Esther 5:8

Est 5:8 If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to morrow as the king hath said.

Ver. 8. If I have found favour in the sight of the king] As she had, not so much by her beauty and bravery (wherein Vashti perhaps might easily have compared with her), but by the finger of God, who tames for his elect the fiercest creatures (as he did the lions to Daniel, and other savage beasts to the martyrs, whom they would not meddle with), and turneth the king’s heart, as the rivers of water, into what channel soever he pleaseth to put it, Pro 21:1, as the ploughman doth the watercourse with his paddle, or the gardener with his hand.

And if it please the king] See Est 5:4, and submit to God, Jas 4:7.

And I will do tomorrow as the king hath said] She had learned to prefer opportunity before time. There might be some by at this first banquet whose company she liked not; or she might not yet have so clear an answer in her own heart to her former prayers, and therefore desireth some further time that night to seek God: whatever the reason of her putting it off till next day was, God’s holy hand was in it, that Mordecai might be first so greatly honoured, and Haman’s high gallows prepared: Ilium utique magis securum, Regem autem magis benevolum magisque fecit attentum, saith Rupertus. Hereby she made Haman more secure, and the king more kind and attentive.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Est_5:8

Let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to-morrow as the king hath said.

Do not hasten providence

The very persons are here before whom it will be told to-morrow--the king, the queen, Haman! Then why delay? Nine people out of ten would have said, if consulted beforehand, All, she is losing her case, through fear or through finesse, or by some evil counsel. She is losing the ripe and favourable hour, which will never return. Tomorrow! O Queen, why not to-night? And so, oftentimes, we would hasten providence in our own affairs, fretting against His wise delays, and laying our poor shoulders to the great wheels of God, as though He were not moving them fast enough, when, in fact, they are going as evenly as the sun, as sublimely as time itself. The king is here; why not speak? Yes, he is here, and he is not here. He is not here as he will be to-morrow night. To-night he will be sleepless. To-night he will be reminded, through his sleeplessness, of an act of loyal faithfulness on the part of Mordecai, which has been hitherto unrewarded. To-night the order will be given for the preparation of a gallows. In a word, when the same three meet at to-morrows banquet, they will be the same, and yet not the same. They will be really in different relations to each other, and to many beyond. So the banquet is ended, as if by the utterance of the word wait. He that believeth shall not make haste. (A. Raleigh, D. D.)

Wisdom to act in critical situations

When persons are placed in critical situations, and endeavour to act singly and honestly, wisdom is granted to them to direct their course. Though she had met with a reception equal to her most sanguine expectations, Esther did not immediately present the request which was nearest her heart, but contented herself with begging that the king, accompanied with Haman, would come to the banquet of wine which she had prepared. By this she testified her disinterestedness. She was afraid of precipitating the decision, and sought to avail herself of every prudent method for ensuring success. (T. McCrie.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Est 5:8. I will do to-morrow as the king hath said — I will acquaint thee with my humble request. She did not present her petition at this time, but delayed it till the next meeting; either, because she was a little daunted with the king’s presence, and had not yet courage to propose it; or, because she would further engage the king’s affection to her, by a second entertainment, and would also intimate to him, that her petition was of a more than ordinary nature: but principally by direction of the divine providence, which took away her courage of utterance for this time, that she might have a better opportunity to present her request the next time, by that great accident which happened before it. For the high honour which the king bestowed on Mordecai the next day made way for her petition, which came in very seasonably at the banquet of wine.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

5:8 please come . . . tomorrow: It was a customary protocol not to appear anxious about asking for a favor or negotiating an agreement. The delay provided opportunity for Xerxes to discover Mordecai’s act of loyalty, which led to the foiling of Haman’s plot (see 6:1-14).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

I will declare what thing I demand.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare--The king ate alone, and his guests in an adjoining hall; but they were admitted to sit with him at wine. Haman being the only invited guest with the king and queen, it was natural that he should have been elated with the honor.

Next: Esther Chapter 6

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 8. I will do to-morrow] She saw she was gaining on the king's affections; but she was not yet sufficiently confident; and therefore wished another interview, that she might ingratiate herself more fully in the king's favour, and thus secure the success of her design. But Providence disposed of things thus, to give time for the important event mentioned in the succeeding chapter.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Then went Haman forth that day, joyful, and with a glad heart,.... From court to his own house

but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him; did not show him the least degree even of civil respect; which he refused to do, partly lest it should be interpreted an adoration of him, and partly because it was well known to him he had formed a scheme for the destruction of him and all his people; and the rather he refused it to him, as Esther was about to make intercession with the king to revoke his decree, of the success of which he had no doubt; and therefore had nothing to fear from him, but treated him with the utmost contempt, as he deserved:

he was full of wrath against Mordecai; it was a sad mortification to him, and a great allay of that joy and elation of mind on account of the favour he was in; not with the king only, but the queen also, as he imagined.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

I will acquaint thee with my humble request. She did not present her petition at this time, but delayed it till the next meeting; either through modesty, or because she was a little daunted with the king’s presence, and had not yet good courage to propose her request; or in policy, because she would further engage the king’s affection to her by a second entertainment, and would also intimate to him that her petition was of a more than ordinary nature; and principally by direction and disposition of the Divine Providence, which took away her courage or utterance for this time, that she might have a better opportunity for it the next time, by that great accident which happened before it.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. To-morrow — Her heart seems to fail her when the decisive moment comes. She hopes, by another day, to be better prepared to present her case successfully.

As the king hath said — That is, make known the request.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Tomorrow - I will acquaint thee with my humble request. She did not present her petition at this time, but delayed it 'till the next meeting; either because she was a little daunted with the king's presence, or, because she would farther engage the king's affection to her, and would also intimate to him that her petition was of a more than ordinary nature: but principally by direction of Divine providence, which took away her courage of utterance for this time, that she might have a better opportunity for it the next time, by that great accident which happened before it.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

and tomorrow I will do the king’s bidding that which you requested of me all these days, i.e., to reveal my nationality and my lineage to you.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.