Esther 10:2

“And all the acts of his power, and of his might, etc.] As Xerxes was a very mighty and powerful prince: and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him; the history of that, and which tended not a little to the greatness, dignity and prosperity of the king himself, and his whole kingdom: are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? to which the reader is referred by the writer of this book, the which were in being in his times, but now lost: had they been preserved, they might have been of great use to lead into the history of the Medes and Persians, which for want of them is very dark and intricate; the writer of this…”

“the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai--The experience of this pious and excellent Jew verified the statement, "he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" [Mat 23:12; Luk 14:11; Luk 18:14]. From sitting contentedly at the king's gate, he was raised to the dignity of highest subject, the powerful ruler of the kingdom. Acting uniformly on the great principles of truth and righteousness, his greatness rested on a firm foundation. His faith was openly avowed, and his influence as a professor of the true religion was of the greatest usefulness for promoting the welfare of the Jewish people, as well as for advancing the glory of God.”

“Power and ... might - In the later years of Xerxes his “power and might” were chiefly shown in the erection of magnificent buildings, more especially at Persepolis. He abstained from military expeditions. Kings of Media and Persia - Media takes precedence of Persia because the kingdom of Media had preceded that of Persia, and in the “book of the Chronicles” its history came first. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Chronicles, &c. - These are lost long since, and buried in oblivion, while the sacred writings remain throughout the world. When the kingdoms of men, monarchs and their monarchies are destroyed, and their memorial is perished with them, the kingdom of God among men, and the records of that kingdom, shall remain as the days of heaven. Next: Job Chapter 1”

“10:2 The Book of the History of the Kings of Media and Persia was the Persian royal annals. While many ancient Persian records have survived, this reference to the greatness of Mordecai has not been found in any records excavated thus far.”

“all the acts: Kg1 11:41, Kg1 22:39 advanced him: Heb. made him great, Est 8:15, Est 9:4; Psa 18:35; Dan 2:48 in the book: Est 2:23, Est 6:1; Kg1 14:19 Media: Media, which comprehended the modern Azerbijan and part of Irak, was a celebrated country of Asia, bounded on the north by the Caspian Sea and Armenia, west by Assyria, south by Susiana and Persia, and east by Hyrcania and Parthia, extending from 30 degrees to 37 degrees n lat. and 45 degrees to 53 degrees e long. Persia: Persia Proper, now Fars, was but a small province, being bounded on the north by Media, west by Susiana, south by the Persian Gulf, and east by Caramania, extending from 27 degrees to 33 degrees n lat. and 50 degrees…”