Esther 8:15-17

Esther 8:15-17

[15] And Mordecai  went out  from the presence  of the king  in royal  apparel  of blue  and white,  and with a great  crown  of gold,  and with a garment  of fine linen  and purple:  and the city  of Shushan  rejoiced  [16] The Jews  had light,  and gladness,  and joy,  and honour.  [17] 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 

What does Esther 8:15-17 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

"Crown" ( Esther 8:15) should be "turban." Mordecai"s clothing reflected his important position in the government.
Evidently, Mordecai read the second decree at a public meeting in Susa. Contrast the Jews" reaction here with their response to the first decree ( Esther 3:15). God had blown away the dark cloud that had hung over their heads.
"The Jews killed only those who attacked them; they killed only the men ( Esther 9:6; Esther 9:12; Esther 9:15); and they didn"t lay hands on the loot, although they had the right to do so ( Esther 8:10; Esther 8:15-16)." [1]
"And the fact that these people were even willing to attack when they knew the Jews would protect themselves is proof that anti-Semitism was very strong throughout the empire." [2]
"Holiday" ( Esther 8:17) is literally "a good day" (cf. Esther 9:19; Esther 9:22). It refers to a religious festival. [3] This was not the Feast of Purim but a celebration in anticipation of it. Many Gentiles became proselytes to Judaism as a result of God"s obvious blessing on His people ( Esther 8:17). This is the only mention in the Old Testament that Gentiles "became Jews." They became religious Jews, not racial Jews. This testimony to the fact that Gentiles recognized God"s blessing on the Jews would have been a great encouragement to the Jews in the postexilic period (cf. Exodus 19:5-6).