Esther 2:17

And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

Ver. 17. And the king loved Esther] This was the Lord's own work, who regarded the low estate of his handmaid, Luke 1:48, and framed the king's heart to affect her. Let all such maids as desire loving husbands, and all such wives as would have their husbands loyal and loving to them, get God's favour, and adorn themselves with humility and modesty, as Esther did. Let Christian husbands also learn (for shame) of this barbarian, to love their wives above all women, with a conjugal, chaste, and fast affection: not lusting and hankering after strange flesh. It is remarkable, that after Solomon had said, "Rejoice in the wife of thy youth, … be thou ravished always with her love; ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?" Proverbs 5:19,20 .

She obtained grace and favour in his sight] Surely as meat pleaseth better in a clean dish, so virtue in comely persons is more amiable, saith Hugo. Beauty of itself is a greater commendation, saith Aristotle, than all letters testimonial.

So that he set the royal crown upon her head] For queens also had their crowns, and did shine with the beams of their husbands; saying, as once those Roman ladies, Ubi tu Caius, ibi ego Caia, Wheresoever thou art king I also am queen. Severus here saith, that the king clothed Esther with a purple robe, to show that he shared the kingdom with her, but the text holdeth forth no such matter; indeed, he made her queen instead of Vashti, he made also a great wedding feast, and gave a release to the provinces, and gifts to his grandees, as it followeth.