The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1899-10-05
HAMAN's PLOT AGAINST JEWS
International sunday school Lesson
tor October Y, 1SO0-Text, Esther
31-1i-MemOry Verses, o, O.

s1-11-Me mOry verses, o, u.
Especially Arranged from Peloubet's Notes.1
GOLDEN TEXT.-If God be for u.s. who
can be against us?-Rom. s: 81.
READ Chapters 1-3.
TIME.-The time of the story was some
where about the middle of Xerxes' reign,
4S6-465 62 years after the first return. AZ
after the completion of the temple, and l6
before Ezra went up to Jerusalem l. xerxes'
Third Year.-The great feast Il: 81, b. G. 4s3.
g. His Seventh Year.-Esther made queen
(2I6), b. C. 40 8. His Thirteenth Year
Haman's plot and Esther's heroism, b. G.
47S
PLACE.-Shushan tSusa). the winter
capital of the Persian empire, about 200
miles south of east from Babylon, and 125
miles north of the Persian gulf. The site
of the ancient Susa has been explored and
remains of the great palace have been dis
EXPLANATORY.
The Book of Esther.--The author is
unknown, but must have been some one
"living in the heart of Persia, man
who was intimately acquainted with
the scenery he describes" - Prof.
Adeney. The date of writing is also un-
known. Prof Sayce places it at B. c.
425. He says that the minuteness of de-
tail shows that the author lived before
the overthrow of the Persian power,
B. C. 331. Some place the date still later.
Historical Accuracy.
l. The Great Feast of Shushan, B. G.
4s3.-Esther 1910. According to Hero
dotus, NerXes held an assembly to ar
range for the Grecian war in the third
year of his reign, and it is probably this
feast which is described in the first
chapter of the book of Esther, as given
to the mobiles of the realm, assembled at
Shushan from all parts of the empire.
1t lasted $50 days, or six months. AT
this long-continued fete were gathered
the chief officers and mobiles from the
! whole empire. Everything was done to
impress upon them the greatness and
power of the king, and the unlimited
resources at his command.
II. Queen Vashti Deposed.-Esther
1:1O-22. Vashti refuses the indelicate
, summons of her drunken husband. 1t
is suggested by Prof. Adeney that
Vashti herself may have been under the
influence of the wine drunk at her own
feast, and so rendered reckless, and in
spired with Fictitious courage. But
while do not see with DR.. GLADDEN. that
"Vashti is the CHARACTER which Rost de-
mands our sympathy vet I do agree
! with pr. Taylor whep ks ssVsi For
my part, I consi1s sf h9f Conduct Worthy
of an praise; and hold that she was en-.
tirely right in what she did II.
. 1rf. Queen EsEE6er.-tfaS. :. An in
terval of four years occurs before new
queen is found in place of vasht. 1t
,, was during this interval that his great
: invasion of Greece took place. After
the return of Xerxes from his great de-
feat Esther was chosen queen.
". Haman's Plot Against the Jews.
! --Vs. Ill. Four or five years later
(3:O. vi. "Haman:" Nothing further
is known of him. "The Agagita:"
probably term of reproach" (Scrib-
ner's Bib. Dic.) or local name of his
birthplace.
V. 2. Bowed" Frustrated him
self, 'for such was the ordinary eastern
practice. "Mordecai:" A Jew, and an
elder cousin of Esther (2:7), whom he
had adopted as his daughter (2:15.)
"Bowed not" Because in so doing he
would have been untrue to his God and
his religion.
V. 8. "The kings gate:" An open
space before the gate of his palace.
v. 4. whether Mordecai's matters"
Tor, rather, "words") "would stand"
j. e., whether his excuse would be al
lowed. 'He had told them that he was
jew" So that they would understand
why he could not worship Haman.
v. 6. ''He thought scorn to lay hands
on Mordecai alone:" IF Haman had
simply said to Ahasuerus: There is
one of your menials, who persistenly
disobeys u royal edict, and at the same
time insults me- Ahasuerus would, as
matter of course, have told him to put
the menial to death. But the revenge
full temper of the man was such that
this seemed to him insufficient. Sought
to destroy all the Jews that were
throughout the whole kingdom OF
Ahasuerus. Massacres on large scale
VT. "In the first month" of the Jew.
ish religious year. "Nisan:" Core.
spending to our March-April, the mid
die Of which is our Easter. They cast
Pur:" The word from which Purim
the name of the feast commemoratine G
this deliyerance, was derived. "Casl
the lot from month
to month" to find the favorable day fol
asking his favor of Xerxes, just as the
augurs of the Romans by sacrifices, ol
the flight of birds sought for a day o.
. good omen for great undertakings.
, V. 8. "A certain people scattered
abroad:" Who, by their ceremonie
. and by their religion, were kept from
interminghng with the other peoples
and being absorbed by them, as ha
been the remarkable fact ever since.
V.9. "Let it be written that they ma,
be destroyed" See under v. 6. "Tel
thousand talents of silver" Variousl,
estimated at s1o,OOO,ooo to $4,000, 900.
". 10. King took his ring:" His sig
net, either ring or cylinder. "Gav
II l1nfO Hamap,O Go that ha oorld cir,