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Esther 8:16-17 Esther 8
And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came , the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews ; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.
And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came , the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews ; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.
Considering previous discussions about the requirements of conversion to Judaism, if anyone has any thoughts on this text from the LXX, would love to hear what others may think.
Something that was also interesting when considering Esther's example is what Esther 2:9 notes, as she was a Crypto-Jew living in a nation notorious for being anti-semitic at times....and as she was told by her uncle to keep her ethnic heritage quiet, he blended in with the people who'd later convert to what her background was about. Esther 2:9 notes how she daily recieved her portion of food, which many have noted as indicating that she appeared not to observe Jewish dietary laws...a concern to early interpreters. For in this, she stands as a contrast to Daniel (Daniel 1:8-20) who lived earlier than she did.......and some have noted how her actions were perhaps to conceal her identity.
As one Jewish individual noted:
Esther, the heroine, is the most fully developed character in the Book. She emerges from being a compliant maiden to being Mordecais partner and an authoritative leader. Esther originally appears as a compliant young girl and respectful to her adoptive father Mordecai. She is equally compliant in the hands of Hegai, the custodian of the harem. She graciously accepts his beautifying lessons for herself (2:9). The women spend six months being purified with oil of myrrh and six additional months being purified with sweet perfumes (2:12). Do they learn the role of the women in that society? Did she learn the kings sexual preferences? Esther went to the king for her one night. The norm was a night with the King and then back into the harem as a concubine. There is no mention in this very gourmet food and drink oriented environment she asked for kosher food. In fact we are told that she did not ask for anything beyond what had been assigned her by Hegai (2:15). This is stark contrast to Daniel in Babylon where the book clearly informs of his need for kosher food (1:8).
For some excellent articles on what the Lord used Esther to teach, one can go here or to the following:
Shalom
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