What is the context?
At the second banquet, the king again asks Esther’s request. This time she asks for her life and the lives of her people, revealing the personal reach of the decree.
She describes their being sold for destruction and identifies Haman as the enemy responsible. The man who has enjoyed the king’s favor now stands exposed before the king and the woman whose people he intends to kill.
Esther’s request does more than seek protection for herself. She makes her royal relationship the means of pleading against the collective destruction of her people.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Wesley emphasizes how startling it is that a queen must plead for her life, and also recalls the king’s responsibility for authorizing the edict. The USCCB account likewise places the disclosure at the second banquet. Esther’s contrast with enslavement communicates the urgency of this plea; it should not make the proposed destruction less severe or slavery a harmless alternative.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.
Where can I study this further?
No deeper study linked yet.