Tyndale Open Study NotesEsther 9

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month: When the day came, many enemies of the Jews wanted to fulfill Haman's wishes.

People saw that Mordecai was the leader, so they knew opposing him was unwise.

put all their enemies to the sword: It was not an attack on defenseless people or a ruthless killing spree. Instead, it was a successful self-defense against their attackers. The phrase here echoes Haman’s original decree (Esther 3:12).

Most people in the fortress of Susa supported Mordecai. The Jews killed 500 men, likely including Haman's relatives and close supporters, in a small revolt.

They killed these ten sons of Haman: Everything Haman had boasted about (Esther 5:11) was gone, including his ten sons.

but they did not lay a hand on the plunder: Although taking plunder from attackers was allowed (Esther 8:11), the Jews did not want the tainted wealth of Haman’s sons. Many years earlier, Abram had refused his share of the plunder from the king of Sodom (Genesis 14:21–23).

If the king had been upset by the high numbers, he would not have allowed more fighting (Esther 9:14–15). It is more likely that the king was surprised by how many people supported Haman and opposed Mordecai's new leadership. He was concerned about the empire's political stability.

Esther might have known that some people in Susa who attacked Jews on the first day escaped. They could be planning more attacks to avenge Haman's death.

So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa: The king did not want fighting groups in the palace planning to kill each other.

Once again, the Jews chose the high moral ground and did not take any plunder from their enemies, even though it was legally allowed (Esther 8:11; 9:10).

75,000 seems like a large number. The Old Greek translation mentions 15,000, and the Targum notes 10,107 men. The Hebrew word translated as thousands can also mean an extended family or lineage. So, it is possible that 75 extended families were killed.

they rested, making it a day of feasting and joy: Although God is not mentioned, they likely thanked God for their rescue. This marked the start of a new festival, later called Purim (Esther 9:19–32).

• The annual festival and holiday of Purim celebrates God's blessing of peace from their enemies (see Deuteronomy 25:19; Joshua 21:44; 1 Samuel 7:11–14). The narrator notes that the festival was celebrated up to that time. Now, more than 2,400 years later, Jewish people still celebrate it every year.

• The exchange of food gifts showed the people's unity and care for each other. It also helped spread joy during the festival.

These verses summarize the events that lead to the Festival of Purim.

This paragraph explains why Purim is an accepted Jewish festival, even though Moses did not authorize it with other festival days.

The letter that Queen Esther wrote officially supported Mordecai's proposal (Esther 9:20–23).