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Statement of belief: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word
is truth.” (John 17:17 KJV)
Created 5941(?) 02 06 2027
[2010-10-15]
Updated 5941(?) 02 06 2027
[2010-10-15]
Updated 5925[(*??*)]
03 08 2029 [2013-06-18] – minor edits only.
Updated 5925[(*??*)] 03 23 2029 [2013-07-03] – Adding note re Haman’s 50 cubit gallows being erected
on.the current Jews’ Day of Omer.
When Exactly did Esther’s Banquets take place?
Confirmatory Evidence for a Primary Scriptural
Calendar Reference for the Book of Esther
in Contradistinction to Babylonian Calendar Reckoning
Abstract:
Further evidence in support of the Book of Esther using the Scripture calendar as its primary basis for reckoning of time is provided upon perceiving not only that the events recorded:
1) Re the fasting, dressing in sackcloth, etc., of the Jews, fell upon the days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread;
2) re “the third day” of Esther 5:1 being a direct reference to the Third Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread; but, most importantly,
3) re “the second day” of Esther 7:2 being a direct and unavoidable reference to the regular Second Day of the week!
(Cf. the perfect fit of events as portrayed in Table I below vs. the inconsistencies found in any of Tables II - Table V!)
The references to exclusively Babylonian regnal year reckoning within the Book of Esther should be recognized as being nothing more than bracketed explanatory remarks.
Praise the Lord of Hosts, the Ancient of Days for all the light He is shedding upon our path of learning!
Considerations:
Esther 3:12 KJV Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring.
At the outset, per Esther 3:12, we know that the event immediately preceding the events recorded in Esther 3:12 through Esther chapter 7 began “on the thirteenth day of the first month.”
Thus the publication of this decree was closely associated with the beginning of Passover and with the Feast of Unleavened Bread and it follows that it would not seem too unlikely that the events related in Esther chapter 4 would describe the behavior of the Jews during those days of the Feast.
Esther
5:1
TLT Now
it came to pass on the
Third Day, that Esther
put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house,
over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the
royal house, over against the gate of the house.
Esther 5:1 KJV Now
it came to pass on the third
day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the
king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal
throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.
What “third day” was this? Could this be a reference to the Third Day of the week? Or, is it merely a reference given relative to whatever day the proclamation of Esther per Esther 4:15-16 was being made? How did the days of the week fall out within the years that might be considered for this particular event? But I’ve already discovered the placement of this particular month elsewhere – with these results:
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Haman cast his Pur on the Sixth Day of the week, Aviv 1, 474 BCE (-473,) which day fell on the day beginning at sunset Thu May 3 [SNB May 3 last rays sunset 18:13:08; moonset 19:25:44; lag: 72 min 36 sec; illumination: 1.95%; Julian day # 1548417] (or Tue July 24,) 474 BCE. Haman’s decree was issued on the
Fourth Day of the week, Aviv 13, 474 BCE (-473,) which day fell on the day
beginning at sunset Tue May 15, 474 BCE (Julian day #1548429.) |
Thus we can make the following calendar of events pertaining to Esther 3:1-8:2:
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Table I |
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1st Day |
2nd Day |
3rd Day |
4th Day |
5th Day |
6th Day |
Shabbat |
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Nisan, 474 BCE |
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1 Casting Pur |
2 |
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3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
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10 |
11 |
12 |
13 Haman’s decree issued |
14 Passover Esther’s call for a 3 day fast |
15 1st Day of the Feast |
16 2nd Day of the Feast |
|
3rd Day of the Feast Esther approaches Ahasuerus & 1st banquet Haman erects his 50 cubit gallows on
the Jews’ Day of Omer…[1] |
18 4th Day of the Feast Haman erects his gallows, then goes
before the king; honors Mordecai & Esther’s 2nd banquet; |
19 5th Day of the Feast Haman is hung on his own gallows in the evening after “the second day”
(cf. Esther 7:2) Ahasuerus transfers the ring of
authority from Haman to Mordecai |
20 6th Day of the Feast |
21 7th Day of the Feast |
22 |
23 |
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24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
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Est 7:2
ויאמרH559 המלךH4428 לאסתרH635 גםH1571 ביוםH3117 השׁניH8145 במשׁתהH4960 הייןH3196 מהH4100 שׁאלתךH7596 אסתרH635 המלכהH4436 ותנתןH5414 לך ומהH4100 בקשׁתךH1246 עדH5704 חציH2677 המלכותH4438 ותעשׂ׃H6213
Esther 7:2 TLT And the king said again unto Esther on the Second Day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee:
and what is thy request? and it shall be
performed, even to the half of the kingdom.
Esther 7:2 KJV And
the king said again unto Esther on the second day
at the banquet of wine, What is thy
petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.
Notice in particular the words in Esther 7:2, “ביום השׁני,” or, per KJV, “on the second day,” and how they confirm this placement of the month vs. the weekly cycle! If we were to attempt to place these events differently we might not find any such confirmation… For instance:
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Table II |
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1st Day |
2nd Day |
3rd Day |
4th Day |
5th Day |
6th Day |
Shabbat |
|
Nisan, 474 BCE |
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|
|
|
|
|
1 Casting Pur |
2 |
|
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 Haman’s decree issued |
14 Passover |
15 1st Day of the Feast |
16 2nd Day of the Feast Esther’s call for a 3 day fast |
|
17 3rd Day of the Feast |
18 4th Day of the Feast |
19 5th Day of the Feast Esther approaches Ahasuerus & 1st banquet |
20 6th Day of the Feast Haman erects his gallows, then goes before
the king; honors Mordecai & Esther’s 2nd banquet; |
21 7th Day of the Feast Haman is hung on his own gallows Ahasuerus transfers the ring of
authority from Haman to Mordecai |
22 |
23 |
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24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
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In the above “the third day” of Esther 5:1 is interpreted as applying to the regular days of the week, rather than as a reference to the Third Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread as in the prior table above, but the words of Esther 7:2 becomes no more than a typical Roman way of reckoning the days inclusively beginning with the day of Esther’s 1st banquet. Per Scriptural reckoning of time the day of Esther’s 1st banquet would be considered an accession day and the subsequent day would be considered the 1st day of any subsequent reckoning, not the 2nd day. Thus, this option is not holding up to closer scrutiny!
Just for the sake of comparison and to look closely at all possibilities, let’s look also at the subsequent year, which year has been suggested by some authors. The most likely placements for the month of Nisan in 473 BCE are a follows:
|
Table III |
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|
1st Day |
2nd Day |
3rd Day |
4th Day |
5th Day |
6th Day |
Shabbat |
|
Nisan, 473 BCE [beginning at sunset Sun March 23,
473 BCE] |
||||||
|
|
1 Casting Pur |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 Haman’s decree issued |
|
14 Passover Esther’s
call for a 3 day fast |
15 1st Day of the Feast |
16 2nd Day of the Feast |
17 3rd Day of the Feast Esther approaches Ahasuerus & 1st banquet |
18 4th Day of the Feast Haman erects his gallows, then goes
before the king; honors Mordecai & Esther’s 2nd banquet; |
19 5th Day of the Feast Haman is hung on his own gallows Ahasuerus transfers the ring of
authority from Haman to Mordecai |
20 6th Day of the Feast |
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21 7th Day of the Feast |
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22 |
23 |
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24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
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Once again I find much the same problem re Esther 7:2… Inconsistent with true Scriptural reckoning of any time period!
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Table IV |
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1st Day |
2nd Day |
3rd Day |
4th Day |
5th Day |
6th Day |
Shabbat |
|
Nisan, 473 BCE [beginning at sunset Mon April 21,
473 BCE] |
||||||
|
|
|
1 Casting Pur |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
13 Haman’s decree issued |
14 Passover Esther’s
call for a 3 day fast |
15 1st Day of the Feast |
16 2nd Day of the Feast |
17 3rd Day of the Feast Esther approaches Ahasuerus & 1st banquet |
18 4th Day of the Feast Haman erects his gallows, then goes
before the king; honors Mordecai & Esther’s 2nd banquet; |
19 5th Day of the Feast Haman is hung on his own gallows Ahasuerus transfers the ring of
authority from Haman to Mordecai |
|
20 6th Day of the Feast |
21 7th Day of the Feast |
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
26 |
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27 |
28 |
29 |
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Ditto, plus the unlikely event that Esther’s 2nd banquet with Ahasuerus and Haman taking place just before and at the beginning of Shabbat… (plus no possibility of placing “the third day” according to the week, unless deferred to any subsequent week…)
|
Table V |
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1st Day |
2nd Day |
3rd Day |
4th Day |
5th Day |
6th Day |
Shabbat |
|
Nisan, 473 BCE [beginning at sunset Tue April 22,
473 BCE] |
||||||
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|
|
|
1 Casting Pur |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
|
12 |
13 Haman’s decree issued |
14 Passover Esther’s
call for a 3 day fast |
15 1st Day of the Feast |
16 2nd Day of the Feast |
17 3rd Day of the Feast Esther approaches Ahasuerus & 1st banquet |
18 4th Day of the Feast Haman erects his gallows, then goes
before the king; honors Mordecai & Esther’s 2nd banquet; |
|
19 5th Day of the Feast Haman is hung on his own gallows Ahasuerus transfers the ring of
authority from Haman to Mordecai |
20 6th Day of the Feast |
21 7th Day of the Feast |
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
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26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
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Although, perhaps, the placement of Esther’s banquets may seem more plausible here than in the last prior table Esther’s intentions for this feast do not seem very consistent with the concept of Shabbat peace, the same problem as before re Esther 7:2 and “the Second Day” reckoning.
In addition to the above alternative calendars, alternatives similar to Table #II could be considered, but with the same results. I conclude that there is a considerable amount of confirmation in the placement of the events as illustrated in Table #I above.
Conclusion:
I find that the words “the second day” of Esther 7:2 provide confirmatory evidence, not only for the within placement of the 1st and 12th months within Ahasuerus’ 12th Babylonian year, but more importantly, for the Scriptural calendar being the primary and default calendar of the Book of Esther; the reference to the Babylonian reckoning of Ahasuerus per Esther 3:7 being words entered rather as an explanatory remark, as within brackets…
Esther
3:7 TLT In the first month [that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of
king Ahasuerus,]
they cast Pur [that
is, the lot,] before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month [that is, the month
Adar.]
Esther 3:7 KJV In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of
king Ahasuerus,
they cast Pur, that
is, the lot,
before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar.
This point of view re an explanatory remark becomes even more clear upon reviewing each instance of those words, “that is…,” within the Book of Esther, which words are in each instance a clarification of a purely Hebrew term. Specifically, in original Hebrew, there are no names for the months, only numbers, just as for the week!:
Esther 2:7 TLT And he brought up Hadassah [that is, Esther,]
his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and
beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his
own daughter.
Esther 3:7 TLT In the first month [that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of
king Ahasuerus,]
they cast Pur [that
is, the lot,] before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month [that is, the month Adar.]
Esther 8:9 TLT Then were the king's scribes called at that time in
the third month [that
is, the month Sivan,] on the three
and twentieth day
thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the
Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces
which are
from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every
province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their
language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their
language.
Esther 9:1 TLT Now in the twelfth month [that is, the month Adar,] on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's
commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that
the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to
the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
Esther 9:24 TLT Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the
enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had
cast Pur [that
is, the lot,] to consume them, and to destroy
them;
Esther 2:7 KJV And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther,
his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and
beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his
own daughter.
Esther 3:7 KJV In the first month, that is,
the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day
to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month,
that is, the month Adar.
Esther 8:9 KJV Then were the king's scribes called at that time in
the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it
was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the
lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India
unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province
according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language,
and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.
Esther 9:1 KJV Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's
commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that
the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to
the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
Esther 9:24 KJV Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the
enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had
cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;
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[1] The day of Omer is the 1st Day of 50 days of reckoning towards Pentecost. Today, 5925[(*??*)] 03 23 2029 [Wed 2013-07-03,] my Bible fell open to Esther 5:14. Having recently reviewed my prior study of Esther’s chronology it then suddenly dawned on me that Haman’s 50 cubit gallows was erected on the 1st day of 50, not per Scripture reckoning, but per today’s common way of reckoning. That is, the 1st day of 50 towards Pentecost as reckoned by most everyone today!!! Could this be mere coincidence, or is there a built-in hint from our Creator and Savior in things such as this? Yes, 50 cubits vs. 50 days of Omer reckoning. Just as just a few weeks ago I also came to recognize the connection between the 50 Bible passages given Ellen Gould White, 50 Bible passages with a host of ties to the 50 day Counting of Omer…
I was reminded of my recent discovery re the four Bible passages using, or giving reference to, the word “birthday.” That is, 1) Job cursing the day he was born, 2) Herod beheading John the Baptist, and 3) Pharaoh hanging his own butler. More… (cf. the 5th paragraph of Andy’s post, beginning “I do not find…;” cashed.)
Perhaps these things do not immediately ring a bell in your mind? Yet, to me, the reason is quite obvious. To the extent that we fail to use exact reckoning of time fully in harmony with God’s own way of reckoning time in the Holy Scriptures, we will necessarily also fail to find all the pieces for recognizing the exact chronology from the Genesis creation event through our own time! Losing our true connection in time we become disoriented to the true time dimension, and it becomes ever so much easier to fall for the teachings of evolution… What follows in consequence of that? Is it not a total loss of meaning and purpose in life? Is that what you and I wish for ourselves and our loved ones?
Perhaps we, the People of the Seventh-day Adventist movement, have experienced a blessing in disguise by not recognizing the importance of observing also God’s annual Feasts as ordained forever in Leviticus 23? That is, if we had attempted to do so long ago, most likely we would have fallen for the same traps as the rest by observing the Waving of the Sheaf and the Day of Pentecost on a Sunday, and not as ordained in the Scripture on the Seventh Day of the week. A tradition like that in a large group of people is next to impossible to change, while fraught also with persecution for the Ones who do their best to live up to God’s own instructions. It should be a whole lot easier for individuals among the Seventh-day Adventist Church to begin observing all of Leviticus 23 without the baggage of keeping the wrong annual Appointments of our Creator, that is, than otherwise. Let’s take advantage of this blessing in disguise, now that we are better able to recognize it for what it is!
Yes, there are a lot of special blessings in keeping the Creator’s own Sabbaths, all of them! Not excluding the special annual Sabbaths defined for us in Leviticus 23…