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Gary Demar suggests in a study of Zechariah 12 that the prophecy describes the events that are recorded in the book of Esther. This is an interesting and plausiable thesis, but one particular point is especially stimulating: He suggests that the references to "Judah and Jerusalem" in Zechariah 12 are literal references to Haman's attacks on the capital city of the Jews. Thus, though Jerusalem is never mentioned in Esther, the fact that Haman seeks to attack Jews "scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom" (Esth 3:8) suggests that he would be attacking Jerusalem as well.
This seems obvious once it is pointed out. By the time Esther takes place, after all, Jews have already been released to return to the land, and have been rebuilding the temple. This restoration inspires confidence among Jews, which takes a distorted form in Mordecai's arrogant nationalistic Judaism. Haman would undoubtedly have seen that Jerusalem was the source of the problem, and would have wanted to strike at the head and not merely at the tail. This also strengthens Jim Jordan's interpretation of Ezekiel 38-39, which he understands as a prophecy of the events of the book of Esther as well.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Monday, March 22, 2004 at 07:54 AM
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