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 upon them.
Ver. 17. And in every province, and in every city] Not at Shushan only, where it began, but throughout the whole empire there was a general joy among the Jews. For albeit the worst was not yet past with them, but the thirteenth of Adar is meant still by Haman's abettors to be a bloody day (and this the Jews knew well enough, and therefore prepared for the encounter, so that they could not be without their fears and anxieties), yet the joy of the Lord was their strength. "Their hopes and prayers were like those of David," Psalms 138:8, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth us: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the work of thine own hands."
The Jews had joy and gladness] Gaudium in re, gaudinm in spe; gaudium de possessione gaudium de promissione; gaudium de praesenti exhibitione, gaudium de futura expectatione joy in matter, joy in hope, joy about the possession, joy about promise, joy in outworking of the present, joy about the future providence. (Bern.). The Persians might revel, but the Jews only rejoiced; See Trapp on " Est 8:16 "
A feast and a good day] Convivium et hilaria, a compotation and a merry meeting, such as the saints have here, in their foretastes of eternal life, those sweetmeats of the feast of a good conscience (so Mr Latimer called the assurance of heaven), which they have here, before they come to that full feast above. This feast and good day here mentioned was but a preparation unto that in the following chapter, when the warfare was accomplished, and all fears removed, and God said, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, &c.
And many of the people of the land became Jews] That is, they were proselyted, professing the Jewish religion, and siding with them; some in sincerity, doubtless, and some out of sinisterity, and for self-respect, because they saw the king favoured them, the queen and Mordecai were altogether of them and for them, &c.
Mobile sic sequitur fortunae lumina vulgus (Ovid. Trist. 1. 1).
So the common people quickly follow the light of fortune. So that mixed multitude, Exodus 12:38, moved with miracles, removed out of Egypt with the Israelites, took hold of the skirts of these Jews, and said, "We will go with you," Zechariah 8:23. So in David's days, while he dealt prudently and prospered, so that he became the head of the heathen, a people whom he had not known offered him their service, and strangers feignedly submitted themselves unto him, Psalms 18:43,44. The like they did in Solomon's days, as Josephus relateth; as also, that the people then were very careful how they received such Prosperity Proselytes. So, many strangers followed the captives returning out of Babylon, under the conduct of Zorobabel; and many heathens joined themselves to the Christian congregations, under Constantine, the first Christian emperor. The Huns, well beaten by the Christians, concluded that their God was the true God, and received the gospel. Thus, whether it be "in pretence or in truth" (as St Paul hath it), that people come in, God is glorified and his Church amplified, and the saints therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice, Philippians 1:18 .
For the fear of the Jews fell upon them] So that either for love or fear they conformed to the Jewish way of worship, or at least they forbare to attempt against them, whom now they looked upon as heaven's darlings. Whether Ahasuerus himself were drawn by the faith and piety of Esther and Mordecai to embrace the true religion, is not expressed. It is hard for princes drowned in delights to deny themselves, and to yield the obedience of faith. The poor receive the gospel, Matthew 11:5, the smaller fishes bite soonest; the lamb and the dove were offered up in sacrifce, not the lion and the eagle; "Not many mighty, not many noble, are called," 1 Corinthians 1:26. That this king was not converted we know not. However, we have ground to beleive that Xerxes his son was not, when as, after this, we read that in his expedition into Greece, he was angry with mountains, winds, rivers, elements, no otherwise than as if they had been men, causing the sea to be beaten with three hundred stripes for battering his bridge of boats, and casting a pair of fetters into it, to make it know to whom it was subject. Let him be what he will, God made use of him for the good of his people, and so overawed the malignant Persians, that they had (very many of them) no mind to meddle.