Esther · chapter 10 of 10
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Esther 10, the shortest and final chapter of the book, says that King Ahasuerus laid tribute on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. His acts of power and the account of Mordecai's greatness were written in the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. Mordecai the Jew was second only to the king, esteemed by his people, and he sought the good of his people and spoke peace to all his kindred.
Esther 10 closes the book in just three verses. After the tension of chapters 3 to 9, this epilogue shows how the story ends: with the empire in order and with Mordecai, the once-despised Jew, in a place of great authority that he uses for the good of his people. It is a sober conclusion that confirms what the book has shown from the beginning.
The chapter begins by saying that King Ahasuerus laid tribute on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. It is a note about the administration of the empire, placing the story in the real setting of Persian history.
Then the text refers to all the acts of the king's power and might, along with the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king advanced, and says they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. In this way the book ends by linking Mordecai's story to the official record of the empire.
Finally the chapter says that Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, great among the Jews and esteemed by the multitude of his brothers. He sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his kindred. So ends the book of Esther, without mentioning God's name, but with the picture of a people saved and a man who uses his power in the service of his own.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The king's acts and Mordecai's greatness are written in the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. The name that went years without honor now appears in the official record, as if the book were saying that God does not forget his own.
Mordecai was second only to the king, great among the Jews and loved by his brothers; he sought the good of his people and spoke peace to all his kindred. The book ends with a model of power used to serve, not to enrich oneself.
5 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Tribute. — Esther 10:1
Answer: In the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. — Esther 10:2
Answer: He was second only to King Ahasuerus. — Esther 10:3
Answer: He was great among them and esteemed by the multitude of his brothers. — Esther 10:3
Answer: He sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his kindred. — Esther 10:3
Esther 10 shows how a life given to serving others ends. Mordecai received power but did not use it to get rich or take revenge: he sought the good of his people and spoke peace. In a small group you can ask what we do with the influence God gives us, whether in the family, at work or in the church, and whether we seek the good of others or only our own.
The book ends without mentioning God's name but with a people saved and gathered. That sobriety reminds us that the Lord's providence is often seen only when we look back. Whoever trusts him can live with hope even when his hand is not clearly seen, because his care holds up the story of his people.
Esther 10 closes the book with Mordecai in the service of his people and the memory of these events kept in the chronicles. The book of Esther is a witness that God cares for his own even in silence, and that a faithful life in the place where God puts us can change the course of many.
Chapter 10 works as an epilogue. After the resolution of the conflict and the origin of Purim in chapter 9, the book ends with a sober note that confirms Mordecai's new place and leaves the story open to the memory of the people.
It teaches that God acts in history even when he is not named: the book's silence invites us to see his providence in coincidences, in courageous decisions and in the fall of the proud. It is a lesson about faith in times when God seems quiet.