Esther 1:1-22

1:1-2 | King Ahasuerus of Persia reigned from 486-465 BC as Persia’s fifth king. Ahasuerus is a title meaning “high father” or “venerable king” and was used to refer to all the Persian kings, much like the term Pharoah was used to refer to Egyptian kings. This king’s real name was Xerxes.

1:3-4 | Feasting is a frequent theme in Esther. This 180-day feast was staged to present the king’s wealth and persuade his people of his ability to carry out a campaign against Greece. Success would make him the supreme ruler of the world of that day.

1:5 | The citadel, or palace, was in Shushan (Susa) and served as one of the king’s lavish winter residences. It was also the site of one of Daniel’s visions (Dan. 8:2). Remains of this palace have been discovered in the modern-day city of Shush, in Iran.

1:12 | Queen Vashti was deposed at about the same time that she gave birth to a son, Artaxerxes (484 or 483 BC). Although her insubordination infuriated the king and cost her the kingdom. Vashti seems to have regained some of her influence when Artaxerxes ascended the thrown in 465 BC, and until she died in 424 BC.

1:10-12 | The king’s anger was aroused, probably because of embarrassment. His guests were gathered to decide whether or not they were going to follow him into war against Greece, and he could not even control his own wife.

1:13-20 | King Ahasuerus like to make decisions by committee, gathering those he deemed wise. In this case, he was advised by lawyers and astrologers. Like modern-day spin-doctors, they sought to help him out of an embarrassing political situation so that the people of Persia would know their king could command both his wife and his country.