And Esther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
Chap. Est 8:3-17. Arrangements for the deliverance of the Jews
3. spake yet again before the king ] thus apparently taking the risk of again entering his presence unsummoned, but, under the new circumstances, free from such forebodings of evil as those which had attended her previous essay.
to put away the mischief etc. ] This first form of request (cp. Est 8:5) was vague. Her anxiety is still for her people, Haman’s fall not of itself securing their deliverance from danger. Mordecai, even in his access to fortune and royal favour, seems to think it safest that Esther, and not he, should make the needful appeal.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Though Haman was dead, his work was not yet undone. The royal decree had gone forth, and, according to Persian notions, could not be directly recalled or reversed Est 8:8. Mordecai did not dare, without express permission from the king, to take any steps even to stay execution. And Esther, being in favor, once more took the initiative.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Est 8:3-4
Besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman.
Counteracting evil
It requires earnest and vigorous efforts on the part of the pious to undo the evil wrought by the wicked, and left by them as a legacy to the world. How much thought and research have been expended in this way in answering the works of such men as Voltaire and Paine! The evil cannot be sufficiently deplored, but may it not, in the providence of God, be overruled and sanctified for good? In nature we have opposing forces at work, which issue in greater stability and permanence; and somewhat the same result is secured by the opposition and conflict of minds. By the strain to which the truth is subjected it is put to the test, and whilst what cannot be maintained falls away, all that is founded on reliable evidence is retained, and made on every side more perspicuous, as the pressure of a great need has stimulated the inventive genius of a people to provide appliances to meet it. So has one infidel book or wicked action occasioned the writing of treatises in defence of Divine revelation, or the performance of holy and generous deeds, and the evil of the former has been more than counteracted, and the result proved an absolute boon. In this direction also we may see the hand of God, and praise Him for His goodness. (T. McEwan.)
Sin survives the sinner
I. Evil outlives its first contrivers.
1. Haman is dead, but the mischief he devised still hangs over the Jews. A passing stranger may loosen a stone in an embankment, and go on his way; but a whole province will bewail his folly. An infidel father trains most carefully an infidel son; the son becomes an eminent writer and spreads through a whole generation the poison he imbibed on his fathers knee. An English colonist, filled with pity for the Caribbaeans, introduces negro slavery into the West Indies–doing evil that good may come–and for centuries those fair islands are cursed by his device.
2. Evil tends to permanency.
(1) Because of the natural corruption of the heart.
(2) This principle is assisted by the solidarity of our race. What affects one affects all.
II. Evil yields before holy self-sacrifice. Esther was–
1. Intensely solicitous.
2. Persistent.
3. Boldly self-sacrificing.
4. Successful.
III. Evil crushed but not killed.
IV. Practical lessons.
1. The folly of infallibility.
2. The power of intercession.
3. The awful nature of sin. (W. Burrows, B. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
To put away the mischief of Haman; to repeal that cruel decree, of which see Est 3:13.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. Esther spake yet again before theking, and fell down at his feetThe king was then not recliningat table, but sitting on a divan, most probably in the Persianattitude, leaning back against the cushions, and one foot under him.
besought him with tears toput away the mischief of Hamanthat is, to repeal thesanguinary edict which, at the secret instigation of Haman, had beenrecently passed (Es 3:12).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Esther spake yet again before the king,…. Went into his presence, without being called for as before, with a new petition:
and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears; the more to work upon his affections, and move him to grant her request; which she might be the more encouraged to hope for, through the success she already had:
to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews; to revoke, abolish, and make void a mischievous scheme Haman had devised against the Jews, to root out the whole nation of them in the Persian empire.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The chief enemy of the Jews was now destroyed; but the edict, written in the king’s name, sealed with the royal seal, and published in all the provinces of the kingdom, for the destruction of all the Jews on the 13th day of the twelfth month, was still in force, and having been issued in due legal form, could not, according to the laws of the Persians and Medes, be revoked. Queen Esther therefore entreated the king to annul the designs of Haman against the Jews. Est 8:3 and Est 8:4. “Esther spake again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and wept, and besought him to do away with ( , to cause to depart) the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he devised against the Jews. And the king held out his golden sceptre towards Esther, and Esther arose and stood before the king.” This verse gives a summary of the contents of Esther’s speech, which is reported verbally in Est 8:5 and Est 8:6, so that we must translate the imperfects – : She spoke before the king, falling at his feet and beseeching him with weeping, that he would do away with , the evil that Haman had done, and his device against the Jews. The king stretched out his sceptre (comp. Est 4:11) as a sign that he would graciously grant her petition; whereupon she arose, stood before the king, and made known her request.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Jews Encouraged to Self-Defence. | B. C. 510. |
3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. 4 Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king, 5 And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces: 6 For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? 7 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. 8 Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse. 9 Then were the king’s scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, a hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language. 10 And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries: 11 Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey, 12 Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. 13 The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 14 So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.
Haman, the chief enemy of the Jews, was hanged, Mordecai and Esther, their chief friends, were sufficiently protected; but many others there were in the king’s dominions that hated the Jews and desired their ruin, and to their rage and malice all the rest of that people lay exposed; for the edict against them was still in force, and, in pursuance of it, their enemies would on the day appointed fall upon them, and they would be deemed as rebels against the king and his government if they should offer to resist and take up arms in their own defence. For the preventing of this,
I. The queen here makes intercession with much affection and importunity. She came, a second time, uncalled into the king’s presence (v. 3), and was as before encouraged to present her petition, by the king’s holding out the golden sceptre to her, v. 4. Her petition is that the king, having put away Haman, would put away the mischief of Haman and his device against the Jews, that that might not take place now that he was taken off. Many a man’s mischief survives him, and the wickedness he devised operates when he is gone. What men project and write may, after their death, be either very profitable or very pernicious. It was therefore requisite in this case that, for the defeating of Haman’s plot, they should apply to the king for a further act of grace, that by another edict he would reverse the letters devised by Haman, and which he wrote (she does not say which the king consented to and confirmed with his own seal; she leaves it to his own conscience to say that), by which he took an effectual course to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces, v. 5. If the king were indeed, as he seemed to be, troubled that such a decree was made, he could not do less than revoke it; for what is repentance, but undoing, to the utmost of our power, what we have done amiss? 1. This petition Esther presents with much affection: She fell down at the king’s feet and besought him with tears (v. 3), every tear as precious as any of the pearls with which she was adorned. It was time to be earnest when the church of God lay at stake. Let none be so great as to be unwilling to stoop, none so merry as to be unwilling to weep, when thereby they may do any service to God’s church and people. Esther, though safe herself, fell down, and begged with tears for the deliverance of her people. 2. She expresses it with great submission, and a profound deference to the king and his wisdom and will (v. 5): If it please the king and if I have found favour in his sightand again, “If the thing itself seem right and reasonable before the king, and if I that ask it be pleasing in his eyes, let the decree be reversed.” Even when we have the utmost reason and justice on our side, and have the clearest cause to plead, yet it becomes us to speak to our superiors with humility and modesty, and all possible expressions of respect, and not to talk like demandants when we are supplicants. There is nothing lost be decency and good breeding. As soft answers turn away wrath, so soft askings obtain favour. 3. She enforces her petition with a pathetic plea: “For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come upon my people? Little comfort can I have of my own life if I cannot prevail for theirs: as good share in the evil myself as see it come upon them; for how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred, that are dear to me?” Esther, a queen, owns her poor kindred, and speaks of them with a very tender concern. Now it was that she mingled her tears with her words, that she wept and made supplication; we read of no tears when she begged for her own life, but, now that she was sure of that, she wept for her people. Tears of pity and tenderness are the most Christ-like. Those that are truly concerned for the public would rather die in the last ditch than live to see the desolations of the church of God and the ruin of their country. Tender spirits cannot bear to think of the destruction of their people and kindred, and therefore dare not omit any opportunity of giving them relief.
II. The king here takes a course for the preventing of the mischief that Haman had designed. 1. The king knew, and informed the queen, that, according to the constitution of the Persian government, the former edict could not be revoked (v. 8): What is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may not, under any pretence whatsoever, be reversed. This was a fundamental article of their magna charta, that no law or decree, when once it had passed the royal assent, could be repealed or recalled, no judgment vacated, no attainder reversed, Dan. vi. 15. This is so far from bespeaking the wisdom and honour of the Medes and Persians that really it bespeaks their pride and folly, and consequently their shame. It is ridiculous in itself for any man, or company of men, to pretend to such an infallibility of wisdom as to foresee all the consequences of what they decree; and therefore it is unjust, and injurious to mankind, to claim such a supremacy of power as to make their decrees irrevocable, whether the consequences prove good or bad. This savours of that old presumption which ruined us all: We will be as gods. Much more prudent is that proviso of our constitution, that no law can, by any words or sanctions whatsoever, be made unrepealable, any more than any estate unalienable. Cujus est instruere, ejus est destruere–the right to enact implies the right to repeal. It is God’s prerogative not to repent, and to say what can never be altered or unsaid. 2. Yet he found an expedient to undo the devices of Haman, and defeat his design, by signing and publishing another decree to authorize the Jews to stand upon their defence, vim vi repellere, et invasorem occidere–to oppose force to force, and destroy the assailant. This would be their effectual security. The king shows them that he had done enough already to convince them that he had a concern for the Jewish nation, for he had ordered his favourite to be hanged because he laid his hand upon the Jews (v. 7), and he therefore would d the utmost he could to protect them; and he leaves it as fully with Esther and Mordecai to use his name and power for their deliverance as before he had left it with Haman to use his name and power for their destruction: “Write for the Jews as it liketh you (v. 8), saving only the honour of our constitution. Let the mischief be put away as effectually as may be without reversing the letters.” The secretaries of state were ordered to attend to draw up this edict on the twenty-third day of the third month (v. 9), about two months after the promulgation of the former, but nine months before the time set for its execution: it was to be drawn up and published in the respective languages of all the provinces. Shall the subjects of an earthly prince have his decrees in a language they understand? and shall God’s oracles and laws be locked up from his servants in an unknown tongue? It was to be directed to the proper officers of every province, both to the justices of peace and to the deputy-lieutenants. It was to be carefully dispersed throughout all the king’s dominions, and true copies sent by expresses to all the provinces. The purport of this decree was to commission the Jews, upon the day which was appointed for their destruction, to draw together in a body for their own defence. And, (1.) To stand for their life, that, whoever assaulted them, it might be at their peril. (2.) They might not only act defensively, but might destroy, and slay, and cause to perish, all the power of the people that would assault them, men, women, and children (v. 11), and thus to avenge themselves on their enemies (v. 13), and, if they pleased, to enrich themselves by their enemies, for they were empowered to take the spoil of them for a prey. Now, [1.] This showed his kindness to the Jews, and sufficiently provided for their safety; for he latter decree would be looked upon as a tacit revocation of the former, though not in expression. But, [2.] It shows the absurdity of that branch of their constitution that none of the king’s edicts might be repealed; for it laid the king here under a necessity of enacting a civil war in his own dominions, between the Jews and their enemies, so that both sides took up arms by his authority, and yet against his authority. No better could come of men’s pretending to be wise above what is given them. Great expedition was used in dispersing this decree, the king himself being in pain lest it should come too late and any mischief should be done to the Jews by virtue of the former decree before the notice of this arrived. It was therefore by the king’s commandment, as well as Mordecai’s, that the messengers were hastened and pressed on (v. 14), and had swift beasts provided them, v. 10. It was not a time to trifle when so many lives were in danger.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.]
Est. 8:3.] Haman was dead, but the edict which he had issued remained in force: therefore Esther wept and made supplication to Ahasuerus.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH. Est. 8:3-4
SIN SURVIVES THE SINNER
When Haman was executed Ahasuerus doubtless expected to be left at peace. He would suppose that by one strenuous effort he had delivered himself from the encircling confusion; and, unaccustomed to personal effort and responsibility, he would overrate the good he had accomplished. So men are continually surprised if a little virtuous effort is not considered a full compensation for a long course of sin. But evil is not easily rooted out of a heart, or out of a state. Bad habits once formed in the heart soon become inveterate; and bad institutions once founded in a state tend to perpetuate themselves for ever. It is written in the Psalms, Thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions. So, frequently, sin bears painful fruits long after the sinner himself has grievously repented. Thus David received Divine forgiveness, and yet along with Uriahs life the splendour and happiness of his reign faded away for ever. As he sinned with Bathsheba, so Amnon sinned with Tamar; as he murdered Uriah, so Absalom murdered Amnon; and as his pride numbered the people, so Adonijahs pride, and Absaloms pride, rebelled against his authority. Let no man fancy that by a little repentance he can undo the effects of a great sin. As some weeds are hardly to be eradicated from a favourable soil, so sin finds a congenial lodging in the heart, and is slow to leave. Ahasuerus, who looked to spend his days in idle dalliance, now learnt that Hamans death had not delivered him from his troubles, for Esther came to him to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite.
I. Evil outlives its first contrivers. (a) Haman is dead, but the mischief he devised still hangs over the Jews. The laws of Persia could not be reversed, and therefore Hamans edict had to stand; the laws of nature will not be reversed, and therefore a thing done once is done for ever. A passing stranger may loosen a stone in an embankment, and go on his way; but a whole province will bewail his folly. An infidel father trains most carefully an infidel son; the son becomes an eminent and influential writer, and spreads through a whole generation the fatal poison he imbibed on his fathers knee. An English colonist, filled with pity for the Caribbans, introduces negro slavery into the West Indies,doing evil that good may come,and for centuries those fair islands are cursed by his device. Always men perish, but their work remains. As he who scatters thistledown in a field of wheat does an evil which years may be needed to cure; so every sinner scatters bad seed into a prolific soil. (b) Evil tends to permanency, because of the natural corruption of the heart. As acids and alkalis have a mutual affinity, so that they rush together with violence, and can only be separated by force; so is there an affinity between the heart and sin. Hence, when evil is once published there are many ready to embrace it. Certain constitutions of body will take every infectious disease that they approach; and every form of evil finds somewhere a congenial home. This principle is assisted by the solidarity of our race. The whole universe is bound into one system, with a mutual interdependence among all its parts: the meanest and the noblest parts of creation are indissolubly bound together. Especially is this true of man. No man liveth to himself. We are all so closely locked and interlocked together that what affects one affects all. Now if man were not liable to disease, or if, being liable, he could live alone, there would be no epidemics; so if man were not liable to sin, or if, being liable, he could be set free from his fellow-sinners, evil might soon cease. But as the case is, sin ever tends to spread widely, and to stand permanently.
II. Evil yields before holy self-sacrifice. Esther, having had formerly so free an access and so good success in her appeals, ventures to draw near again. () Esther was intensely solicitous, for we read, she wept and besought him. The welfare of the people was dearer to her than her own. The mere dilettante accomplishes nothing, for evil grows naturally; while virtue is like those birds of song which come from afar, are caught with difficulty, and are ever ready to depart. There must be strenuous effort on the part of those who would do good. She wept over temporal ruin; do we weep over spiritual ruin? () Esther was persistent. She came again. As her former success encouraged her to approach again to an earthly, so our former successes should encourage us to approach the heavenly King. Like the poor widow, men ought always to pray and not to faint. () Esther was boldly self-sacrificing. Un bidden she came to the king, bearing her life in her hands. A noble type of the sacrifice and intercession of Christ is presented by this scene in the life of Esther. In entire self-forgetfulness and self-surrender she ventured her life in order to plead for her kindred; and Christ gave his life that, now within the veil, he might make intercession for his kinsmen after the flesh. () Esther succeeded. The king stretched out the golden sceptre. Oh, Esther, thou hast won for ever the gratitude of every Jew. Moses delivered from slavery; thou hast delivered from death! A sword was about to destroy the whole race, and thy fair neck was stretched under to avert the blow! Our Intercessor has equal success. As the wishes of Mordecai were presented by Esther, and she brought back assured safety; so our petitions, poor, babbling cries, are presented by Christ, sprinkled with his own blood, and return to us in showers of blessing.
III. Evil crushed, but not killed. Ahasuerus could only allow Mordecai to invent some contrivance to counteract the evil. To undo the wickedness of Haman seemed impossible, and, to avoid the results of it, the whole empire incurred the risk of civil war. To destroy is always easier than to save; and many a man, who has no hammer for building, has a good torch for burning. As a madman may set on fire a cathedral which a whole generation cannot rebuild, or as a child may tear a painting which only a Raphael could reproduce; so one sin may ruin a soul which only God could save. Partially the effects of sin may be destroyed. The guilty conscience may be set at rest, and the foul heart may be cleansed; the gates of hope may be opened, and those of despair may be shut; but some of the effects endure for ever. A prodigal wastes his estate by intemperance, and it is never restored; a nation is hurried by ambition into unjust war, and is maimed for ever; a suicide takes poison, and has no more opportunity of repentance on earth. The action may be temporary, and the results eternal.
IV. Practical lessons. () The folly of infallibility. For either Pope or Kaiser to say, The thing is settled, and cannot be reconsidered, is to doom the Church or the State to dire disaster. For the imperfect state of man on earth, live and learn is a suitable motto. But, like the Bourbons, the kings of Persia learnt nothing and forgot nothing. () The power of intercession. Our Lord himself takes a precisely parallel case to that of Esther to teach the efficacy of prayer. As she, in the parable, won by her importunity a blessing from the unwilling, much more may we by our pleading secure the mercy of the ever-willing. Esthers earnestness, her humility, and her self-forgetfulness, teach how to draw near to God. () The awful nature of sin. The actions that are performed the most thoughtlessly may ruin the soul. As one frosty night when the bloom is on the trees may destroy the hopes of spring, as one fierce gale may dash the gallant ship against the rocks; so one sin may ruin the soul. Sickness does not weaken its hold, and death does not destroy its venom. If once the venom is seated in the soul, there is only one healer, and he Almighty, who can wash away the stain.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON Est. 8:3-4
Sin never dies of age. It is as when a young man dies in the full fire and strength of his youth by some vehement distemper; it, as it were, tears and forces and fires his soul out of his body. He that will come and fight it out with his corruption to the last shall find that it will sell its life at a dear rate; it will strive and fight for it, and many a doubtful conflict will pass between that and the soul. It may give a man many a wound, many a foil, and many a disheartening blow; for, believe it, the strong man will fight for his possession.South.
My friends, the old statement, whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap, is absolutely true, universally true. The gospel is not its abrogation. It modifies it, gives it a new aspect, in some respects it gives it a new incidence; but be sure of this, that the harvest has to be gathered. If you waste your youth no repentance will send the shadow back upon the dial, or recover the ground lost by idleness, or restore the constitution shattered by dissipation, or give again the resources wasted upon vice, or bring back fleeting opportunities. If you forget God and live without him in the world, fancying that it is time enough to become religious when you have had your fling,even were you to come back at last, and remember how few do,you could not obliterate the remembrance of misused years, nor the deep marks which they had left upon imagination, and thought, and taste, and habit.Maclaren.
When the king held out the golden sceptre towards Esther she was animated with greater confidence, and stood before him with touching tenderness, and hearty self-consecration to the cause which she pleaded. She importuned him to issue a new decree, reversing the edict of Haman for the destruction of the JewsFor how, said she, can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? Her love for her people was intense, self-sacrificing, and disinterested. She hinged her intercession upon that love. For her own sake did she ask that the lives of her kindred should be spared. In this aspect of it her intercession reminds us of the advocacy and intercession of the Saviour. How vast was his love for his people! Not only did he imperil his life for their sakes, but gave himself a ransom for many. He intercedes for them in heaven, and is mighty and all-prevailing because that intercession is centred in himself. How could he endure to see those perish for whom he died? and whom, in his exaltation, he ardently loves? If such a contingency could be supposed possible the trial would overwhelm him, and spoil his satisfaction and joy. They are his kindredhis brethren; and in testimony of his love for them, as well as in proof of his ceaseless intercession in their behalf, he appears in the midst of the throne, and of the elders, and of the living ones, a lamb as it had been slain. How many Jews were there in Persia who knew of the sentence of death which had been passed against them, but who knew not the powerful, loving intercessor whom they had before the king! And there are not a few, even within the enclosure of the Church, who, whilst dreading the condemnation under which they have been laid by sin, take not home to their hearts the consolation which arises from the intercession of the Saviour. As the appearance of Esther before the king, with her tears and earnest love-pleading, would have sent a thrill of hope throughout millions of hearts in the Persian empire, had it been everywhere visible, so could the sight of Christ before the throne of God be witnessed by faith by all believers, the burden of fear which oppresses many souls throughout the earth would be removed, and there would be the peace and tranquillity of resting in his love. In the survey of our own condition he could not discover any arguments which he could successfully use to secure our forgiveness and final deliverance, but in himself he has all-prevailing pleas. And whilst the believers prayers derive their power from the concluding wordsFor Jesus sake; these words receive their confirmation and response in heaven, where Jesus pleads in our behalf for his own names sake.
Fair is the lot thats cast for me,
I have an advocate with thee;
And he is safe, and must succeed,
For whom the Lord vouchsafes to plead.
McEwen.
Oh queen, thou art victor now! Thou art ascending a higher and a holier throne than that on which thou wast crowned on the day of thine espousals. Thy great king was but now holding forth to thee the golden sceptre on which thy very life was hung, and thou didst arise and stand as a weeping suppliant before him. And lo! now thou art waving a far more powerful sceptre, albeit invisible, over his head! Thou art ruling him partly by the power of womanly beauty and accomplishment over a fitful but susceptible nature, but still more by the irresistible power of moral earnestness, by the grandeur of patriotism, and by the holy spell of self-sacrificing love! And soon the pens of the scribes will be busy for thee, and the swift beasts will be carrying thy message of life to distant provinces, and thy poor people far and near will gratefully bless thy name.Raleigh.
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 8
Est. 8:3. Honesty in little things. One of the kings of Persia, who is famous in history for his exact justice, was once out hunting, when, finding himself hungry, he ordered the people to dress a deer that they had just taken. When all was nearly ready, they found that they had forgotten to bring any salt with them, so they sent a lad off to fetch some from a village at a little distance. The king overheard them, and, calling to the boy, said, And mind you take money to pay for it. The attendants expressed their surprise at his thinking of such trifles, and asked what harm there could be in taking a handful of salt. The king replied, All the evil that now troubles the earth first began in such trifles, till by degrees it grew to its present height; and if I take the salt, my officers will perhaps seize the cow.
To put away the mischief of Haman as it had now reached its climax was difficult. Great evil would have been prevented had Haman in the first instance put away the mischief that was brooding in his heart.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
B. Monarchs Reparation
TEXT: Est. 8:3-8
3
And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
4
Then the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre. So Esther arose, and stood before the king.
5
And she said, If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews that are in all the kings provinces:
6
for how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
7
Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
8
Write ye also to the Jews, as it pleaseth you, in the kings name, and seal it with the kings ring; for the writing which is written in the kings name, and sealed with the kings ring, may no man reverse.
Todays English Version, Est. 8:3-8
Then Esther spoke to the king again, throwing herself at his feet and crying. She begged him to do something to stop the evil plot that Haman, the descendant of Agag, had made against the Jews. The king held out the gold scepter to her, so she stood up and said, If it please Your Majesty, and if you care about me and if it seems right to you, please issue a proclamation to keep Hamans orders from being carried outthose orders that the son of Hammedatha the descendant of Agag gave for the destruction of all the Jews in the empire. How can I endure it if this disaster comes on my people, and my own relatives are killed?
King Xerxes then said to Queen Esther and Mordecai, the Jew, Look, I have hanged Haman for his plot against the Jews, and I have given Esther his property. But a proclamation issued in the kings name and stamped with the royal seal cannot be revoked. You may, however, write to the Jews whatever you like; and you may write it in my name and stamp it with the royal seal.
COMMENTS
Est. 8:3-6 Dilemma: Haman has been properly dispatched. He is no longer a problem to the Jewish people. However, his wicked machinations still exist in the form of a Persian decree. Persian laws cannot be changed. So Esther falls at the feet of the king begging him with tears to take royal action and reverse the decree Haman tricked the king into publishing throughout the empire. The king indicated his readiness to do what he could to fulfill Esthers plea by holding out to her the royal scepter. He signaled that he would give her the full force of the throne to help her.
Esther may have had some doubts, now that the king knew she was a Jewess that she would be pleasing to the king for she said, If I have found favor . . . She also appealed to the kings pragmatic instincts when she said, . . . and the thing seem right before the king . . . The Hebrew word kasher does not mean right in the sense of ethical right, but in the sense of advantageousness, successfulness, propriety. It is the word used by modern Hebrews to designate kosher food, etc., meaning ritually clean, legitimate, or that which is sanctioned. She had earlier cautioned the king that Hamans genocide of the Jews would be economic disaster to the Persians.
But she and her people are on the horns of a dilemma. The law of the Medes and Persians cannot be changed. Not even the king can change what has been decreed and sealed with the royal signet ring (cf. Est. 3:7-15 and Dan. 6:14-15).
Est. 8:7-8 Deliverance: The king points out to Esther that he has done what he could without violating a fundamental policy necessary to sustaining the very structure of Persian government. The king has executed Haman, the arch enemy of the Jews, and given Hamans position and power over to Esther and Mordecai to wield. The king cannot, without destroying the very fibre of Persian government, rescind his former edict for the massacre of the Jews. But the king has a suggestion that will not only make possible the saving of the Jewish people but will also keep the most fundamental law of all Persia intact. He suggests, or infers: It is impossible to grant your request to rescind my former edict, because any edict sealed with the signet ring of the king is irrevocable, and the edict Haman made against the Jews was sealed with my signet ring. However, I have given you the power of my signet ring now. Surely you can, with all the royal power at your disposal, devise some way to save your people. The king is apparently hinting that Esther and Mordecai compose another decree that will provide some way for the Jews to counteract the decree authorizing the Persians to attack them. The Hebrew word tov is translated pleaseth in the ASV, but more correctly means, good. In other words, the king said, You write to the Jews what you think would be good for them in these circumstances, and seal it with the kings ring . . . So the king repaired, in a sense, the disastrous decree made previously by giving both the power and the suggestion as to what to do. This was all Esther and Mordecai needed.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(3) Besought him . . . to put away the mischief.Esthers work was as yet only half done. She has seen the condemnation of the foe of her race, and the exaltation of her kinsman to his office. But the royal edict sent out against the Jews still remains valid, and being a written decree, sealed with the kings seal, is supposed to be beyond the possibility of alteration. It was not, therefore, a case where Mordecais newly-acquired dignity would authorise him to interfere, and therefore Esther, who, now that the ice is once broken, becomes more courageous, makes a fresh appeal to the king to do what theoretically was beyond the kings power.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. Esther spake yet again This was evidently on a subsequent day, and, as appears from the next verse, she again presented herself in the royal presence unsummoned, trusting to the favour of the king.
Fell down at his feet Her manner now showed more anxiety and feeling than when she appeared the first time in the court. Compare Est 5:1-2.
Besought him with tears Literally, wept and made supplication to him. Before, she invited him to a private banquet to make her petition; now she makes it known publicly, and with crying and tears.
The mischief of Haman The wicked devices of that enemy had not perished with his death. The decree for the destruction of the Jews remained still.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
(3) And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
I admire the character of Esther in this particular most eminently, in that she forgot not the state of her brethren in affliction. Haman’s proclamation for the destruction of the Jews in all the provinces, signed by the king, and sent forth throughout the empire, was still in force, and the poor captives, no doubt, lay trembling in the expectation of the day. Esther therefore allowed not herself to enter upon the fruit of her services, for her own personal comfort, until she saw them provided for also. I cannot but greatly admire, this conduct in Esther: but while I admire Esther in this, how can I overlook thee, thou blessed Jesus, who, when thou hadst vanquished death, hell, and the grave, and returned to glory, remittedst not thine attention one moment to the concerns of thy people below. And do I not know, thou dear Lord, that such is thine unequalled love to thy redeemed, that never will thy triumphs be complete, till thou hast brought them all around thee in glory, that where thou art, there they may be also.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Est 8:3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
Ver. 3. And Esther spake yet again ] Having sped so well before, she is encouraged to speak yet again. Heb. She added to speak before the king, Nec his contenta Esther (Vulg.). She had a further request, and having had so free access, and so good success, she takes the boldness to commence it. We should do so when we come before God. Prayer should be multiplied like those arrows of deliverance, 2Ki 13:18 , and our suits reinforced while we speak yet again; as Abraham did in his intercession for Sodom. See, for our encouragement, that fourfold comfortable, yet again uttered by the Lord, Zec 1:17 .
And fell down at his feet
To put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite
And his device that he had devised against the Jews
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Esther
THE NET BROKEN
Est 8:3 – Est 8:8
The spirit of this passage may perhaps be best caught by taking the three persons appearing in it, and the One who does not appear, but acts unseen through them all.
I. The heroine of the whole book and of this chapter is Esther, one of the sweetest and noblest of the women of Scripture. The orphan girl who had grown up into beauty under the care of her uncle Mordecai, and was lifted suddenly from sheltered obscurity into the ‘fierce light that beats upon a throne,’ like some flower culled in a shady nook and set in a king’s bosom, was true to her childhood’s protector and to her people, and kept her sweet, brave gentleness unspoiled by the rapid elevation which ruins so many characters. Her Jewish name of Hadassah ‘myrtle’ well befits her, for she is clothed with unostentatious beauty, pure and fragrant as the blossoms that brides twine in their hair. But, withal, she has a true woman’s courage which is always ready to endure any evil and dare any danger at the bidding of her heart. She took her life in her hand when she sought an audience of Ahasuerus uninvited, and she knew that she did. Nothing in literature is nobler than her quiet words, which measure her danger without shrinking, and front it without heroics: ‘If I perish, I perish!’
The danger was not past, though she was queen and beloved; for a despot’s love is a shifting sand-bank, which may yield anchorage to-day, and to-morrow may be washed away. So she counted not her life dear unto herself when, for the second time, as in our passage, she ventured, uninvited, into the king’s presence. The womanly courage that risks life for love’s sake is nobler than the soldier’s that feels the lust of battle maddening him.
Esther’s words to the king are full of tact. She begins with what seems to have been the form of address prescribed by custom, for it is used by her in her former requests Est 5:8 ; Est 7:3. But she adds a variation of the formula, tinged with more personal reference to the king’s feeling towards her, as well as breathing entire submission to his estimate of what was fitting. ‘If the thing seem right before the king,’ appeals to the sense of justice that lay dormant beneath the monarch’s arbitrary will; ‘and I be pleasing in his eyes,’ drew him by the charm of her beauty. She avoided making the king responsible for the plot, and laid it at the door of the dead and discredited Haman. It was his device, and since he had fallen, his policy could be reversed without hurting the king’s dignity. And then with fine tact, as well as with a burst of genuine feeling, she flings all her personal influence into the scale, and seeks to move the king, not by appeals to his justice or royal duty, but to his love for her, which surely could not bear to see her suffer. One may say that it was a low motive to appeal to, to ask the despot to save a people in order to keep one woman from sorrow; and so it was. It was Ahasuerus’s fault that such a reason had more weight with him than nobler ones. It was not Esther’s that she used her power over him to carry her point. She used the weapons that she had, and that she knew would be efficacious. The purpose for which she used them is her justification.
Esther may well teach her sisters to-day to be brave and gentle, to use their influence over men for high purposes of public good, to be the inspirers of their husbands, lovers, brothers, for all noble thinking and doing; to make the cause of the oppressed their own, to be the apostles of mercy and the hinderers of wrong, to keep true to their early associations if prosperity comes to them, and to cherish sympathy with their nation so deep that they cannot ‘endure to see the evil that shall come unto them’ without using all their womanly influence to avert it.
II. Ahasuerus plays a sorry part beside Esther. He knows no law but his own will, and that is moved, not by conscience or reason, but by ignoble passions and sensual desires. He tosses his subjects’ lives as trivial gifts to any who ask for them. Haman’s wife knew that he had only to ‘speak to the king,’ and Mordecai would be hanged; Haman had no difficulty in securing the royal mandate for the murder of all the Jews. Sated with the indulgence of low desires, he let all power slip from his idle hands, and his manhood was rotted away by wallowing in the pigsty of voluptuousness. But he was tenacious of the semblance of authority, and demanded the appearance of abject submission from the ‘servants’ who were his masters. He yielded to Esther’s prayer as lightly as to Haman’s plot. Whether the Jews were wiped out or not mattered nothing to him, so long as he had no trouble in the affair.
To shift all responsibility off his own shoulders on to somebody else’s was his one aim. He was as untrue to his duty when he gave his signet to Mordecai, and bade him and Esther do as they liked, as when he had given it to Haman. And with all this slothful indifference to his duty, he was sensitive to etiquette, and its cobwebs held him whom the cords of his royal obligations could not hold. It mattered not to him that the edict which he allowed Mordecai to promulgate practically lit the flames of civil war. He had washed his hands of the whole business.
It is a hideous picture of an Eastern despot, and has been said to be unhistorical and unbelievable. But the world has seen many examples of rulers whom the possession of unlimited and irresponsible power has corrupted in like fashion. And others than rulers may take the warning that to live to self is the mother of all sins and crimes; that no man can safely make his own will and his own passions his guides; that there is no slavery so abject as that of the man who is tyrannised by his lower nature; that there is a temptation besetting us all to take the advantages and neglect the duties of our position, and that to yield to it is sure to end in moral ruin. We are all kings, even if our kingdom be only our own selves, and we shall rule wisely only if we rule as God’s viceroys, and think more of duty than of delight.
III. Mordecai is a kind of duplicate of Joseph, and embodies valuable lessons . Contented acceptance of obscurity and neglect of his services, faithfulness to his people and his God in the foul atmosphere of such a court, wise reticence, patient discharge of small duties, undoubting hope when things looked blackest fed by stedfast faith in God, unchangedness of character and purpose when lifted to supreme dignity, the use of influence and place, not for himself, but for his people,-all these are traits which may be imitated in any life. We should be the same men, whether we sit unnoticed among the lackeys at the gate, or are bearing the brunt of the hatred of powerful foes, or are clothed ‘in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold.’ These gauds were nothing to Mordecai, and earthly honours should never turn our heads. He valued power because it enabled him to save his brethren, and we should cultivate the same spirit. The political world, with its fierce struggles for personal ends, its often disregard of the public good, and its use of place and power for ‘making a pile’ or helping relations up, would be much the better for some infusion of the spirit of Mordecai.
IV. But we must not look only at the visible persons and forces. This book of Esther does not say much about God, but His presence broods over it all, and is the real spring that moves the movers that are seen. It is all a lesson of how God works out His purposes through men that seem to themselves to be working out theirs. The king’s criminal abandonment to lust and luxury, Haman’s meanly personal pique, Esther’s beauty, the fall of the favourite, the long past services of Mordecai, even the king’s sleepless night, are all threads in the web, and God is the weaver. The story raises the whole question of the standing miracle of the co-existence and co-operation of the divine and the human. Man is free and responsible, God is sovereign and all-pervading. He ‘makes the wrath of man to praise Him, and with the remainder thereof He girdeth Himself.’ To-day, as then, He is working out His deep designs through men whom He has raised up, though they have not known Him. Amid the clash of contending interests and worldly passions His solemn purpose steadily advances to its end, like the irresistible ocean current, which persists through all storms that agitate the surface, and draws them into the drift of its silent trend. Ahasuerus, Haman, Esther, Mordecai, are His instruments, and yet each of them is the doer of his or her deed, and has to answer to Him for it.
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Est 8:3-8
3Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept and implored him to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews. 4The king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king. 5Then she said, If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces. 6For how can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? 7So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given the house of Haman to Esther, and him they have hanged on the gallows because he had stretched out his hands against the Jews. 8Now you write to the Jews as you see fit, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s signet ring may not be revoked.
Est 8:3 spoke. . .fell. . .wept and implored These are a series of IMPERFECT VERBS which describe Esther’s continuing supplication of the king to stop the slaughter of her people.
Haman the Agagite It is uncertain if Agagite is related to (1) Agag, the king of the Amalekites; (2) a family name; or (3) a geographical location or an unknown entity. See note at Est 3:1. The literary nature of the book suggests #1. Surprisingly, the phrase, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite is missing from the Septuagint.
Est 8:4 the king extended the golden scepter to Esther This was a common sign of welcome and graciousness extended by the court (cf. Est 4:11; Est 5:2).
Est 8:5 then she said Esther wanted the king, in court language, to rescind the previous edict. However, this was impossible because the law of the Medes and Persians could not be changed (cf. Est 1:19; Dan 6:8; Dan 6:12; Dan 6:15). Therefore, the king gave Mordecai the authority to write a second law which, to some extent, would counteract Haman’s first letter.
Again the literary style of this author is seen in the threefold repetition:
1. If it pleases the king.
2. If I have found favor (twice).
3. The matter seems proper.
Est 8:6 This verse has two parallel phrases using the same VERB endure (BDB 407, KB 410 Qal IMPERFECT). Esther is emotionally unable to experience the murder of her kinsmen.
The term destruction (BDB 2, cf. Est 8:6; Est 9:5) spells out what calamity means.
Est 8:7-8 The king recounts for Esther what he has done for her cause:
1. gave Haman’s house to Esther
2. impaled Haman on his own gallows
3. allowed Mordecai to write another edict to counteract Haman’s
Est 8:7 because he had stretched out his hands against the Jews In Est 7:8, the king said that Haman was going to be executed because he violated the queen, but here the true reason for Haman’s death is divulged.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
mischief. Hebrew. ra’a’. App-44. Same word as “evil”, Est 7:7.
Haman the Agagite. See notes on Est 2:5 with Est 3:1.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Est 8:3-6
Est 8:3-6
ESTHER ENTREATS THE KING TO CANCEL HAMAN’S EDICT
“And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. Then the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre. So Esther arose, and stood before the king. And she said, If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and if I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews that are in all the king’s provinces: for how can I endure to see the evil that shall come upon my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?”
It is of interest that Mordecai does not carry this urgent request to the king. He was the new First Minister of the empire; but he might have felt that Esther would be more likely to have a favorable reply from the king. At any rate, Esther did it.
“And the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre” (Est 8:4). This seems to imply that Esther had again approached the king unbidden.”
“And (if) I be pleasing in his eyes” (Est 8:5). Esther’s appeal was prefaced with the usual stereotyped phrases used by petitioners; but these words stress Esther’s personal attractiveness to the king. This was indeed a delicate feminine touch.
“Reverse the letters devised by Haman” (Est 8:5). This was indeed exactly what should have been done; and this exceedingly intelligent and tactful queen here gave Ahasuerus a valid reason why he should have done so; but that silly rule about the “Law of the Medes and Persians that altereth not,” prevented the king from taking such action. Note the tact of Esther here. “She was careful not to put any blame on the king for Haman’s wicked letters.”
“Many have accused Esther and her race of cruelty because of their slaughter of their enemies, but without justification. She implored for the bloody edict of Haman to be reversed (Est 8:5); and if she had been heard, no blood at all would have been shed; but the Gentile mind was not of the kindly sort. Oh no. The king likes to see blood; he is a sportsman. Blood must flow. You Jews defend yourselves. Fight!”
E.M. Zerr:
Est 8:3. Esther had been favored so much by the king that she was encouraged to press for more. The immediate disposal of Haman and his family had been arranged for through the authority vested in Mordecai. But there remained the edict that had been signed by the king at Haman’s request. It was still in force and only waiting for the date on which it was to be executed. Something must be done to counteract that, else the people of Esther will be destroyed. That was what she meant by the request to put away the mischief of Haman. Falling down at the feet of the king, she tearfully begged him for further consideration.
Est 8:4. By holding out the golden scepter toward Esther, she was made to understand that she might make her wishes known and that they would be granted. There is every indication that no request of hers, within the possibilities of the king, would be denied her, so completely was he enthralled by his love for her.
Est 8:5. Esther knew the rule of the Persian law, that no edict could be directly repealed; yet it might be possible to do something that could have the effect of an alteration or repeal. That was what she requested, but she made it on condition that the king felt entirely favorable towards it.
Est 8:6. Esther was a Jewess and knew that the edict of destruction would include her by its terms unless some exception could be made due to her relation to the king. But regard less of any assurance she may have felt for her personal safety, her great spirit of humanity was moved for her people. She felt that she could never stand it to see them come to such harm. On account of this concern she made the request stated in the preceding verse.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
fell: 1Sa 25:24, 2Ki 4:27
besought him with tears: Heb. she wept and besought him, Isa 38:2, Hos 12:4, Heb 5:7
mischief: Est 3:8-15, Est 7:4
Reciprocal: Pro 31:26 – openeth Eze 11:2 – General Dan 6:8 – according
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Est 8:3. Esther spake yet again before the king Haman, the chief enemy of the Jews, was hanged, Esther and Mordecai, their chief friends, were sufficiently protected; but many others there were in the kings dominions that hated the Jews, and desired their ruin, and to their rage and malice all the rest of that people lay exposed. For the edict against them was still in force, in pursuance of which their enemies, at the day appointed, would fall upon them, and they would be deemed rebels against the king and his government, if they should offer to resist, and take up arms in their own defence. To prevent this, the queen makes intercession with much affection and importunity. And fell down at his feet, and besought him with many tears It was time to be earnest, when the church of God lay at stake. Let none be so great as to be unwilling to stoop, none so joyful as to be unwilling to weep, when thereby they may do any service to Gods church and people. Esther, though safe herself, here falls down and begs with tears for the deliverance of her people. To put away the mischief of Haman To repeal that cruel and bloody decree which he had obtained from the king.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
8:3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the {c} mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
(c) Meaning, that he should abolish the wicked decrees, which he had made for the destruction of the Jews.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
2. Esther’s request for her people 8:3-8
Esther again had to argue her case, this time for clemency for the Jews. Her request involved expense to the king. Esther would not have been sure he would grant it. Ahasuerus could have spared the life of the queen and Mordecai and let the rest of their fellow Jews perish. Esther’s commitment to her people, which jeopardized her own safety, was very selfless and accounts for the high honor the Jews have given her since these events transpired. Mordecai witnessed her plea (Est 8:7).
"The Book of Esther is set in the reign of Xerxes, who was heavily committed to Zoroastrianism of an orthodox variety and who reversed the practice of religious tolerance of his predecessors. He destroyed the main idol of Bel Marduk, the temple of Marduk, Esagila, and many other Mardukian temples." [Note: Robert J. Littman, "The Religious Policy of Xerxes and the Book of Esther," Jewish Quarterly Review NS65:3 (January 1975):155.]
In view of the king’s religious intolerance, it took great courage for Esther to request mercy for the Jews.
"It is very moving to see the extent to which this young girl, who has everything money can buy, identifies herself with her own kith and kin, and is prepared to risk everything in an attempt to prevent the disaster that threatens them." [Note: Baldwin, p. 95.]
"At the beginning of this story, Esther and Mordecai were hardly exemplary in the way they practiced their religious faith; but now we get the impression that things have changed. Both of them have affirmed their Jewish nationality and both were the means of calling all the Jews in the empire to prayer and fasting. In one sense, they spearheaded a Jewish ’revival’ and made being Jewish a more honorable thing in the empire." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 742.]
The king did not have authority in his government to cancel decrees (cf. Est 1:19; Dan 6:17). This awkward policy tended to lend weight to the king’s official pronouncements (as when the pope speaks ex cathedra for Roman Catholics).