Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 3 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Verſe 1. And the King Ahaſhuerus laid a tribute, &c,]
AN extraordinary tribute to maintain warre againſt the Grecians, who uniting together, were then grown potent and formidable. To enable himſelf therefore the better againſt them, Xerxes gathered money, the ſinews of warre, but loſt the affections of his ſubjects the joynts of peace. He became hereby ill beloved of all ſorts, and far a leſſe King, by ſtriving to be more then he was. And hence haply one letter of his name is loſt here, for the Maſurites tell us,Druſ in lo… that in the ancient Copies he is written, not Ahaſhuerus, but Ahaſres without a Vau.
And upon the Iſles of the ſea] Judea was an Iſle, Iſa. 20.6. (but not of the ſea, for it was part of the Continent) becauſe mediâ inſeperabilis undâ, ſeparated from other Countreyes, and encircled with Gods powerful Protection. It was, ſay ſome,Herod. l. 3. by Mordecai's meanes exempted from this great taxation. Herodotus ſaith, that a Countrey near unto Arabia was exempted. He meaneth Judea, ſaith Junius, though he name it not. It may be ſo. And it may be, ſaith an Interpreter, that this is here inſerted, as being intended only of the reimpoſing of the tribute, whereof there was granted a releaſe at Eſthers marriage. chap. 2.18. yet it may be alſo added, to ſhew how God puniſhed the Nations for their late greedy gaping after the lives and eſtates of Gods people.
Verſe 2. And all the Acts of his Power and his might] Lyra and Rikelius obſerve, that Ahaſhuerus had all this power and might given him by God, as a recompence of his courteſie to the Jewes, and juſtice done upon their enemies. No man ſerveth God for nought. He is a liberal Pay-maſter, Mal. 1.10. See the Note there.
And the declaration of the greatneſſe of Mordecai] Heb. the Expoſition. Many make large Commentaries upon their own greatneſſe, which a right Expoſition would ſhew to be rather belluine then genuine. Great men are not alwayes wiſe, ſaith Elihu, Job 32.9. But Mordecai was a great wiſe man, every way accompliſh't, one of Gods Rabbines, as Daniel calls them, fit to ſerve any Prince in the world. There is a ſpirit in man, a rational ſoule in an ordinary man: but the inſpiration of the Almighty giveth them underſtanding, Job 32.8.
Whereunto the King advanced him] Heb. wherewith the King greatned him; wherein he ſhewed himſelf a wiſe and Politick Prince; as did likewiſe Pharaoh in advancing Joſeph, Darius Daniel, Conſtantius Chlorus Chriſtian Officers, our Henry the eighth, the Lord Cromwell, whom he made his Vicar-General. Jovianus the Emperour was wont to wiſh, that he might govern wiſe men, and that wiſe men might govern him. Juſtin Martyr praiſeth this ſentence of divine Plato. Common-wealths will then be happy, when either Philoſophers reigne, or Kings ſtudy Philoſophy. Juſtin. ApolJethro's Juſtitiary muſt be a wiſe man, fearing God, &c. Exod. 18. and that famous maxime of Conſtantius Chlorus, recorded by Euſebius, is very memorable. He cannot be faithful to me, that is unfaithful to God, Religion being the foundation of all true fidelity and loyalty to King and Countrey.
Are they not written in the book of the Chronicles] Theſe Chronicles of Media and Perſia, if they were now to be had, (as they are not) would far better acquaint us with the hiſtory of thoſe times, then the fragments of them, collected by Herodotus, Diodorus, Arrianus, Je…ſtin and Curtius. But better books then theſe Chronicles are now wanting to the world: as the Chronicles of the Kings of Iſrael and Iudah, the Book of the warres of the Lord, the book of Jaſher, Origens Octapla, (the loſſe which work ſaith a learned man, deplorare poſſumus, compenſare non poſſumus, bewaile we may, but make up we cannot). Chryſoſtome upon Matthew, (when promotions were offered Thomas Aquinas, his uſual anſwer was, Chryſoſtomi Commentarium in Matthaeum wallem, I had rather have Chryſoſtomes Commentary upon Matthew); and many other precious pieces, which learned men would gladly buy at as deare a rate, as Plato did thoſe three bookes that coſt him thirty thouſand Florens. That we have the holy Scriptures ſo perfect and entire, preſerved ſafe from the injuries of time, and rage of tyrants, who ſought to burne them up and aboliſh them, is a ſweet and ſingular Providence: and muſt be ſo acknowledged.
Verſe 3. For Mordecai the Jew was next unto King Ahaſhuerus] Proximus à primo, the Kings ſecond, as 2 Chron. 28.11. having the next chief ſeat to him, as Joſephus expoundeth it,foreign. and ſet over all the Princes of that Monarchy; ſo that he might well cry out with that noble General Iphicrates, foreign, from what mean beginnings to how great an eſtate and dignity am I raiſed! How long he held it is not recorded; all the dayes of his life it is likely, for the good and comfort of the Church, though not without the envy of many of the Courtiers, which he overcame more by patience then pertinacy.
And great among the Jewes] A kinde of King in Jeſhurun, as Moſes, as great among them, as if he had been their proper King. There is mention made of one Mordecai, Ezra 2.2. who was of the firſt that went up with Zorobabel. Aben-Ezra ſaith, that this Mordecai was he: and that when he ſaw that the building of the City and Temple went not on as was to be wiſhed, he returned again out of Judea to Shuſhan, and lived about the Kings Court, being not known to be a Jew, till Haman was in his greatneſſe; ſoon after which himſelf became much greater then Haman.
And accepted of the multitude of his brethren] He was their Corculum, (as Scipio:) their darling,Orbis deliciae Melancth, Chron. as Titus; Mundi Mirabilia, as otho the third Emperour of Germany was called. Of Mordecai it might be ſung, as Cardanus did of our Edward the ſixth.
Deliciae ſaecli & gloria gentis erat.
Seeking the wealth of his people] Farre more then his own private profit, glory and dignity, labouring their good both of ſoule and body by all meanes poſſible, that they might have Gaius's proſperity, and be as happy as heart could wiſh.
And ſpeaking peace] He was gentle and courteous to all, not like Polyphemus, who was Nec viſu facilis, nec dictu affabilis ulli.
Now affability and courteſie in high degree eaſily draweth mens mindes, as faire flowers in the Spring do Paſſengers eyes; Queen Elizabeth for inſtance, of whom before. Moreover he ſpoke good of them, and for them to the King, and promoted their proſperity to the utmoſt.
To all his ſeed] i. e. to all his Countreymen, as if they had been his own children. And here that ſweet Promiſe of God made to the good figges, was fulfiled. Jeremy had perſwaded Jehoiakim, and many others with him, to yield themſelves up into the hands of the King of Aſſyria, aſſuring them, that ſo doing they ſhould fare farre better then thoſe that ſtood out. They did ſo, and Mordecai among the reſt, as ſome will have it; and now ſee how well they ſpeed, ſee the faithfulneſſe of God in fulfilling his Promiſes; the reward of the righteous, the triumph of truſt.
Again, to all his ſeed] That is, poſteris ſuis, ſo ſome ſenſe it; he ſpoke peace to all his ſeed,…olocut…s eſt …ſperitatem …du Judaeo… poſterita. Merlin. that is, proſperity to all the Jewes poſterity: providing for their future happineſſe alſo, and taking courſe, that after his death too, the welfare of the Church might be continued. This was dying Davids care, 1 Chronicles 28.1, 2, &c. and Pauls, Acts 20.29. and Peters, 2 epiſt. 1.15. and Ambroſes, of whom Theodoſius ſpeaking, ſaid, Dilexi virum, I could not but love the man exceedingly for this, that when he died he was more ſolicitous of the Churches then of his own dangers. So was Calvin as is teſtified in his life. Nay, Cicero, as he could confidently ſing.
O fortunatam natam me conſule Romam.
So he elſwehere profeſſeth, that he was in no leſſe care what the Common-wealth would do when he was dead, then whiles he was yet alive.Cic. de amici
Soli Deo Gloria in aeternum.