Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,
Read it in contextThe Feast of Purim Instituted
Start reading at Esther 9:18 (Esther 9:18 to Esther 9:32).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The danger is addressed through a new decree, and the events become the basis for the observance of Purim.
9:18But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
9:19Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.
9:20And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,
9:21To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,
9:22As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
9:23And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;
9:24Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;
9:25But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
9:26Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,
9:27The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;
9:28And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.
9:29Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.
9:30And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,
9:31To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.
9:32And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? The final author is unknown. Mordecai is a traditional proposal and wrote letters establishing Purim, but that does not prove he composed the whole book. Biblical references: Esther 9:20; Esther 9:29. book background
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Esther 8:1–10:3): Esther, Mordecai, the king, officials, and Jewish communities throughout the provinces are involved in the counter-decree, deliverance, and establishment of Purim. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? Jewish communities in the Persian Empire and their descendants, especially those commemorating their deliverance at Purim. Biblical references: Esther 9:20; Esther 9:28. stated in the text
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? The Feast of Purim Instituted. Read Esther 9:18 through Esther 9:32 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The danger is addressed through a new decree, and the events become the basis for the observance of Purim. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The narrative dates events by the reign of Ahasuerus, including the threatened destruction and the days later commemorated as Purim. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? Shushan's palace and the Persian provinces form the setting; court scenes and provincial events should be distinguished. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in The Feast of Purim Instituted (Esther 9:18 to Esther 9:32).
Start reading at Esther 9:18. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? The preservation of the Jewish people belongs to the wider history in which the New Testament places Jesus' birth. The book itself does not name Jesus, and detailed typological identifications require argument. See Esther 9:1, Matthew 1:1, Matthew 1:17. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Consider courage, timely advocacy, and responsibility toward endangered neighbors. A reading of providence is an interpretation of the story's arrangement, rather than an explicit mention of God's name in its verses. interpretation
Cited: Esther 9:18, Esther 9:32, Esther 9:1, Matthew 1:1, Matthew 1:17
Who wrote it, and how we know
Uncertain; traditionally MordecaiFrom early tradition
What Scripture saysThe book does not name its author. It records that Mordecai wrote these things. Esther 9:20
Early traditionJewish tradition has suggested Mordecai.
What is debatedAuthorship is genuinely unknown. The book never names God directly.
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Esther 9
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Esther is set in the Persian court and provinces during Ahasuerus' reign. The text does not name its author. God's name is not explicitly used in the Hebrew-book narrative as represented here in the KJV; claims about providence are interpretive conclusions from the story. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The danger is addressed through a new decree, and the events become the basis for the observance of Purim.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The danger is addressed through a new decree, and the events become the basis for the observance of Purim.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Esther
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Esther is set in the Persian court and provinces during Ahasuerus' reign. The text does not name its author. God's name is not explicitly used in the Hebrew-book narrative as represented here in the KJV; claims about providence are interpretive conclusions from the story.