen when asked his counsel or his aid.