Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Esther 1:5
And when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace;
5. in the court of the garden ] See notes on Est 1:2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Feasts on this extensive scale were not unusual in the East. Cyrus is said on one occasion to have feasted all the Persians. Even ordinarily, the later Persian monarchs entertained 15,000 persons at their table.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. A feast unto all the people] The first was a feast for the nobles in general; this, for the people of the city at large.
In the court of the garden] As the company was very numerous that was to be received, no apartments in the palace could be capable of containing them; therefore the court of the garden was chosen.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
All the people that were present; both such as constantly resided there, and such as were come thither upon their occasions, of whatsoever condition or quality.
In the court of the garden: the Persian gardens were exceeding large and pleasant.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And when these days were ended,…. The one hundred and eighty, in which the nobles, princes, and great men of the kingdom were feasted:
the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto great and small; of every age, rank, state and condition of life; these were the common people, whether inhabitants of the city or country people there on business, whether natives or foreigners; according to the Targum, there were Israelites there, but not Mordecai and his family; yea, it is said in the Midrash n, that they were all Jews, and that their number was 18,500; but this is not probable; it is very likely there were some Jews among them, as there were many in the army of Xerxes, when he made his expedition into Greece, according to the poet Choerilus o; which is not to be wondered at, since there were so many of them in his dominions, and they men of valour and fidelity, and to whose nation he was so kind and favourable: and this feast was kept
seven days in the court of the garden of the king’s palace; which no doubt was very large, and sufficient to hold such a number as was assembled together on this occasion, when there was not room enough for them in the palace. There is in history an account of a Persian king that supped with 15,000 men, and in the supper spent forty talents p.
n Midrash Esther, fol. 94. 1. o Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 22. p Ctesias & Dinon in Athenaei Deipnosoph. l. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(5) All the people.So we find Cyrus feasting all the Persians (Herod. i. 126).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. When these days were expired That is, at the end of the one hundred and eighty days.
Unto all the people that were present in Shushan Literally, as the margin, all that were found at Shushan. Probably not all the princes of the empire were to be found at the palace at the same time, but such of them as were found there at the time indicated were honoured with this magnificent banquet. But this feast was not for the princes only, but for all the people, irrespective of rank, for the writer is careful to say that it was made both unto great and small. Some have supposed two banquets, one lasting one hundred and eighty, and the other seven days, the former for the princes and nobles, the latter for the inhabitants of Shushan. But this supposition is unnecessary. No doubt the one hundred and eighty days, as remarked above, were enlivened by many a feast, at which only nobles and princes were present; but this grand feast, which lasted seven days, was an occasion of general revelry, in which princes and people alike participated.
The court of the garden of the king’s palace Oriental palaces had a park or garden connected with them, adorned with trees and fountains. The court of such garden was either the great hall that opened immediately upon it or the garden itself. Loftus identifies this court with the great colonnade, of which we have given a cut on page 436. He remarks: “It stands on an elevation in the centre of the mound, the remainder of which we may well imagine to have been occupied, after the Persian fashion, with a garden and fountains. Thus the colonnade would represent the ‘court of the garden of the king’s palace,’ with its ‘pillars of marble.’ I am even inclined to believe that the expression ‘Shushan the palace,’ applies especially to this portion of the existing ruins in contradistinction to the citadel and the city of Shushan.” But according to Fergusson, “the feast took place, not in the interior of any hall, but out of doors, in tents erected in one of the courts of the palace, such as we may easily fancy existed in front of either the eastern or western porches of the great central building.” Comp. note on Est 5:1.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Est 1:5 And when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace;
Ver. 5. The king made a feast unto all the people ] This was not amiss, so that care were taken that no irregulares gulares unsatisfied appitites, were found among them; for kings should carry themselves toward their people as kindly as parents do toward their children, and shepherds toward their sheep. Are they not therefore called patres patriae, fathers of their country, and shepherds of their people? . David and Cyrus were taken from the sheepfolds to feed men, Psa 78:70 .
Both unto great and small
Seven days
In the court of the garden
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Est 1:5-9
5When these days were completed, the king gave a banquet lasting seven days for all the people who were present at the citadel in Susa, from the greatest to the least, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. 6There were hangings of fine white and violet linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble columns, and couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones. 7Drinks were served in golden vessels of various kinds, and the royal wine was plentiful according to the king’s bounty. 8The drinking was done according to the law, there was no compulsion, for so the king had given orders to each official of his household that he should do according to the desires of each person. 9Queen Vasti also gave a banquet for the women in the palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.
Est 1:5 seven days Apparently seven was a special number for Persians as it was for Jews (e.g., Est 1:5; Est 1:10; Est 1:14; Est 2:9).
NASBthe greatest to the least
NKJVfrom great to small
NRSVboth great and small
TEVrich and poor
NJBto high and low
Literally it is great and small. The same two terms (BDB 152 & 881 I) are used in Est 1:20 and 1Sa 30:19; 2Ch 15:13 (BDB 152 & 882). In this context it means that all of the people who worked and served in the fortified, upper city (acropolis) were invited to the palace for a seven day feast.
Est 1:6
NASBThere were hangings
NKJVThere were . . . curtains
NRSVThere were . . . curtains
TEV——-
NJBThere were . . . hangings
The italics (NASB, NKJV) show how this verse intrudes into the context in a grammatically unrelated way. When moderns read this verse we think of wall hangings, but in this hot and windy climate they may have served as shade canopies or walls (cf. James M. Freeman, Manners and Customs of the Bible, pp. 201-202). Persia’s colors were white and purple/blue.
a mosaic pavement The list of the stones used in the pavement are
1. NASB, NRSV, NJB, porphyry
NKJV, alabaster
TEV, red feldspar
BDB has porphyry, which denotes a reddish to purple color mixed in with other darker rock.
2. NASB, NRSV, NJB, marble
NKJV, TEV, white marble (?) another hapax legommenon (BDB 1010 II )
3. NASB, NRSV, NJB, mother of pearl
NKJV, black marble (?)
TEV, shining mother of pearl, another hapax legommenon (BDB 204)
4. NASB, NJB, precious stones
NKJV, NEB, turquoise (?)
NRSV, colored stones
TEV, blue turquoise, another hapax legommenon (BDB 695)
Archaeology has confirmed the wealth of the Persian court (cf. also Herodotus 7.27; 9.82). The Persian kings wanted to impress their people and foreign visitors with their wealth, culture, and power!
There are several words in this verse found only here in the OT. Often the only way to translate these hapax legommenon are (1) cognate languages and (2) ancient translations.
Est 1:7 in golden vessels of various kinds This also shows an eyewitness detail. Many of these golden vessels were found when the Greeks overran the Persian military camps (cf. Herodotus 3.96).
Est 1:8 and the drinking was done according to the law This ambiguous phrase has caused much confusion. The meaning could be:
1. no one could drink the King’s wine, but an exception was made for this event
2. all guests could drink as much as they wanted with no restrictions (TEV)
3. usually all guests drank when the king drank (Herodotus 1.13 and Xenophon Cyropaedia 8.8), but on this occasion this rule was not in effect.
NASB, NJBofficial of his household
NKJVthe officers of his household
NRSVthe officials of the palace
TEVpolice servants
This title (BDB 913 II) can refer to several types of leaders (cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 1029).
1. royal officials or administrators (cf. Dan 1:3; Dan 2:48; Dan 5:1)
2. palace stewards (cf. Est 1:8)
3. military commanders (e.g., Jer 39:3; Jer 39:13; Dan 2:14)
4. professionals (cf. Dan 4:6; Dan 5:11)
5. ship captain (cf. Jon 1:6)
Est 1:9 Vasti The precise etymology of this word is uncertain (BDB 255, KB 260), but it may come from:
1. a corruption of Avestan term for best (BDB 255)
2. FEMININE PASSIVE PARTICIPLE of Avestan term the beloved or the desired one (H. S. Gehman, taken from Carey A. Moore, Anchor Bible, Esther, vol. 13, p. 8).
3. some scholars think that both Amestris and Vasti are attempts to translate one Persian name.
gave a banquet for the women in the palace This either refers to the harem (seven eunuchs mentioned in Est 1:10) or, more probably, to the wives of the guests of the king.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
palace = house, or, large house.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
present: Heb. found
seven days: 2Ch 7:8, 2Ch 7:9, 2Ch 30:21-25
Reciprocal: 2Ki 23:2 – both small and great Mar 6:39 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Est 1:5. Made a feast unto all the people in Shushan Not only to the inhabitants of Shushan, but to all that were then present in the city out of all parts of his dominions. In the court of the garden of the kings palace In the entrance of the royal palace. The Persian gardens were exceedingly large and pleasant.