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178 lines
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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Esther: Introduction].</TITLE>
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"This site is for those friends and family members who may or may not know Our Lord Jesus Christ, and if not, they may come to know Our Lord through His Prophets."> <meta name="author" content="Brian Duncalfe">
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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<h3><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank">Back to Biblesnet.com Home Page</a>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%">
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<TR>
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<TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP">
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Previous</A>]
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[<A HREF="MHC17001.HTM">Next</A>]<BR>
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<TD ALIGN="RIGHT" VALIGN="TOP">
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1708)
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</TD></TR></TABLE>
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR>
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<P><FONT SIZE=+3>Esther</FONT></P>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD VALIGN=TOP>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC17001.HTM">Chapter 1</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC17002.HTM">Chapter 2</A>
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</TD>
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<TD VALIGN=TOP>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC17003.HTM">Chapter 3</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC17004.HTM">Chapter 4</A>
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</TD>
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<TD VALIGN=TOP>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC17005.HTM">Chapter 5</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC17006.HTM">Chapter 6</A>
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</TD>
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<TD VALIGN=TOP>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC17007.HTM">Chapter 7</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC17008.HTM">Chapter 8</A>
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</TD>
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<TD VALIGN=TOP>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC17009.HTM">Chapter 9</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC17010.HTM">Chapter 10</A>
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</TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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</CENTER>
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<BR>
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<HR>
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<A NAME="Page1121"> </A>
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<CENTER>
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<P><B>AN</B></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=+2>EXPOSITION,</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=+1>W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E R V A T I O N S,</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=-1>OF THE BOOK OF</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=+3><B>E S T H E R.</B></FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=75>
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</P></CENTER>
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<P>
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How the providence of God watched over the Jews that had returned out
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of captivity to their own land, and what great and kind things were
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done for them, we read in the two foregoing books; but there were many
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who staid behind, having not zeal enough for God's house, and the holy
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land and city, to carry them through the difficulties of a removal
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thither. These, one would think, should have been excluded the special
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protection of Providence, as unworthy the name of Israelites; but our
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God deals not with us according to our folly and weakness. We find in
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this book that even those Jews who were scattered in the provinces of
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the heathen were taken care of, as well as those who were gathered in
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the land of Judea, and were wonderfully preserved, when doomed to
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destruction and appointed as sheep for the slaughter. Who drew up this
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story is uncertain. Mordecai was as able as any man to relate, on his
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own knowledge, the several passages of it; <I>quorum pars magna
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fuit--for he bore a conspicuous part in it;</I> and that he wrote such
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an account of them as was necessary to inform his people of the grounds
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of their observing the feast of Purim we are told
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Es+9:20"><I>ch.</I> ix. 20</A>,
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<I>Mordecai wrote these things,</I> and sent them enclosed in letters
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to all the Jews), and therefore we have reason to think he was the
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penman of the whole book. It is the narrative of a plot laid against
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the Jews to cut them all off, and which was wonderfully disappointed by
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a concurrence of providences. The most compendious exposition of it
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will be to read it deliberately all together at one time, for the
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latter events expound the former and show what providence intended in
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them. The name of God is not found in this book; but the apocryphal
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addition to it (which is not in the Hebrew, nor was ever received by
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the Jews into the can on), containing six chapters, begins thus,
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<I>Then Mordecai said, God has done these things.</I> But, though the
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name of God be not in it, the finger of God is, directing many minute
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events for the bringing about of his people's deliverance. The
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particulars are not only surprising and very entertaining, but edifying
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and very encouraging to the faith and hope of God's people in the most
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difficult and dangerous times. We cannot now expect such miracles to be
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wrought for us as were for Israel when they were brought out of Egypt,
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but we may expect that in such ways as God here took to defeat Haman's
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plot he will still protect his people. We are told,
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I. How Esther came to be queen and Mordecai to be great at court, who
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were to be the instruments of the intended deliverance,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Es+1:1-2:23"><I>ch.</I> i., ii.</A>
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II. Upon what provocation, and by what arts, Haman the Amalekite
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obtained an order for the destruction of all the Jews,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Es+3:1-15"><I>ch.</I> iii.</A>
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III. The great distress the Jews, and their patriots especially, were
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in thereupon,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Es+4:1-17"><I>ch.</I> iv.</A>
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IV. The defeating of Haman's particular plot against Mordecai's life,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Es+5:1-7:10"><I>ch.</I> v.-vii.</A>
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V. The defeating of his general plot against the Jews,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Es+8:1-17"><I>ch.</I> viii.</A>
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VI. The care that was taken to perpetuate the remembrance of this,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Es+9:1-10:3"><I>ch.</I> ix., x.</A>
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The whole story confirms the Psalmist's observation
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+37:12,13">Ps. xxxvii. 12, 13</A>),
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<I>The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his
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teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him; he sees that his day is
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coming.</I></P>
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<!-- (End Body) -->
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Previous</A>]
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[<A HREF="MHC17001.HTM">Next</A>]<BR>
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<TD ALIGN="RIGHT" VALIGN="TOP">
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1708)
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<!--Matthew_Henry's_Commentary_on_the_Whole_Bible:_Esther_Introduction.--><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank"><b>Back to Bibles Net . Com - Online Christian Library </b></a><br>
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<a href="http://biblesnet.com/download.html" target="_blank"><br>
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<b>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Free Download</b></a><br>
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