maids

September 14, 2017

The testimony of the elders (Dan 13:36-13:41)

“The elders said.

‘While we were walking

In the garden alone,

This woman came in

With two maids.

She shut

The garden doors.

She dismissed

The maids.

Then a young man,

Who was hiding there,

Came to her.

He lay with her.

We were in a corner

Of the garden.

When we saw

This wickedness,

We ran to them.

Although we saw them

Embracing,

We could not hold the man.

He was stronger than we.

He opened the doors.

He got away.

We did,

However,

Seize this woman.

We asked her

Who the young man was.

But she would not tell us.

These things we testify.’”

The two old judges testified about their story. They were simply walking in the garden together alone. Then, this young woman with two maids came into the garden. Next, she locked the garden doors and sent the two maids away. Suddenly, a young man who had been hiding in the garden appeared. The two of them, Susanna and this young man, got together and had sex with each other. The two old judges were in a corner of the garden. They then ran over to them as they were still embracing. However, they were not strong enough to hold the young man. Instead, they were able to grab the woman, Susanna. They asked her who the young man was, but she would not tell them. Thus, the two judges finished their testimony.

August 4, 2016

The day of destruction of Yahweh (Isa 24:1-24:3)

“Now Yahweh is about

To lay waste the earth.

He will make it desolate.

He will twist its surface.

He will scatter its inhabitants.

It shall be,

As with the people,

So with the priest.

It shall be,

As with the slave,

So with his master.

It shall be,

As with the maid,

So with her mistress.

It shall be,

As with the buyer,

So with the seller.

It shall be,

As with the lender,

So with the borrower.

It shall be

As with the creditor,

So with the debtor.

The earth shall be utterly laid waste

It shall be utterly despoiled.

Yahweh has spoken this word.”

These next few chapters are sometimes referred to as the Isaiah Apocalypse. This section, like the other sections, is a hodgepodge of oracles and ideas, but these oracles are about the judgment at the end of the world. On this apocalyptic judgment day, much like the flood of Noah, destruction was to come upon the whole world, like in later eschatological works. The twisted earth was to be made desolate. All the inhabitants on earth would be wiped out, whether it is regular people, priests, slaves, masters, maids, mistresses, buyers, sellers, lenders, borrowers, debtors, or creditors. No one would be saved. The earth would be utterly ruined, because Yahweh has spoken.

April 9, 2015

Queen Esther dresses up to go to the Palace (Greek text only)

“On the third day, when Queen Esther ended her prayer, she took off the garments in which she had worshiped. She arrayed herself in splendid attire. Then, majestically adorned, after invoking the aid of the all-seeing God and Savior, she took her two maids with her. She leaned gently for support on one, while the other followed carrying her train. She was radiant with perfect beauty. She looked happy, as if beloved, but her heart was frozen with fear. When she had gone through all the doors, she stood before the king.”

One again the Greek text continues. After this 3 day prayer, Queen Esther took off her sack cloth garments. Now she put on royal clothes. She invoked God to help her. However, she took 2 maids with her, one to lean on and the other to carry the train of her splendid dress. She looked radiant, beautiful and happy, but she was fearful. Finally, she stood before the king.

April 7, 2015

Queen Esther finds out about the situation of Mordecai (Esth 4:4-4:5)

“When Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her, she was deeply troubled by what she had heard that had happened. She sent some clothes to Mordecai to put on instead of his sackcloth. However, he would not consent and accept them. Then Queen Esther called for Hachratheus, the eunuch who attended her. She ordered him to get accurate information for her from Mordecai to learn what was happening and why.”

Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs came to her to tell her what was happening. She was troubled by what she had heard. She sent some clothes to Mordecai so that he would get rid of his sackcloth. However, he refused. Then the queen sent her personal eunuch to Mordecai to get more accurate information about what was going on and why this was happening to him. She was more of a fact finder while Mordecai was more emotional about this situation.

April 3, 2015

Esther joins the king’s harem (Esth 2:8-2:11)

“So when the decree of the king was proclaimed, many girls were gathered in Susa the capital in the custody of Hegai. Esther also was brought to Hegai who had custody of the women in the king’s palace. The girl pleased him and won his favor. He quickly provided her with her ointments and her portion of food, as well as seven maids chosen from the king’s palace. He treated her and her maids with special favor in the harem. Esther had not disclosed her people or kindred country because Mordecai had charged her not to make it known. Every day Mordecai walked around in the courtyard of the harem, to see what would happen to Esther.”

Esther must have made the cut to join the harem of King Artaxerxes. Since she was already in Susa, it was not far for her to go. This may have helped her to adjust since she had already lived in Susa. She was part of the king’s harem preparing to meet him. Although the Greek text says the head of harem was Gai, I prefer the Hebrew Hegai. Esther got along very good with this eunuch, Hegai so that he gave her perfumes, ointments, and plenty of food. He also gave her 7 maids from the king’s palace, which seems odd. She and her maids got special favors and attention. She never revealed her Jewish background, but there was no need to do so since King Artaxerxes had been kind to Nehemiah, a Jewish official cup bearer. Mordecai wanted her to keep that quiet anyway. He also seemed to be in good with the eunuchs since he sometimes slept in the courtyard with them as in preliminaries of the Greek text to this book.

February 18, 2015

The reproach about the seven husbands of Sarah (Tob 3:7-3:9)

“On the same day, at Ecbatana in Media, it also happened that Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, was reproached by her father’s maids. She had been married to seven husbands. The wicked demon Asmodeus had killed each of them before they had been with her as is customary for wives. The maid said to her.

‘You are the one who kills your husbands!

See! You have already been married to seven husbands.

You have not borne the name of a single one of them.

Why do you beat us?

Your husbands are dead.

Go with them!

May we never see a son or daughter of yours!’”

All at once there is a switch from the first person narrative of Tobit, to a third person story teller. This story switches to Ecbatana, the capital of Media, in northwest present day Iran. Ecbatana was the summer home of the Persian kings as we found out in Ezra, chapter 6. In this town of Ecbatana, there was a lady named Sarah, the daughter of a man named Raguel. This Raguel is a name close to that of the father-in-law of Moses. Sarah is, of course, the same name as Abraham’s wife. She was reproached by her father’s maids. They may have been servants or concubines of Raguel, but it is not clear. They are mad at Sarah because she apparently was beating them because all of her husbands were killed on their wedding night. Sarah had 7 marriages and all of 7 the men died on their wedding night. Notice the use of 7 by the wicked demon Asmodeus. Asmodeus was considered to be an evil king of demon spirits, one of the 7 princes of hell from the Greek or Persian times. He was the demon of lust who twisted sexual desires. He apparently killed all the 7 men who were to marry Sarah on their wedding night before the consummation of the wedding. This Asmodeus also appeared in the later 1st to 3rd century CE Testimony of Solomon. The maids said that Sarah was better off dead also. They never expected to see a son or daughter from her.