EXPOSITION
RESULT OF THE SECOND EDICT' THE JEWS RESIST THEIR ENEMIES, AND EFFECT A GREAT SLAUGHTER OF THEM, BUT DO NOT LAY HAND ON THEIR GOODS (Esther 9:1-16). The Jews of all the provinces, having had ample time to prepare themselves, "gathered themselves together in their cities," as the day fixed by the first edict approached (Esther 9:2), and made their arrangements. Their "enemies" no doubt did the same, and for some time before the 13th of Adar two hostile camps stood facing each other in each of the great towns throughout the empire. Mordecai's position at the capital being known, and his power evidently established, the Persian governors of all grades understood it to be their duty to throw their weight into the scale on behalf of the Jews, and lend them whatever help they could (Esther 9:3). At last the day arrived, and the struggle took place. The Jews everywhere got the better of their adversaries. In "Shushan the palace" as it was called, or the upper town, of which the palace formed a part, they killed 500 of them (Esther 9:6). In the rest of the empire, if we accept the numbers of the present Hebrew text, as many as 75,000 (Esther 9:16). The Septuagint translators, however, who would have no reason for falsifying the text, give the number as 15,000, which seems to be intrinsically more probable. They also, on the ensuing day, the 14th of Adar, by special permission of Ahasuerus, contended with their adversaries in Shnshan a second time, and slew on this occasion 300 (Esther 9:15). Among the killed, the only persons mentioned by name are ten sons of Haman, who were slain in "Shushan the palace" on the first day, while on the second day permission was given to expose their bodies on crosses (Esther 9:14). A remarkable feature of the struggle, and one which is noticed three several times (Esther 9:10, Esther 9:15, Esther 9:16), was, that, notwithstanding the clause in the edict which allowed the Jews "to take the spoil of their enemies for a prey" (Esther 8:11), neither in the capital nor in the provinces did the triumphant Israelites touch the property of those opposed to them. There was an evident wish to show that they were not actuated by greed, but simply desirous of securing themselves from future molestation.