Esther 1:11

1:11 to bring Queen Vashti into the king’s presence wearing her royal high turban. He wanted to show the people and the officials her beauty, for she was very attractive. ¹ 

Esther 1:17

1:17 For the matter concerning the queen will spread to all the women, leading them to treat their husbands with contempt, saying, ‘When King Ahasuerus gave orders to bring Queen Vashti into his presence, she would not come.’

Esther 2:15

2:15 When it became the turn of Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai (who had raised her as if she were his own daughter ² ) to go to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who was overseer of the women, had recommended. Yet Esther met with the approval of all who saw her.

Esther 7:9

7:9 Harbona, ³  one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “Indeed, there is the gallows that Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke out in the king’s behalf. It stands near Haman’s home and is seventy-five feet ⁴  high.”

The king said, “Hang him on it!”

Esther 2:21

2:21 In those days while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan ⁵  and Teresh, ⁶  two of the king’s eunuchs who protected the entrance, ⁷  became angry and plotted to assassinate ⁸  King Ahasuerus.

Esther 2:23

2:23 The king then had the matter investigated and, finding it to be so, had the two conspirators ⁹  hanged on a gallows. ¹⁰  It was then recorded in the daily chronicles in the king’s presence.

Esther 3:6

3:6 But the thought of striking out against ¹¹  Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed ¹²  of the identity of Mordecai’s people. ¹³  So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) ¹⁴  who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

Esther 5:2

5:2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she met with his approval. ¹⁵  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 ¹⁶  against the Jews.

Esther 2:7

2:7 Now he was acting as the guardian ¹⁷  of Hadassah ¹⁸  (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, for neither her father nor her mother was alive. ¹⁹  This young woman was very attractive and had a beautiful figure. ²⁰  When her father and mother died, Mordecai had raised her ²¹  as if she were his own daughter.

Esther 3:7

3:7 In the first month (that is, the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year ²²  of King Ahasuerus’ reign, pur ²³  (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman in order to determine a day and a month. ²⁴  It turned out to be the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar). ²⁵ 

[1:11]  ¹ tn Heb “was good of appearance”; KJV “was fair to look on”; NAB “was lovely to behold.”

[2:15]  ² tn Heb “who had taken her to him as a daughter”; NRSV “who had adopted her as his own daughter.”

[7:9]  ³ sn Cf. 1:10, where Harbona is one of the seven eunuchs sent by the king to summon Queen Vashti to his banquet.

[7:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “fifty cubits.” See the note on this expression in Esth 5:14.

[2:21]  ⁴ tn This individual is referred to as “Bigthana,” a variant spelling of the name, in Esth 6:2.

[2:21]  ⁵ tc The LXX does not include the names “Bigthan and Teresh” here.

[2:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “guarders of the threshold”; NIV “who guarded the doorway.”

[2:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “sought to send a hand against”; CEV “decided to kill.”

[2:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “they both were hanged.” The referent (the two eunuchs who conspired against the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:23]  ⁶ tn Or “on a pole”; KJV, ASV “on a tree.”

[3:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “to send a hand against”; KJV, NRSV “to lay hands on.”

[3:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “they had related to him.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a passive construction.

[3:6]  ⁸ tc The entire first half of the verse is not included in the LXX.

[3:6]  ⁹ 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.

[5:2]  ⁷ 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.”

[8:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “sent forth his hand”; NAB, NIV “attacked”; NLT “tried to destroy.” Cf. 9:2.

[2:7]  ⁹ tn According to HALOT 64 s.v. II אמן the term אֹמֵן (’omen) means: (1) “attendant” of children (Num 11:12; Isa 49:23); (2) “guardian” (2 Kgs 10:1, 5; Esth 2:7); (3) “nurse-maid” (2 Sam 4:4; Ruth 4:16); and (4) “to look after” (Isa 60:4; Lam 4:5). Older lexicons did not distinguish this root from the homonym I אָמַן (’aman, “to support; to confirm”; cf. BDB 52 s.v. אָמַן). This is reflected in a number of translations by use of a phrase like “brought up” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NIV) or “bringing up” (NASB).

[2:7]  ¹⁰ sn Hadassah is a Jewish name that probably means “myrtle”; the name Esther probably derives from the Persian word for “star,” although some scholars derive it from the name of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. Esther is not the only biblical character for whom two different names were used. Daniel (renamed Belteshazzar) and his three friends Hananiah (renamed Shadrach), Mishael (renamed Meshach), and Azariah (renamed Abednego) were also given different names by their captors.

[2:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “for there was not to her father or mother.” This is universally understood to mean Esther’s father and mother were no longer alive.

[2:7]  ¹² tn Heb “beautiful of form.” The Hebrew noun תֹּאַר (to’ar, “form; shape”) is used elsewhere to describe the physical bodily shape of a beautiful woman (Gen 29:17; Deut 21:11; 1 Sam 25:3); see BDB 1061 s.v. Cf. TEV “had a good figure.”

[2:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “had taken her to him.” The Hebrew verb לָקַח (laqakh, “to take”) describes Mordecai adopting Esther and treating her like his own daughter: “to take as one’s own property” as a daughter (HALOT 534 s.v. I לקח 6).

[3:7]  ¹⁰ sn This year would be ca. 474 b.c. The reference to first month and twelfth month indicate that about a year had elapsed between this determination and the anticipated execution.

[3:7]  ¹¹ tn The term פּוּר (pur, “lot”) is an Akkadian loanword; the narrator therefore explains it for his Hebrew readers (“that is, the lot”). It is from the plural form of this word (i.e., Purim) that the festival celebrating the deliverance of the Jews takes its name (cf. 9:24, 26, 28, 31).

[3:7]  ¹² tc The LXX adds the following words: “in order to destroy in one day the race of Mordecai, and the lot fell on the fourteenth day of the month.” The LXX reading is included by NAB.

[3:7]  ¹³ tn Since v. 7 seems to interrupt the flow of the narrative, many scholars have suggested that it is a late addition to the text. But there is not enough evidence to warrant such a conclusion. Even though its placement is somewhat awkward, the verse supplies to the reader an important piece of chronological information.