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Introduction
to Esther
INTRODUCTION TO ESTHER
This
book has its name from the person who is the principal subject of it; it is by
Clemens of AlexandriaF1Stromat. l. 1. p. 329. called the Book of
Mordecai also; it is commonly called
in the Hebrew copies
"Megillah
Esther"
the Volume of Esther; and sometimes in the Jewish writings only
"Megillah"
by way of eminency
"the Volume". It was
written
according to the TalmudistsF2T. Bava Bathra
fol. 15. 1.
by the men of the great synagogue
composed by Ezra; and some think it was
written by Ezra himselfF3August. de Civ. Dei
l. 18. c. 36. Isidor.
Origin. l. 6. c. 2. ; but Aben Ezra is of opinion it was written by Mordecai
since he was concerned in
and had perfect knowledge of
all things related in
it; which is rejected by SpinosaF4Tract. Theolog. Politic. c. 10. p.
189
&c.
who conceits that this
and the books of Daniel
Ezra
and
Nehemiah
were written by one and the same historian long after the times of
Judas Maccabaeus: as to the canonical authority of it
it has been generally
received by Jews and Christians; our wise men
says MaimonidesF5Moreh
Nevochim
par. 2. c. 45.
openly and plainly affirm of the book of Esther
that it was dictated by the Holy Spirit; so Aben Ezra on Esther 6:6
and he
himselfF6Hilchot Megillah
c. 2. sect. 18. affirms
that
"all
the books of the prophets
and all the Hagiographa (or holy writings)
shall
cease in the days of the Messiah
except the volume of Esther; and
lo
that
shall be as stable as the Pentateuch
and as the constitutions of the oral law
which shall never cease.'
Though
the versions of other books of Scripture might not be read in the synagogues
versions of this book might to those who did not understand HebrewF7Misn.
Megillah
c. 2. sect. 1. T. Bab. Megillah
fol. 18. 1. ; and so LutherF8Mensal.
Colloqu. c. 31. p. 358. says
the Jews more esteem the book of Esther than any
of the prophets. Whence Mr. BaxterF9The Saints Everlasting Rest
part 4. c. 3. sect. 1. had that notion
I can not devise
that the Jews used to
cast to the ground the book of Esther before they read it
because the name of
God was not in it: nor is that any objection to its authenticity
since the
hand and providence of God may be most clearly seen in it; in raising Esther to
such grandeur
and that for the deliverance of the people of the Jews
and in
counter working and bringing to nought the plots of their enemies
and in
saving them: nor that it is not quoted in the New Testament; it is sufficient
there is no disagreement between them
yea
an entire agreement
particularly
in the account of the captivity of Jeconiah
which is expressed almost in the
same words in Esther 2:6 as in Matthew 1:11. It
stands in Origen's catalogueF11Apud Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 6. c. 25.
of the books of the Old Testament; nor is it any material objection that it
appears not in the catalogue of MelitoF12Apud ib. l. 4. c. 26.
since in that list is comprehended under Ezra not Nehemiah only
but Esther
also
which JeromF13Ad Domnion. & Rogat. tom. 3. fol. 7. F.
mentions along with it. This book is not only of use to the Jews
as it shows
the original and foundation of a feast of theirs
still kept up by them
the
feast of Purim
and makes for the glory of their nation
and therefore it is no
wonder it should be so highly esteemed by them; but serves to show the singular
providence of God in taking care of his people in adversity
in humbling the
proud
and exalting the lowly
and saving those that pray to him
and trust in
him; it furnishes out various instructions in the conduct of the several
persons herein mentioned; it is a history but of ten or eleven years at most
from the third of Ahasuerus
to the twelfth of his reign
Esther 1:3.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23
1697-October 14
1771) was an English Baptist
a biblical scholar
and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering
Northamptonshire.
In his youth
he attended Kettering Grammar School
mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve
Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor
William Wallis
on the text
"And the Lord called
unto Adam
and said unto him
where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel
Horsleydown
Southwark in 1719. In 1757
his congregation needed larger premises
and moved to a Carter Lane
St. Olave's Street
Southwark. His pastorate lasted
51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin Keach and would
later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the Metropolitan Tabernacle
pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748
Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist
which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself
which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version
Bible
NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars
church leaders
and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version
while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order
grammar
vocabulary
and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou"
"thee"
"ye
" "thy
" and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example
"speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young
who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House
Grand Rapids
Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.