John Trapp on Esther 5:2

Verſe 2. And it was ſo] God the great Heart-diſpoſer ſo ordered it.

That when the King ſaw Eſther the Queen, &c.] Beautified by God in a ſpecial manner, as was Moſes, Acts 7.20. Stephen, Acts 6.15, &c. And ſome faces we know do appear moſt orientally faire, when they are moſt inſtamp't with ſorrow. [non-Latin text not transcribed].

That ſhe obtained favour in his ſight] Joſephus ſaith, that at firſt the King frowned upon her, ſo that ſhe fell into a ſwoon before him. Rex autem voluntate, arbitror Dei, mentem mutavit, i. e. But the King as God would have it, changed his minde, and cheared her up. How true this is, I know not; But this I know, that the wrath of a King is as the roaring of a lion, which is ſo terrible, that it aſtonieth all that heare it,Amb bex. l. 6. c. 5. and that Omne trahit ſecum Caeſaris ira malum. Sir Chriſtopher Hatton, being check't and threatened by Queen Elizabeth, died ſoon after: Neither could the Queen, having once caſt him down with her word only, raiſe him up again, though ſhe viſited him,Camd. Eliz 406. and comforted him. Eſther here was ſoon raiſed and relieved.

Dejicit ut relevet, premit ut ſolatia praeſtet: Enecat, ut poſſit vivificare Deus.

And the King held out to Eſther the golden Scepter] He did not kick her out of his Preſence, as ſome Cambyſes would have done, neither did he command her to the block, as Henry the eighth did his Anne Bullen, upon a meer miſpriſion of diſloyalty: neither yet did he caſhiere her, as he had done Vaſhti for a leſſe offence: but, by holding out his Scepter ſhewes his gracious reſpects unto her. This was the Lords own work, as was likewiſe that of old, that Laban ſhould leave Jacob with a kiſſe, Eſau meet him with a kiſſe, Gen. 33.4. where the word kiſſed hath a prick over each letter in the Original, to ſhew the wonder of Gods work in changing Eſaus heart from his former hatred. Let a mans wayes pleaſe the Lord, and men ſhall quickly befriend him. This is compendioſiſſima hominum gratiam conſequendis via, ſaith Lavater here, the readieſt way to win favour with all others. When David was once a man after Gods heart, whatſoever he did, pleaſed the people.

So Eſther drew near, and touched the top of his Scepter] With her hand, ſaith the Chaldee: with her mouth, ſaith the Vulgar Tranſlation. This ſhe did either in token of ſubmiſſion, or for the avoiding of danger; for, as Joſephus ſaith, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Joſeph. Col. 3.19. He that touched the Kings Scepter, was out of the reach of evil. Wives ſhould ſubmit themſelves to their own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Submiſſion includeth Reverence, (in heart, ſpeeches, geſtures) and obedience to all their husbands lawful commands and reſtraints. This is no more then is meet, ſaith the Apoſtle.