Esther — Chapter 16

Dum aures principum simplices, et ex sua

While the simple ears of princes, who by their very nature estimate others by themselves, are deceived by cunning fraud. Hence princes and everyone else should learn not to easily believe accusations and accusers, nor to confide too much in a single counselor; but if they wish to know the truth, they should hear many — for \"he who easily believes is light of heart and will be diminished\" (Ecclus. 19:4). So Joshua and the Hebrews were deceived by the Gibeonites because they too easily believed their lies. So Holofernes was killed by Judith because he rashly trusted her. So Samson was betrayed by Delilah because he trusted her with the secret of his strength in his hair.

Nec putare debetis, si diversa jubeamus

Nor should you think, if we order different things (revoking Haman's decree for killing the Jews), that this comes from our own fickleness — lest we seem to violate or easily abrogate the law of the Persians commanding the decrees of kings to be irrevocable. For the former decree was not the king's but Haman's, who fraudulently and by lies extorted it from the king without his true knowledge; it was therefore surreptitious, unjust, and impious, and now that the truth is known, must be revoked and corrected by this new royal edict.

Aman filius Amadathi, et animo et gente

Haman, son of Amadathi, both in mind and race a Macedonian, foreign to Persian blood. Although born in Persia, he traced his lineage and origin from the Macedonians, and therefore was inclined toward the Macedonians as toward his own people — alien to and opposed to the Persians — and was slyly seeking to transfer the kingdom from the Persians to his Macedonians, as follows.

Et spiritu — id est vita

And of spirit — that is, of life itself.

Ut interfectis (Judaeis) insidiaretur solitudini

So that after killing them (the Jews, and especially Esther and Mordecai, my most faithful friends and guardians of my life), he might plot against our solitude — meaning to kill me thus stripped of faithful guardians, and through fraud and treachery seize my kingdom. This is clear from the fact that this letter was dictated not so much by the king as by Esther and Mordecai — who were upright, truthful, and God-fearing — and who from Haman's secret letters and from interrogating and carefully examining his accomplices detected and demonstrated Haman's fraud and conspiracy against the king. Here that saying of Ecclus. 11:36 is true: \"Receive a stranger and he will overturn you in a whirlwind, and will estrange you from your own.\"

Et filios altissimi et maximi, semperque

And the children of the most high and most mighty, ever-living God, whose beneficence has given both to our fathers and to us the kingdom, and up to this day has preserved it. By \"fathers\" understand the preceding kings, especially Cyrus, to whom God through Isaiah ch. 45 v. 4 foretold and promised the kingdom, and Cyrus acknowledged this and therefore dismissed the Jews freely from Babylon (1 Esd. 1:1). This same Darius acknowledged likewise, as is clear from this passage and from 3 Esd. 4:43ff.

Et cognatio ejus pendet in patibulis

And his kindred hangs on gibbets — note that \"kindred\" here means his relatives and connections, not his sons; for the sons of Haman were killed and hanged in the ninth month after this edict, namely in the last month of Adar, as I said at ch. 9 v. 13. For as Ammianus bk. 25 says, laws among the Persians were greatly feared, \"inasmuch as on account of the crime of one man all his kindred perished.\"

Inter ceteros festos dies, hanc habetote diem

Among the other feast days, keep this day — for the Persians had their own feasts, especially dedicated to Mithra, i.e., the Sun, whom they worshiped as a god. It is not surprising that Darius ordered this feast of the victory of the Jews to be celebrated also by the eastern Persians, both because he himself was entirely dependent on his Esther and Mordecai, and because he had already acknowledged and worshiped the true God of the Hebrews, as is clear from v. 16.

Omnis autem provincia et civitas, quae

Every province and city that refuses to be a participant in this solemn day shall perish by sword and fire; and shall be so destroyed that it shall be forever impassable to men and even to beasts, as an example of contempt and disobedience. By this severe sanction the king ensured that the feast of Purim should be universally observed throughout his empire — both by Jews and Persians — so that its memory might endure for all generations.