Esther 1:22

"for he sent letters into all the king’s provinces, into every province according to its writing, and to every people in their language, that every man should rule his own house, speaking in the language of his own people."

Key Reflection

In Esther 1:22, King Xerxes (Ahasuerus) sends out letters to all his provinces and peoples, instructing that everyone should govern their household according to local customs and languages. This decree underscores the Persian king's policy of cultural sensitivity and integration, ensuring that administrative instructions were communicated in a way that was familiar and acceptable to each group, thereby fostering loyalty and harmony across diverse populations under his rule.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

He sent letters -The Persian system of posts incidentally noticed in the present bookEsther 3:12-15;Esther 8:9-14, is in entire harmony with the accounts of Herodotus and Xenophon. Into every province according to the writing thereof -The practice of the Persians to address proclamations to the subject-nations in their own speech, and not merely in the language of the conqueror, is illustrated by the bilingual and trilingual inscriptions of the Achaemenian monarchs, from Cyrus to Artaxerxes Ochus, each inscription being of the nature of a proclamation. The decree was not unnecessary.

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