3:12 So the royal scribes 7 were summoned in the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month. Everything Haman commanded was written to the king’s satraps 8 and governors who were in every province and to the officials of every people, province by province according to its script and people by people according to its language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written and sealed with the king’s signet ring.
1 sn The text of Esther does not disclose exactly how Mordecai learned about the plot against the king’s life. Ancient Jewish traditions state that Mordecai overheard conspiratorial conversation, or that an informant brought this information to him, or that it came to him as a result of divine prompting. These conjectures are all without adequate support from the biblical text. The author simply does not tell the source of Mordecai’s insight into this momentous event.
2 tc The LXX simply reads “Esther” and does not include “the queen.”
3 tc The LXX adds here “the things concerning the plot.”
4 tn Heb “He”; the referent (Mordecai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Heb “second.” The numerical adjective שֵׁנִי (sheniy, “second”) is difficult here. As a modifier for “house” in v. 14 the word would presumably refer to a second part of the harem, one which was under the supervision of a separate official. But in this case the definite article would be expected before “second” (cf. LXX τὸν δεύτερον, ton deuteron). Some scholars emend the text to שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”), but this does not completely resolve the difficulty since the meaning remains unclear. The translation adopted above follows the LXX and understands the word to refer to a separate group of women in the king’s harem, a group housed apparently in a distinct part of the residence complex.
8 tc The LXX does not include the words “was pleased with her.”
10 tn Or “secretaries” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).
11 tn Or “princes” (so NLT); CEV “highest officials.”