and hung. Mordecai's promotion. Esther entreats for her people. Success. Rejoicing of the Jews. sentenced to death. Harbonah, one of the king's chamberlains, referred to the gallows fifty cubits high which the infatuated miscreant had prepared for the object of his own hatred and vengeance. The king at once caught the allusion, and uttered the awful sentence "Hang him thereon." Thus did the providence of God frustrate the crafty designs of the great enemy of his oppressed people, and furnish a perpetual memorial to the world of his power and wisdom in bringing about his own purposes by unexpected and wonderful means. Esther became now possessed of the house of her enemy, which was bestowed upon Mordecai. The Jews, however, were not yet exempted from the decree which had been issued for their extermination. Esther, therefore, again ventures in to the king, and falling before him, urges with tears that he would "put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews." She was received as before, and proceeded to entreat that letters should be despatched to counter-order the former commands. The king was now in the humour to concede every thing; but as the Persian laws were irreversible, he could not directly rescind an edict already sent into the provinces; but he adopted the plan of putting his ring into the hands of Mordecai and Esther, to seal whatever decree they thought proper to frame in this emergency. Accordingly they gave the Jews authority to defend themselves to the utmost, calculating, in all probability, that few would attempt to massacre that people under such circumstances. It appears, however, that there was a considerable conflict, and no fewer than five hundred of their assailants were slain in the royal city. The ten sons of Haman were also slain, and, at the request of the queen, hung on the gallows. In consequence of the danger which threatened the Jews being now averted, the following two days, namely, the fourteenth and fifteenth of the month Adar, were filled with great rejoicings; and these, with the preceding day, were set apart by the orders of Mordecai and Esther, for the annual commemoration of these extraordinary circumstances; the thirteenth as a fast, on account of the intended destruction of the Jewish people, and the other two as a The fast or feast, because of their deliverance from it. The fast they call the fast of Esther; the feast, the feast of Purim, a word derived from the Persian language, signifying lots, because it was by the casting of lots that Haman determined the time of their extermination. During this time the book of Esther is read in all their synagogues, when all classes are required to be present; men, women, children, and servants. As often as the name of Haman occurs, they all clap their hands, and stamp with their feet, exclaiming "Let his memory perish.' feast of com memoration, INDEX. Aaron, his appointment, 114. Dies on Mount Hor, 127. Favours Adonijah's conspiracy, Is banished by Solomon, 229. Abijah (king of Judah,) defeats Jero- Abimelech takes Sarah into his Ha- Makes a covenant with Abraham, 56. Compels Isaac to leave Gerar, 59. Abiram rebels against Moses, 126. Wars against the Ammonites, 218 Abraham proceeds to Canaan, 48. Returns to Bethel, 49. Is blessed by Melchisedec, 50. Receives the rite of circumcision, 52. Abraham, his son, Isaac, born, 55. Buries Sarah in the cave of Mach- Sends for a wife for Isaac, 57. Flight and return, 222. His imbecility and death, 223. Musters his forces against Saul, 210. 210. Adam, created on the sixth day, 18. His fall and expulsion from Eden, 22. His children, 25. Age and death, 28. Adoni-Bezek, his thumbs and great toes Adonijah, his conspiracy, 225, 228. Adoram slain by the revolters from Adullam, city and cave of, 207. Age, the golden age of Plato, 22. His idolatry influenced by Jeze- Persecutes the prophets, 243. 246. Ahab covet's Naboth's vineyard, 246. His death predicted by Micaiah,247. Ahasuerus deposes Vashti and marries Signs a decree for the destruction of the Jews, 389. Confers honour on Mordecai, 391. 392. Gives the Jews permission to de- fend themselves, 392. Grants Nehemiah his request, 367. His gross idolatry, 256. His death foretold by Elijah, 247. 236. Foretells the death of his son, 239. Is slain by Doeg, 207. Ahithophel, his counsel and suicide, 223. Amasa, slain by Joab, 224. Hires 100,000 Israelites, 254. Made prisoner by Jehoash, 254. Amon, reigns wickedly and is slain, 260. His murderers put to death, 260. Predictions and death, 266. Antediluvians, their religion and rites, 34. Arts, 36. Baal, his priests slain at Carmel, 244. Sustains idolatry, 241. Babel, where built, 46. Confusion and separation of its Babylonish Monarchy, its origin, 289. Balak snares the Israelites into sin, 128. Reads them publicly, 336. Is carried into Egypt, 343. Mother of Solomon, 221. Tells David of Adonijah's con- Makes a request of Solomon, 228. His profanity, 314. His doom foretold, 315. Death, and transfer of his king- Cain, a fratricide, 26. His sentence, 26. Is expelled from home, 27. Caleb, one of the twelve spies, 126. Gives his daughter to Othniel, 173. Canaan promised to Abraham, 49. Taken by Joshua, 166. Canaanites, their extermination de- Canonical Scriptures, ancient division Captivity of the ten tribes, 257. Of the two tribes, 261. Chaos of the world's elements, 16. Christ, antitype of the Mosaic ritual, 151. Chronological tables, 66, 67. Moses' omission of, and danger, 114. Daniel, birth and captivity, 309. Daniel, held in high esteem at court, 311. His advancement, 312. Receives honour from Belshazzar, Is promoted by Darius, 316. 316. His resolute and ardent devotion, Is cast into a den of lions, 318. Prays for the restoration of his Dies in Babylon, 320. His astrological education, 521. His rank as a prophet, 326. Darius includes Babylon as part of his Promotes Daniel, 316. Consigns Daniel to the lions' den, Punishes Daniel's accusers, 319. David, birth and family, 195. Anointed by Samuel, 193, 196. envy, 201. Escapes from Saul, 201. Interview with Jonathan, 204, 205. Receives refreshment at Nob, 206. Retreats to Adullam, 207. 207. Relieves Keilah, 208. Last interview with Jonathan, 208. Is wroth with Nabal, 209. David resides at Ziklag, 210. Pursues the plunderers of Ziklag, 211. Punishes a lying messenger, 211. Elected king of Judah, 212. Advanced to the throne of Israel, 213. Obtains possession of Zion, 213. Wars with the Philistines, 214. 214. Fetches the ark from Kirjath- Delivers it to care of Obed-edom, 215. Brings it into Jerusalem, 216. Victories over Moab and Syria, 217. Procures Uriah's death, 219. 220. His genuine penitence, 220. An outrage in his family, 221. 225. His charge to Solomon, 225. His character and qualifications, Debir taken by Othniel, 173. Invests Barak with military com- Deluge a divine visitation for sin, 29. Dial, retrogression of its shadow, 278. Doeg slays the priests at Nob, 207. Ebed-melech shows kindness to Jere- Eden, Adam's first residence, 19. Conjectures as to its situation, 20. Several places of same name, 20. Overrun by Nebuchadnezzar, 303. Eli, high priest at Shiloh, 190. Erroneously accuses Hannah, 190. 199. Eliezer, Abraham's steward, 51. Fetches a wife for Isaac, 57. Elijah announces a famine, 242. Challenges Baal's prophets, 244. Has a divine communication, 245. Foretells Ahaziah's death, 247. Is translated, 248. Eliphaz, one of Job's friends. 69. |