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, 4 opposite the king’s quarters. 5 The king was sitting on his royal throne in the palace, opposite the entrance. 6
1:4 He displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his majestic greatness for a lengthy period of time 16 – a hundred and eighty days, to be exact! 17
5:3 The king said to her, “What is on your mind, 21 Queen Esther? What is your request? Even as much as half the kingdom will be given to you!”
8:15 Now Mordecai went out from the king’s presence in purple and white royal attire, with a large golden crown and a purple linen mantle. The city of Susa shouted with joy. 23
3:8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a particular people 37 that is dispersed and spread among the inhabitants 38 throughout all the provinces of your kingdom whose laws differ from those of all other peoples. Furthermore, they do not observe the king’s laws. It is not appropriate for the king to provide a haven for them. 39
1 tc The Greek
2 tc The Syriac Peshitta reads “fourth” here.
3 tc The final comment (“one on whose head the royal crown has been”) is not included in the LXX.
5 tn Heb “of the house of the king”; NASB, NRSV “of the king’s palace.”
6 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.
7 tn Heb “the entrance of the house” (so ASV).
7 tn Heb “Shushan” (so KJV, ASV). Most recent English versions render this as “Susa.”
8 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.”
9 tn Heb “to cause to drink” (Hiphil infinitive construct of שָׁקָה, shaqah). As the etymology of the Hebrew word for “banquet” (מִשְׁתֶּה, mishteh, from שָׁתָה, shatah, “to drink”) hints, drinking was a prominent feature of ancient Near Eastern banquets.
11 sn Vashti is the name of Xerxes’ queen according to the Book of Esther. But in the Greek histories of this period the queen’s name is given as Amestris (e.g., Herodotus, Histories 9.108-13). The name Vashti does not seem to occur in the nonbiblical records from this period. Apparently the two women are not to be confused, but not enough is known about this period to reconcile completely the biblical and extrabiblical accounts.
13 sn Heb “If upon the king it is good”; KJV “If it please the king.” Deferential language was common in ancient Near Eastern court language addressing a despot; it occurs often in Esther.
14 sn Laws…that cannot be repealed. On the permanence of the laws of Media and Persia see also Esth 8:8 and Dan 6:8, 12, 15.
15 sn Previously in this chapter the word “queen” accompanies Vashti’s name (cf. vv. 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17). But here, in anticipation of her demotion, the title is dropped.
16 tn Heb “her neighbor”; NIV “someone else.”
17 tn Heb “who is better than she.” The reference is apparently to worthiness of the royal position as demonstrated by compliance with the king’s wishes, although the word טוֹב (tob, “good”) can also be used of physical beauty. Cf. NAB, NASB, NLT “more worthy than she.”
15 tn Heb “many days” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “for many days.”
16 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.”
17 tn Heb “was good of appearance”; KJV “was fair to look on”; NAB “was lovely to behold.”
19 tn Heb “heard”; KJV, NAB, NLT “published”; NIV, NRSV “proclaimed.”
20 tc The phrase “vast though it is” is not included in the LXX, although it is retained by almost all English versions.
21 tn Heb “What to you?”; NAB, NIV NRSV “What is it, Queen Esther?”
23 sn As much as half the kingdom. Such a statement would no doubt have been understood for the exaggeration that it clearly was. Cf. the similar NT scene recorded in Mark 6:23, where Herod makes a similar promise to the daughter of Herodias. In that case the request was for the head of John the Baptist, which is a lot less than half the kingdom.
25 tn Heb “shouted and rejoiced.” The expression is a hendiadys (see the note on 5:10 for an explanation of this figure).
27 tc The present translation is based on the Niphal form וַיּשָּׁלַח (vayyishalakh, “were sent”; so also NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT) rather than the reading of the MT וַיּשְׁלַח (vayyishlakh, Qal, “and he sent”). The subject of the MT verb would have to be Mordecai (cf. NAB, NIV, NCV), but this is problematic in light of v. 29, where both Esther and Mordecai are responsible for the letters.
28 tn Heb “peace and truth.” The expression is probably a hendiadys (see the note on 5:10 for an explanation of this figure).
29 tn Heb “seers of the face of the king”; NASB “who had access to the king’s presence.”
30 tn Heb “were sitting first”; NAB “held first rank in the realm.”
31 tn Heb “the house of the women” (so KJV, ASV). So also in vv. 9, 11, 13, and 14.
32 tn Heb “their ointments”; cf. NIV, CEV, NLT “beauty treatments.”
33 tn Heb “grace and loyal love.” The expression is probably a hendiadys.
34 tc The LXX does not include the words “more than all the other young women.”
35 tn Heb “caused her to rule.”
35 tn Heb “to send a hand against”; KJV, NRSV “to lay hands on.”
36 tn Heb “they had related to him.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a passive construction.
37 tc The entire first half of the verse is not included in the LXX.
38 tc This parenthetical phrase is not included in the LXX. Some scholars emend the MT reading עַם (’am, “people”) to עִם (’im, “with”), arguing that the phrase is awkwardly placed and syntactically inappropriate. While there is some truth to their complaint, the MT makes sufficient sense to be acceptable here, and is followed by most English versions.
37 tn Heb “one people.” Note the subtle absence at this point of a specific mention of the Jewish people by name.
38 tn Heb “peoples” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “nations”
39 tn Heb “to cause them to rest”; NASB “to let them remain”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “to tolerate them.”
39 tn Heb “from all the Jews”; KJV “more than all the Jews”; NIV “you alone of all the Jews.”
40 tn Heb “stand”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT “arise.”
41 tn Heb “place” (so KJV, NIV, NLT); NRSV “from another quarter.” This is probably an oblique reference to help coming from God. D. J. A. Clines disagrees; in his view a contrast between deliverance by Esther and deliverance by God is inappropriate (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther [NCBC], 302). But Clines’ suggestion that perhaps the reference is to deliverance by Jewish officials or by armed Jewish revolt is less attractive than seeing this veiled reference as part of the literary strategy of the book, which deliberately keeps God’s providential dealings entirely in the background.
42 tn Heb “And who knows whether” (so NASB). The question is one of hope, but free of presumption. Cf. Jonah 3:9.
43 tn Heb “have come to the kingdom”; NRSV “to royal dignity”; NIV “to royal position”; NLT “have been elevated to the palace.”