Esther — Chapter 11

Anno quarto, regnantibus Ptolemaeo et Cleopatra

In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra — in Egypt. For from the first Ptolemy Lagos all subsequent Egyptian kings were called Ptolemies; queens were called Cleopatras. This Ptolemy is taken to be the sixth, surnamed Philometor, who followed Alexander the Great and greatly favored the Jews, even committing the governance of his whole kingdom to them, appointing Onias and Dositheus as commanders of his military forces, as Josephus bk. II Against Apion testifies. This verse is not from Mordecai, nor added by the Septuagint (who lived before Philometor under Ptolemy Philadelphus), but was inserted by some later hagiographer-scribe for historical reasons.

Anno secundo, regnante Artaxerxe maximo

In the second year of the reign of the great Artaxerxes — here begins Mordecai's letter, written in the second year of Artaxerxes, i.e., Darius Hystaspes ruling in Persia. For \"Artaxerxes\" was a common name of the Persian kings, just as \"Assuerus\" was of the Median kings. This was the same year in which Darius granted the Jews permission to resume the construction of the temple, which Cyrus had begun but his son Cambyses had stopped (1 Esd. 4 and 6).

Et hoc ejus somnium fuit: Apparuerunt voces

This was his dream: There appeared voices, and tumults, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and disturbance upon the earth. All these things signified the tumults and confusions which Haman stirred up against the Jews through the edict commanding all to be killed. For there were many hundreds of thousands of Jews all destined to death along with their wives, daughters, and slave girls. Consider what consternation, tumult, and lamentation there was among them.

Paratique contra se in praelium

And they were prepared to fight against each other — in Greek: \"They came forth to fight each against the other\" — namely Mordecai against Haman.

Ut pugnarent contra gentem justorum

To fight against the nation of the righteous — that is, against the Jews, who were a people dedicated to the faithful worship of God.

Fons parvus crevit in fluvium maximum, et

The little spring grew into a very great river, and turned into light and sun, and the lowly were exalted and devoured the famous. The little spring was Esther with her Jews, who at first was worthless and insignificant, grew into a river, and was turned into light and sun, when made queen she elevated Mordecai and the Jews, so that they triumphed over Haman and their enemies by slaying them. The spring alludes to little fountains that in deep places like wells and caves spring up modestly and are therefore dark and shadowed; but growing by the confluence of neighboring waters, they become clear and bright — indeed gleaming like the sun, especially when beaten by the sun's rays so that the sun expresses in them either a rainbow or its own image, as in a parhelion, when the sun shining through watery rarefied clouds displays what appears to be another sun in them. In like manner after gaining the kingdom Esther shone with majesty and glory like the sun.

Cogitabat quid Deus facere vellet

He pondered what God wished to do, and it was fixed in his mind, wishing to know what the dream signified. This shows that when Mordecai first had the dream, he did not understand its meaning, but gradually came to know it from the course of events and the instinct of God. He felt in general, however, that God was inspiring him, that something great was being signified in favor of the Jews. Hence Josephus son of Gorion bk. II: \"When Haman was so hostile to him, Mordecai said to Esther: 'The dream which I told you in the days of your youth is being fulfilled.'\"