Esther 1:2

1:2 In those days, as King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa ¹  the citadel, ² 

Esther 1:4

1:4 He displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his majestic greatness for a lengthy period of time ³  – a hundred and eighty days, to be exact! ⁴ 

Esther 1:20

1:20 And let the king’s decision which he will enact be disseminated ⁵  throughout all his kingdom, vast though it is. ⁶  Then all the women will give honor to their husbands, from the most prominent to the lowly.”

Esther 2:16

2:16 Then Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus at his royal residence in the tenth ⁷  month (that is, the month of Tebeth) in the seventh ⁸  year of his reign.

Esther 2:3

2:3 And let the king appoint officers throughout all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the attractive young women to Susa the citadel, to the harem ⁹  under the authority of Hegai, the king’s eunuch who oversees the women, and let him provide whatever cosmetics they desire. ¹⁰ 

Esther 5:1

Esther Appeals to the King for Help

5:1 It so happened that on the third day Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace, ¹¹  opposite the king’s quarters. ¹²  The king was sitting on his royal throne in the palace, opposite the entrance. ¹³ 

¹ tn Heb “Shushan” (so KJV, ASV). Most recent English versions render this as “Susa.”

² tn The Hebrew word בִּירָה (birah) can refer to a castle or palace or temple. Here it seems to have in mind that fortified part of the city that might be called an acropolis or citadel. Cf. KJV “palace”; NAB “stronghold”; NASB “capital”; NLT “fortress.”

³ tn Heb “many days” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “for many days.”

⁴ tn The words “to be exact!” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation to bring out the clarifying nuance of the time period mentioned. Cf. KJV “even an hundred and fourscore days.”

⁵ tn Heb “heard”; KJV, NAB, NLT “published”; NIV, NRSV “proclaimed.”

⁶ tc The phrase “vast though it is” is not included in the LXX, although it is retained by almost all English versions.

⁷ tc The Greek MSS Codex Alexandrinus (A) and Codex Vaticanus (B) read “twelfth” here.

⁸ tc The Syriac Peshitta reads “fourth” here.

⁹ tn Heb “the house of the women” (so KJV, ASV). So also in vv. 9, 11, 13, and 14.

¹⁰ tn Heb “their ointments”; cf. NIV, CEV, NLT “beauty treatments.”

¹¹ tn Heb “of the house of the king”; NASB, NRSV “of the king’s palace.”

¹² tn Heb “the house of the king”; NASB “the king’s rooms”; NIV, NLT “the king’s hall.” This expression is used twice in this verse. In the first instance, it is apparently the larger palace complex that is in view, whereas in the second instance the expression seems to refer specifically to the quarters from which the king governed.

¹³ tn Heb “the entrance of the house” (so ASV).