“And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.”
The requirement that the edict be proclaimed throughout the empire ensures that all women will honor their husbands, from great to small, appears to accomplish the legal protection of patriarchal order through imperial proclamation. Yet this very proclamation—sent throughout the realm—inadvertently creates the search for a new queen that will bring Esther to power and position her to save her people. The verse demonstrates the paradox that even when human authority seeks to accomplish one purpose, the broadcasting of such authority often creates unintended consequences that serve hidden divine purposes.
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