Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
Ver. 7. Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther, &c.] Here Haman's letters of Mark are reversed by Ahasuerus, whose answer to Esther is full of gentleness and sweetness; but yet such as discovereth a mind perplexed, and cast into straits, as princes eftsoons are by the subtilties and malice of wicked counsellors, Daniel 6:15, so that they cannot do as they would, unless they will bring all into a combustion; though usually where the word of a king is there is power, Ecclesiastes 7:4; and the old lord treasurer, Burleigh, was wont to say, that he knew not what an act of parliament could not do in England; and King James, in his speech in the Star chamber, A.D. 1616, said as much.
Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman] i.e. I have done somewhat toward the performance of my promise made to Esther, Esther 7:2, and more I am willing to do, only I must observe good order, and do things with discretion. Behold, I give you potestatem plenariam et omnimodam, all the power I have, that therewith you may help yourselves, only my former decree I cannot reverse, but I shall stir up great garboils in the kingdom. Josephus indeed telleth us, that Ahasuerus did retract the edict procured by Haman, and further, gave power to the Jews, that if any withstood the king's will herein they should kill them, &c. But we are not bound to believe him in all things; as neither Herodotus, Livy, nor any of the historians (the sacred always excepted), for Vopiscus, who was one of them, confesseth, neminem historicorum non aliquid esse mentiturn, that there is none of them that hath not taken liberty to lie more or less (in Vita Aureliani), and it is manifest that Josephus's manner is to recite what he thinks likely to have been done, and what is fit to be written of such a business. Baronius annales facit non scribit, saith one: think the same of Josephus, he rather maketh a history, sometimes, than writeth it. And therefore that is but a sorry excuse that the Papists make for their sacrilegious forbidding the people to read the Scriptures, when they refer them to Josephus, as having the history of the Bible more largely and plainly described.
Because he laid his hand upon the Jews] He did it because he designed it. Like as Balak also arose and fought with Israel, Joshua 24:9, and yet the story saith nothing so. But that is in Scripture said to be done that is intended or attempted. And this the heathen also saw by the dim light of nature. Hence that of Seneca, Fecit quisque quantum voluit. He made anyone as great as he wished. And another saith,
Quae quia non licuit, non facit, illa facit.
Polybius attributeth the death of Antiochus to his sacrilege only in his purpose and will. This Josephus thinks could not be, sc. that a man having a purpose only to sin should be punished by God for it. Hence he derideth Polybius for the forecited censure; but he had no cause so to do, for the heathens herein exceeded the Pharisees, who held thought free, and Josephus was soured with their leaven.