Esther 8:1,2

IX. Proclamation of Xerxes, Esther 8:1-17

A. Mordecai's Reward

TEXT: Esther 8:1-2

1

On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews-' enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.

2

And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

Today's English Version, Esther 8:1-2

That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther all the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Esther told the king that Mordecai was related to her, and from then on Mordecai was allowed to enter the king's presence. The king took off his ring with his seal on it (which he had taken back from Haman) and gave it to Mordecai. Esther put Mordecai in charge of Haman's property.

COMMENTS

Esther 8:1 Endowed: When a criminal was executed, everything that belonged to him became the property of the royal treasury. His estate was either used by the king for his own personal pleasure or for the programs of his government. Sometimes the king would make such an estate a gift to those who had been wronged by the criminal. In this case the king gave Haman's fortune to Esther. As pointed out in Esther 3:9-11 Haman's fortune probably exceeded ten million dollars. This was an extraordinary thing to happen to a Jewish woman of the exiles. Some of the male exiles among the Jews became rich (e.g. Daniel), but for a woman to reach such heights of power and property was unheard of.

Haman is called the Jew's enemy. Haman continued to be regarded as the prototype of the enemy of the Jews throughout the ages. It became customary to make loud noise in the synagogues to drown out his name whenever mentioned in the Purim reading of the book of Esther. A late 19th century Jewish work of art from Poland pictures Haman leading Mordecai through the streets of Susa. Haman's wife Zeresh, mistaking him for Mordecai, dumps slop on her husband from the window of her house.
From this day forward Mordecai became a high official (came before the king) and attended the king's court.

Esther 8:2 Empowered: The king had retrieved the very important signet ring which he had given to Haman (Esther 3:10). He took it off his own finger and gave it to Mordecai. Thus the power so greedily coveted and wickedly used by Haman was transferred to the man he had hated so vehemently. Mordecai could act in the king's name with the same power Haman formerly possessed. And Esther, although she would not want to insult the king by giving to Mordecai what had been given to her, did the next best thing and appointed him administrator of Haman's estate. Mordecai moved into the palatial dwellings formerly occupied by Haman and was thus provided a residence befitting his new position. No doubt, Mordecai ordered the removal of that gruesome gallows and the body of Haman before he moved in.