Esther 5:2

5:2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she met with his approval. The king extended to Esther the gold scepter that was in his hand, and Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.

Esther 8:7

8:7 King Ahasuerus replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I have already given Haman’s estate to Esther, and he has been hanged on the gallows because he took hostile action against the Jews.

Psalms 75:10

75:10 God says,

“I will bring down all the power of the wicked;

the godly will be victorious.”

Proverbs 21:1

21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord like channels of water;

he turns it wherever he wants.


tn Heb “she obtained grace in his eyes”; NASB “she obtained favor in his sight”; NIV “he was pleased with her”; NLT “he welcomed her.”

tn Heb “sent forth his hand”; NAB, NIV “attacked”; NLT “tried to destroy.” Cf. 9:2.

tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in v. 10.

tn Heb “and all the horns of the wicked I will cut off, the horns of the godly will be lifted up.” The imagery of the wild ox’s horn is once more utilized (see vv. 4-5).

sn “Heart” is a metonymy of subject; it signifies the ability to make decisions, if not the decisions themselves.

sn “Hand” in this passage is a personification; the word is frequently used idiomatically for “power,” and that is the sense intended here.

tn “Channels of water” (פַּלְגֵי, palge) is an adverbial accusative, functioning as a figure of comparison – “like channels of water.” Cf. NAB “Like a stream”; NIV “watercourse”; NRSV, NLT “a stream of water.”