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Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Esther 8:10

Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Esther 8:10

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:

10. riding on swift steeds ] As time was an object, it was important that the messengers should be well mounted. Both Herodotus (viii. 98) and Xenophon ( Cyrop. viii. 6. 17) speak of horses only as being used in Persia to carry despatches.

that were used in the king’s service ] This corresponds to but one word in the original, which occurs only in this passage, and is a Hebraised form adapted from the Persian khshatra, lordship, realm, or khshatram, a crown, which is also the source of kether, a crown (Est 1:11, Est 2:17, Est 6:8), and of the Greek .

bred of the stud ] perhaps literally, sons of the ( royal) mares. The word rendered ‘stud’ occurs here only in the Bible. In later Hebrew it means a mule born of a mare and he-ass. The LXX. and Vulgate, probably having no clue to the meaning of the words, much abbreviate the latter part of this verse, having merely, they sent the letters (Vulg. the letters were sent) by couriers.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Riders on mules, camels and young dromedaries – Most moderns translate riders upon coursers and mules, the offspring of mares; but the words translated mules and mares, are of very doubtful signification, since they scarcely occur elsewhere. The real meaning of the clause must remain doubtful; perhaps the true translation is, riders upon coursers of the kings stud, offspring of high-bred steeds. So Est 8:14.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 10. On mules, camels, and young dromedaries] What these beasts were is difficult to say. The word rechesh, which we translate mules, signifies a swift chariot horse.

The strange word achashteranim is probably a Persian word, but perhaps incurably corrupted. The most likely derivation is that of Bochart, from the Persian [Persian] akhash, huge, large, rough, and [Persian] aster, a mule; large mules.

The words beney harammachim, the sons of mares, which we translate dromedaries, are supposed to signify mules, produced between the he ass and the mare, to distinguish them from those produced between the stallion and the ass, But there is really so much confusion about these matters, and so little consent among learned men as to the signification of these words, and even the true knowledge of them is of such little importance, that we may well rest contented with such names as our modern translations have given us. They were, no doubt, the swiftest and hardiest beasts that the city or country could produce.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Which were not employed in the sending of the former letter; but this coming later required more care and speed, that the Jews might be eased from the torment of their present fears, and have time to furnish themselves with necessaries for their own defence.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

10. sent . . . by posts . . . andriders on . . . camels, and young dromedariesThe businessbeing very urgent, the swiftest kind of camel would be employed, andso the word in the original denotes the wind-camel. Youngdromedaries also are used to carry expresses, being remarkable forthe nimbleness and ease of their movements. Animals of thisdescription could convey the new rescript of Ahasuerus over thelength and breadth of the Persian empire in time to relieve theunhappy Jews from the ban under which they lay.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And he wrote in the King Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring,…. Which gave the letters authority, and made them irreversible, and for this Mordecai had the king’s order, Es 8:8

and sent letters by post; by runners or couriers:

on horseback; that rode on horses that were racers, that ran swiftly:

and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries; which were all different creatures, and swift ones, according to our version, especially the latter; see Jer 2:23 which were a kind of camels, but swifter, and would go more than one hundred miles a day a; and, as Diodorus Siculus says b, not less than 1500 furlongs or about two hundred miles: though it may be only one sort are meant, namely, “mules”, for the next word, “ahashteranim”, in the Persian language signifies mules c, and so Aben Ezra interprets it, and likewise Kimchi and Ben Melech; and the last words may be rendered “sons of mares”, so David de Pomis; that is, such mules as are gendered by he asses and mares: and so the same writer observes, that the word in the Arabic language signifies “mares”; and such mules that come from them he says are stronger than those that come from she asses; so that the whole may be rendered to this sense, “riders on mules”, (which in the Persian language are called “ahashteranim”,) namely, such as are “sons of mares”; and which according to Aelianus d and Pliny e are the swiftest; though the Persians had camels swifter than are common elsewhere, called “revatrie”, the “goer”, which trot as fast as an horse can gallop f.

a Isidor. Origin. l. 12. c. 1. Vid. Strabo Geograph. l. 15. p. 498. b Bibliothec. l. 19. p. 683. c Castell. Dictionar. Persic. col. 29. Hottinger. Smegma Oriental l. 1. c. 5. p. 75. d De Animal. l. 16. c. 9. e Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 44. f Universal History, vol. 5. p. 88.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(10) Posts.The posts. Literally, the runners. (See Note on Est. 1:22.)

Riders on mules.Rather, on horses of great speed; the swift beast of Mic. 1:13.

Camels, and young dromedaries.The words thus translated occur only here, and there is much doubt as to the meaning. It may suffice to mention two renderings :(1) Mules, the offspring of royal mares so Gesenius; or (2) we may connect the former word with the Persian word meaning royalso Canon Rawlinson, who translates the whole clause, riders upon coursers of the kings stud, offspring of high-bred steeds.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

10. Posts on horseback See notes on Est 1:22; Est 3:13.

Riders on mules Rather, on swift coursers. See note on 1Ki 4:28. The word is here a collective.

Camels The word is of Persian origin, and means royal, or pertaining to the government. The most probable meaning is royal steeds. The word occurs only here and in Est 8:14.

Young dromedaries Hebrews sons of the rammachim. The word is found only here, and is of doubtful meaning. According to Gesenius and Furst, it means mares. But, as it has the masculine termination, others understand it to mean stallions. Rawlinson gives it the more general sense of highbred steeds. Perhaps the best version of all the words would be, riders of the swift coursers, the royal steeds, offspring of the thoroughbreds.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Est 8:10. And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, &c. Josephus has given us a true copy, as he says, of this decree, or, as he terms it, of the letters which Artaxerxes sent to all the nations which lie between India and Ethiopia; wherein he represents the abuse which favourites are wont to make of their power and credit with their prince, by insulting their inferiors, flying in the face of those who raised them, and, to gratify their resentments, calumniating the innocent, and putting honest men in danger of their lives, &c. It is observable, that this decree allows the Jews to defend themselves, and therefore may, in some measure, account for the slaughter which they made of their enemies, as related in the next chapter; and, no doubt, the great sum which Haman had offered to gratify his revenge against the Jewish nation, was an additional provocation to them to slay every one who came to annoy them. But it should be remembered, that in this they acted by virtue of a royal edict, which authorized them to stand upon their own defence; that they were not the first aggressors, but only opposed those who openly assaulted them, and were for putting in execution an unjust and cruel decree against them; and as the Amalekites, who might be dispersed throughout the Persian dominions, were the known and inveterate enemies of the Jews, and, following now the fortune of Haman, might be forward enough to execute the decree which he had procured against them, it is reasonably presumed that most of those whom the Jews destroyed in their necessary defence, both at Shushan and in the provinces, were of that devoted nation, and that by this their slaughter the prophesies against Amalek were remarkably accomplished. See Bishop Patrick.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Est 8:10 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:

Ver. 10. And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’s name] For he knew that “where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?” Ecc 8:4 ; see Dan 5:19 . Mordecai, as he was careful not to abuse his authority, so he spareth not to improve it to the utmost for the Church’s good. We may also lawfully and comfortably improve the benefits and privileges granted us by princes and other benefactors. Constantine’s donation and Peter’s patrimony is much boasted of by that antichrist of Rome. A mere fiction, as various learned men of their own side have proved (Cusanus, Ficinus, Volater, Otho Frising). But if it were never so true, what power had Constantine to give away and alienate such a considerable part of the empire (might he not well have been therefore called Pupillus, as he was in scorn by some heathen historians for his bounty to poor Christians)? or with what conscience could the bishop of Rome have accepted of such a gift, and left it to his successors. But it was neither so nor so. Not Constantine, but Pepin, enlarged the pope’s territories; as not Peter, but Phocas, is the right craggy rock upon which is founded the pope’s supremacy.

And sealed it with the king’s ring] See Est 3:12 , and observe what a strange turn of things here was all on the sudden. Merlin from this clause gathereth, that the king perused and approved whatsoever the scribes wrote by the appointment of Mordecai, he saw it, and signed it.

And sent letters by posts ] See Est 3:15 . That was a witty speech of him, who said of secretaries that pretend much to Scripture: they were like posts, that bring truth in their letters and lies in their mouths. And of another, that they do angariare, make posts of the Holy Scriptures; compelling them to go two miles, which of themselves would go but one.

And riders on mules ] Which are counted swifter than horses, and yet a horse is so swift a creature, that the Argives consecrated a horse to the sun, as the swiftest beast to the swiftest planet, Equitantes in equis angariis riding on the public couriers horse (Tremel.), O .

Camels ] These were large strong beasts, that could endure long and hard travel. It is said of them, that they do drink, in praesens et in posterum, for the present and the future, and can hold out travelling three days together without food.

And young dromedaries ] These were also swift beasts, Jer 2:23 , and therefore it is by antiphrasis that among us a slow person is called a dromedary, Ut lucus a non lucendo, bellum quasi minime bellum.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

posts on horseback = couriers on horseback. Haman’s “posts” were runners on foot (Est 3:13, Est 3:15), hut speed was now essential. See Est 9:1.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

in the king: 1Ki 21:8, Ecc 8:4, Dan 4:1

by posts: Est 3:13, 2Ch 30:6, Job 9:25, Jer 51:21

mules: Rechesh, in Syriac, rechesha, probably denotes a swift horse.

camels: Achashteranim, from the Persian akhash, large, and aster, a mule, probably, as Bochart supposes, denotes a large mule.

young dromedaries: Beney harammachim, “the sons of mares,” as the word ramakat denotes in Arabic; probably an expletive of the preceeding word. Isa 60:6, Isa 66:20, Jer 2:23

Reciprocal: Gen 24:61 – they rode Gen 41:42 – his ring 1Ki 4:28 – dromedaries 1Ki 10:25 – and mules 2Ch 30:10 – the posts Est 3:12 – sealed Est 9:29 – confirm Jer 51:31 – post Dan 6:8 – establish

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Est 8:10. And he wrote in King Ahasueruss name Josephus has given us a true copy, as he says, of this decree; or, as he terms it, of the letters which Artaxerxes sent to all nations which lie between India and Ethiopia; wherein he represents the abuse which favourites are wont to make of their power and credit with their prince, by insulting their inferiors, by flying in the face of those who raised them, and, to gratify their resentments, calumniating the innocent, and putting honest men in danger of their lives, &c. And sent letters by posts, and riders on mules, &c. Which were not employed in the sending of the former letters; but these, coming later, required more care and speed, that the Jews might be eased from their present fears, and have time to provide for their own defence.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments