When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king's eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her.
Esther's turn comes, and the verse pauses on what she asked for: nothing beyond what Hegai suggested. In a palace built on display, the woman who wants nothing extra is the one everybody looks at with favour.
"She asked for nothing"
She could have asked for anything. One writer reads her restraint not as a clever tactic but as a heart that never wanted the prize.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe other women could not find enough artificial means to make an impression on the king. But Esther cared nothing about these things. She had no such ambitious desires. Her heart did not burn to become someone important, which would not have suited a Jewish woman anyway. She must have left her home unwillingly, and unwillingly she must have put on the ornaments. They wanted her and ordered her to appear, so she obeyed Hegai and let herself be prepared for the occasion. She had to be there, though no doubt in her heart she hated the whole affair.
Another writer adds what her refusal kept safe: she would owe her rise to no one.
The Christian's FriendShe becomes the favourite wife of the Persian king without any effort or wish of her own. And not only that: like another Daniel, she had already decided to keep her separation to God from the customs of the people, even in a Gentile king's court. (Esther 2:15.) She will owe nothing to any man. It is the Lord, and not ornaments, who gives her favour in the eyes of all who see her. The king himself is won, and the royal crown is put on her head.
The one thing she did accept
She asked for nothing — but she did take Hegai's advice. One writer sees the months under Hegai's care as a picture of the Holy Spirit's work.
Michael HardtEsther goes through a time of preparation before she can meet the king. In the same way, the Holy Spirit (pictured in Hegai) will guide and teach the true Esther. He will prepare her, and her beauty will be brought into display. By the way, this still applies to Christians today: the Spirit needs to show us the way. We cannot reach beauty by our own thinking.
Ornament against character
One writer weighs the outward extras against what a believer looks for in a partner.
Leslie M. GrantTo a believer, what are all these surface things compared with the moral and spiritual beauty he sees in a prospective wife? Compare 1 Peter 3:4.
Peter points there to a different beauty. It is "the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious" (ESV).
Favour from everyone who saw her
The verse does not say she won the contest. It says she was winning favour — and the reach of that favour is the point.
F. B. HoleIt was almost certain that one girl would win the king's favour. But Esther gained more than that. She also gained the favour of the king's chamberlain, and indeed "of all who saw her." (See Esther 2:9, 15, 17.) This lifted her at once into a position of extraordinary influence.
The orphan with no say
The verse names her twice as someone else's dependent: Abihail's daughter, Mordecai's adopted child. This is no fairy tale, and one writer stresses how little of her rise she chose.
H. L. RossierWe see the Jewish wife handed over to the king of the Gentiles, forced to submit like a slave whom people dispose of without ever asking her! Her will counts for nothing in this marriage. She is forced into it. Every other girl in the empire might have wanted such a position more than anything, but Esther could not want it.
Was any of this right? One writer points to the Bible's own silence.
William KellyWhatever may be thought of Mordecai or of Esther in this matter, Scripture is silent here. It neither accuses nor excuses. And we do not have long to wait before the vital question was raised. The Jews must perish or be delivered beyond all outward hope — yet without sign, wonder, or miracle.
Commentators differ here. Some read her restraint as deliberate faithfulness. Others stress that her whole position was forced on her.
God's hand behind it all
The verse itself never mentions God. One writer sees Him steering the whole scene anyway.
H. L. RossierIn all these things we see a God of providence. He directs the thoughts and hearts of men, and the thoughts and heart of the king, according to His own purpose. He does this to carry out His plans of grace toward His people.
Summary
- Asked — Esther could have taken anything she wanted. She asked for nothing beyond Hegai's advice, because her heart never wanted a Persian crown.
- Owed — She took nothing extra, so she owed nothing to any man. Her favour came from the Lord, not from ornaments.
- Guided — She accepted one thing: the advice of the man set over her preparation. Writers see him as a picture of the Spirit, since we cannot reach beauty by our own thinking.
- Favoured — She won the king, the chamberlain and everyone who saw her. That favour lifted an orphan into extraordinary influence.
- Hidden — Scripture never names God here, and it neither praises nor blames Esther. Yet He directs the hearts of kings to carry out His plans of grace, and He saves His people without one miracle.