Charles Ellicott Commentary Esther 1:3

"in the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him;" — Esther 1:3 (ASV)

In the third year of his reign. Assuming, as we do, the identity of Ahasuerus and Xerxes, this would be 483 B.C. In that year, Xerxes held a meeting of his princes at Susa to make arrangements for invading Greece.

At such an important gathering, feasting was a natural accompaniment. Moreover, a successful war in Egypt had just concluded. Thus, besides the upcoming campaign, rejoicings for the past might have mingled with high hopes for the future, when the empire's full strength would be exerted to crush the presumptuous enemy who had dared to challenge the “king of kings.”

Nobles. The Hebrew word partemim, occurring here and in Esther 6:9 and Daniel 1:3, is a Persian word literally meaning “first.” The Greek protos and Latin primus are evidently akin to it.