obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year,
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's really striking here is that Mordecai isn't just suggesting a celebration, he's establishing it as a permanent ordinance, a yearly command. This wasn't a one-time commemoration; it was a deliberate act to embed the memory of God's deliverance into the very rhythm of Jewish life for generations to come.
obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Following the miraculous deliverance from Haman's wicked plot, Mordecai formally decreed that the Jews should observe both the 14th and 15th days of the month Adar as annual festivals. This decree extended to all Jewish communities throughout the vast Persian empire, ensuring that the remembrance of God's salvation would be passed down through generations. The two days were established because the battle against their enemies had occurred on the 13th and 14th of Adar, with the celebrations and rest taking place on the 14th and 15th, particularly in the capital city of Susa.
Why did the Jews celebrate for two days? It wasn't just a typo in the calendar; it points to the multifaceted nature of their deliverance.
The verse instructs the Jews to keep both the 14th and 15th of Adar as annual festivals. This dual celebration stems from the events themselves:
This two-day observance reflects that God's deliverance often unfolds in stages, and remembrance should encompass the entirety of His work, not just a single moment.
Festivals aren't just parties; they are acts of intentional memory. What does it mean to 'stablish' a celebration?
The word 'stablish' here (or 'to establish' in some translations) is key. Mordecai's letters weren't just suggestions; they were a directive to make this observance a permanent fixture in Jewish life.
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Understand the original words
'Adar · Hebrew Noun
The twelfth month of the Jewish calendar, corresponding to February/March, during which the events of Esther occurred.
The establishment of the two-day Feast of Purim highlights the precariousness of Jewish existence in the diaspora and God's powerful intervention, transforming a day of intended annihilation into an annual celebration of deliverance.
c. 483 BC
Haman's Plot Conceived
Haman, a high-ranking official in the Persian Empire, devises a plan to exterminate all Jews. He casts lots (Pur) to determine the date for this destruction, which falls on the 13th of Adar.
c. 482 BC
Royal Decree for Annihilation
King Ahasuerus, influenced by Haman, issues a decree authorizing the destruction of all Jews on the 13th of Adar throughout the empire. The decree is sent to all provinces.
c. 482 BC
Jews Prepare for Defense
Upon learning of the impending decree, Mordecai and Esther rally the Jewish people. They fast and pray, and the Jews prepare to defend themselves on the appointed day.
c. 482 BC— this verse
The 13th of Adar: Battle and Victory
On the 13th of Adar, the Jews fight and overcome their enemies throughout the Persian Empire. In the capital city of Shushan, the conflict continues for a second day.
c. 482 BC
The 14th of Adar: Shushan's Victory and Joy
The Jews in Shushan defeat their remaining enemies on the 14th of Adar. This date becomes a day of feasting and rejoicing for Jews in the provinces and in Shushan.
c. 482 BC
The 15th of Adar: Shushan's Celebration
The inhabitants of Shushan, having completed their victory, set aside the 15th of Adar as a day of feasting and rejoicing, making it a two-day celebration in the capital.
c. 482 BC
Mordecai Establishes the Festival
Mordecai, now a prominent leader, codifies these events into an annual festival, the Feast of Purim, to be observed on the 14th and 15th of Adar. Letters are sent to establish this observance throughout the empire.
Just as the Passover was established as an annual remembrance of God's deliverance, the Feast of Purim was likewise instituted to commemorate the saving of the Jewish people from annihilation.
Deuteronomy 16:12This verse commands remembrance of a past deliverance, echoing the spirit of Esther 9:21 where the two days were set to remember their miraculous salvation.
Nehemiah 8:10This passage speaks of sending portions to those for whom nothing is prepared, highlighting the communal aspect of celebration and remembrance, which is also a key element in the observance of Purim.
Psalm 30:11The transformation of mourning into dancing and sorrow into gladness is a theme central to both the psalmist's reflection and the institution of Purim, celebrating deliverance from destruction.
jfbEsther 9:20-32: "And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,"
Es 9:20-32. The Two Days of Purim Made Festival.20. Mordecai wrote these things—Commentators are not agreed what is particularly meant by "these things"; whether the letters following, or an account of these marvellous events to be preserved in the families of the Jewish people, and transmitted from one generation to another.
pooleEsther 9:21: "To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,"
Because both these days had been set apart this year, the latter at Shushan, the former in other parts; and because that great work of God, which was the ground of this solemnity, had been done both upon the thirteenth and the fourteenth day.
What's really striking here is that Mordecai isn't just suggesting a celebration, he's establishing it as a permanent ordinance, a yearly command. This wasn't a one-time commemoration; it was a deliberate act to embed the memory of God's deliverance into the very rhythm of Jewish life for generations to come.
Following the miraculous deliverance from Haman's wicked plot, Mordecai formally decreed that the Jews should observe both the 14th and 15th days of the month Adar as annual festivals. This decree extended to all Jewish communities throughout the vast Persian empire, ensuring that the remembrance of God's salvation would be passed down through generations. The two days were established because the battle against their enemies had occurred on the 13th and 14th of Adar, with the celebrations and rest taking place on the 14th and 15th, particularly in the capital city of Susa.
Following the miraculous deliverance from Haman's wicked plot, Mordecai formally decreed that the Jews should observe both the 14th and 15th days of the month Adar as annual festivals. This decree extended to all Jewish communities throughout the vast Persian empire, ensuring that the remembrance of God's salvation would be passed down through generations. The two days were established because the battle against their enemies had occurred on the 13th and 14th of Adar, with the celebrations and rest taking place on the 14th and 15th, particularly in the capital city of Susa.
"obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year," — What's really striking here is that Mordecai isn't just suggesting a celebration, he's establishing it as a permanent ordinance, a yearly command. This wasn't a one-time commemoration; it was a del…
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Last reviewed October 2026