Esther 9:4

9:4 Mordecai was of high rank ¹  in the king’s palace, and word about him was spreading throughout all the provinces. His influence ²  continued to become greater and greater.

Esther 1:20

1:20 And let the king’s decision which he will enact be disseminated ³  throughout all his kingdom, vast though it is. ⁴  Then all the women will give honor to their husbands, from the most prominent to the lowly.”

Esther 2:18

2:18 Then the king prepared a large banquet for all his officials and his servants – it was actually Esther’s banquet. He also set aside a holiday for the provinces, and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense. ⁵ 

Esther 8:15

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. ⁶ 

Esther 10:3

10:3 Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus. He was the highest-ranking ⁷  Jew, and he was admired by his numerous relatives. ⁸  He worked enthusiastically ⁹  for the good of his people and was an advocate for the welfare of ¹⁰  all his descendants. ¹¹ 

Esther 1:5

1:5 When those days ¹²  were completed, the king then provided a seven-day ¹³  banquet for all the people who were present ¹⁴  in Susa the citadel, for those of highest standing to the most lowly. ¹⁵  It was held in the court located in the garden of the royal palace.

Esther 4:1

Esther Decides to Risk Everything in order to Help Her People

4:1 Now when Mordecai became aware of all that had been done, he ¹⁶  tore his garments and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went out into the city, crying out in a loud ¹⁷  and bitter voice.

Esther 4:3

4:3 Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were announced ¹⁸  there was considerable ¹⁹  mourning among the Jews, along with fasting, weeping, and sorrow. ²⁰  Sackcloth and ashes were characteristic ²¹  of many.

¹ tn Heb “great”; NRSV “powerful”; NIV “prominent”; NCV “very important.”

² tn Heb “the man Mordecai” (so NASB, NRSV).

³ tn Heb “heard”; KJV, NAB, NLT “published”; NIV, NRSV “proclaimed.”

⁴ tc The phrase “vast though it is” is not included in the LXX, although it is retained by almost all English versions.

⁵ tc The LXX does not include the words “and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense.”

⁷ tn Heb “shouted and rejoiced.” The expression is a hendiadys (see the note on 5:10 for an explanation of this figure).

⁹ tn Heb “great among the Jews” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “preeminent among the Jews”; NRSV “powerful among the Jews.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “brothers”; NASB “kinsmen”; NIV “fellow Jews.”

¹¹ tn Heb “he was seeking”; NAB “as the promoter of his people’s welfare.”

¹² tn Heb “he was speaking peace to”; NRSV “and interceded for the welfare of.”

¹³ sn A number of additions to the Book of Esther appear in the apocryphal (or deuterocanonical) writings. These additions supply further information about various scenes described in the canonical book and are interesting in their own right. However, they were never a part of the Hebrew Bible. The placement of this additional material in certain Greek manuscripts of the Book of Esther may be described as follows. At the beginning of Esther there is an account (= chapter 11) of a dream in which Mordecai is warned by God of a coming danger for the Jews. In this account two great dragons, representing Mordecai and Haman, prepare for conflict. But God responds to the prayers of his people, and the crisis is resolved. This account is followed by another one (= chapter 12) in which Mordecai is rewarded for disclosing a plot against the king’s life. After Esth 3:13 there is a copy of a letter from King Artaxerxes authorizing annihilation of the Jews (= chapter 13). After Esth 4:17 the account continues with a prayer of Mordecai (= part of chapter 13), followed by a prayer of Esther (= chapter 14), and an account which provides details about Esther’s appeal to the king in behalf of her people (= chapter 15). After Esth 8:12 there is a copy of a letter from King Artaxerxes in which he denounces Haman and his plot and authorizes his subjects to assist the Jews (= chapter 16). At the end of the book, following Esth 10:3, there is an addition which provides an interpretation to Mordecai’s dream, followed by a brief ascription of genuineness to the entire book (= chapter 11).

¹¹ tc The Hebrew text of Esther does not indicate why this elaborate show of wealth and power was undertaken. According to the LXX these were “the days of the wedding” (αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ γάμου, Jai Jhmerai tou gamou), presumably the king’s wedding. However, a number of scholars have called attention to the fact that this celebration takes place just shortly before Xerxes’ invasion of Greece. It is possible that the banquet was a rallying for the up-coming military effort. See Herodotus, Histories 7.8. There is no reason to adopt the longer reading of the LXX here.

¹² tc The LXX has ἕξ ({ex, “six”) instead of “seven.” Virtually all English versions follow the reading of the MT here, “seven.”

¹³ tn Heb “were found.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “from the great and unto the small.”

¹³ tn Heb “Mordecai.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style.

¹⁴ tn Heb “great.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “reached” (so NAB, NLT); KJV, NASB, NIV “came”; TEV “wherever the king’s proclamation was made known.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the Jews went into deep mourning.”

¹⁷ sn Although prayer is not specifically mentioned here, it is highly unlikely that appeals to God for help were not a part of this reaction to devastating news. As elsewhere in the book of Esther, the writer seems deliberately to keep religious actions in the background.

¹⁸ tn Heb “were spread to many”; KJV, NIV “many (+ people NLT) lay in sackcloth and ashes.”