Esther 9:19
Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The celebration here highlights that joy isn't just about personal feasting, but actively sharing with others, especially the less fortunate. This practice of sending food portions wasn't merely a friendly gesture, but a deliberate way to ensure everyone, even the poor, could participate in the day's gladness.
The Jewish people have just survived a plot to annihilate them, and the king's decree allowed them to defend themselves against their enemies. The preceding verses describe how they decisively defeated those who wished them harm, particularly in the capital city of Susa, and how this victory was established as a festival day. This verse explains that Jews living outside the capital, in the smaller towns and villages, also celebrated their deliverance, observing the victory on the 14th of Adar and sharing food with each other to ensure everyone could rejoice.
While the capital city, Susa, celebrated on the 15th, the Jewish communities in the countryside observed their victory a day earlier. What made their observance distinct?
Celebrating the Countryside
The text distinguishes between those in the major city of Susa and those in the "villages" or "country towns." These rural communities, often less fortified, made the 14th of Adar a special day.
Beyond feasting, the Jews exchanged gifts. What does this act of 'sending portions' reveal about their hearts after such a close call with destruction?
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More Than Just a Party
The phrase "send gifts of food to one another" points to a profound aspect of the commemoration. It wasn't merely about personal enjoyment but about extending the celebration outwards.
Understand the original words
yom tov · Hebrew Noun
A time set apart for celebration or religious observance, commemorating specific acts of God's providence or historical milestones.
manah · Hebrew Noun
An act of generosity or communal kindness, often serving to cement bonds among God's people during times of celebration.
The verse highlights how the celebration of Purim was adapted by Jews living in rural towns. Unlike those in major cities who celebrated on the 15th of Adar, they observed their feast on the 14th, the very day they had achieved victory, ensuring no work interfered with their joyful remembrance.
c. 483 BC
Esther becomes queen
Esther, a Jewish orphan, is chosen by King Xerxes of Persia to be his queen, unaware of her ethnic identity.
c. 475 BC
Haman's plot against the Jews
Haman, a high-ranking official, rises to power and plots to annihilate all Jews in the Persian Empire due to his personal animosity towards Mordecai.
c. 475 BC
The King issues decree of annihilation
King Xerxes unwittingly signs Haman's decree, setting a specific date for the extermination of all Jewish people throughout the empire.
c. 475 BC— this verse
Jews prepare for self-defense
Upon learning of the impending doom, Mordecai and Esther rally the Jewish people to defend themselves on the day appointed for their destruction.
c. 475 BC
The Jews defeat their enemies
On the 13th of Adar, the Jews fight back against those who sought to destroy them, turning the tables and gaining victory across the empire.
c. 475 BC
Institution of Purim
Following their victory, the Jews establish the annual festival of Purim, commemorating their deliverance. The 14th of Adar becomes a day of feasting and gift-giving, especially for those in rural areas who may have fought on that day.
This passage speaks of rejoicing before the Lord during the Feast of Weeks, emphasizing inclusion of family and servants, mirroring the communal joy and sharing found in Esther 9:19.
Nehemiah 8:10Ezra and Nehemiah instruct the people to 'send portions to anyone who has nothing prepared,' highlighting the communal sharing aspect of a feast day, which directly parallels the practice described in Esther.
Psalm 30:11-12This psalm celebrates God turning mourning into dancing and sorrow into joy, a powerful echo of the Purim festival, which commemorates the Jews' deliverance from destruction into celebration and sharing.
Proverbs 17:22This verse states that 'a joyful heart is good medicine,' underscoring the therapeutic and positive impact of the gladness and feasting prescribed for the fourteenth of Adar.
bensonEsther 9:19: "Therefore 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."
Esther 9:19. The Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns — Hebrew, in the cities of the villages; that is, in the lesser cities and villages, which are here opposed to the great city Shushan, and those who dwelt in it. Made the fourteenth day a day of gladness, &c. — N…
clarkeEsther 9:19: "Therefore 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."
The Jews of the villages - They joined that to the preceding day, and made it a day of festivity, and of sending portions to each other; that is, the rich sent portions of the sacrifices slain on this occasion to the poor, that they also might be enabled to make the day a day of fest…
The celebration here highlights that joy isn't just about personal feasting, but actively sharing with others, especially the less fortunate. This practice of sending food portions wasn't merely a friendly gesture, but a deliberate way to ensure everyone, even the poor, could participate in the day's gladness.
The Jewish people have just survived a plot to annihilate them, and the king's decree allowed them to defend themselves against their enemies. The preceding verses describe how they decisively defeated those who wished them harm, particularly in the capital city of Susa, and how this victory was established as a festival day. This verse explains that Jews living outside the capital, in the smaller towns and villages, also celebrated their deliverance, observing the victory on the 14th of Adar and sharing food with each other to ensure everyone could rejoice.
The Jewish people have just survived a plot to annihilate them, and the king's decree allowed them to defend themselves against their enemies. The preceding verses describe how they decisively defeated those who wished them harm, particularly in the capital city of Susa, and how this victory was established as a festival day. This verse explains that Jews living outside the capital, in the smaller towns and villages, also celebrated their deliverance, observing the victory on the 14th of Adar and sharing food with each other to ensure everyone could rejoice.
"Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another." — The celebration here highlights that joy isn't just about personal feasting, but actively sharing with others, especially the less fortunate. This practice of sending food portions wasn't merely a fr…
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