Esther 4:12

4:12 When Esther’s reply ¹  was conveyed to Mordecai,

Esther 4:9

4:9 So Hathach returned and related Mordecai’s instructions ²  to Esther.

Esther 9:30

9:30 Letters were sent ³  to all the Jews in the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the empire of Ahasuerus – words of true peace ⁴  –

Esther 7:8

7:8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet of wine, Haman was throwing himself down ⁵  on the couch where Esther was lying. ⁶  The king exclaimed, “Will he also attempt to rape the queen while I am still in the building!”

As these words left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

Esther 9:26

9:26 For this reason these days are known as Purim, after the name of pur.

Esther 1:21

1:21 The matter seemed appropriate to the king and the officials. So the king acted on the advice of Memucan.

Esther 3:4

3:4 And after they had spoken to him day after day ⁷  without his paying any attention to them, they informed Haman to see whether this attitude on Mordecai’s part would be permitted. ⁸  Furthermore, he had disclosed to them that he was a Jew. ⁹ 

Esther 9:4

9:4 Mordecai was of high rank ¹⁰  in the king’s palace, and word about him was spreading throughout all the provinces. His influence ¹¹  continued to become greater and greater.

Esther 7:9

7:9 Harbona, ¹²  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 ¹³  high.”

The king said, “Hang him on it!”

Esther 2:22

2:22 When Mordecai learned of the conspiracy, ¹⁴  he informed Queen Esther, ¹⁵  and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s behalf. ¹⁶ 

Esther 9:23

9:23 So the Jews committed themselves to continue what they had begun to do and to what Mordecai had written to them.

Esther 4:3-4

4:3 Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were announced ¹⁷  there was considerable ¹⁸  mourning among the Jews, along with fasting, weeping, and sorrow. ¹⁹  Sackcloth and ashes were characteristic ²⁰  of many. 4:4 When Esther’s female attendants and her eunuchs came and informed her about Mordecai’s behavior, ²¹  the queen was overcome with anguish. Although she sent garments for Mordecai to put on so that he could remove his sackcloth, he would not accept them.

Esther 6:2

6:2 it was found written that Mordecai had disclosed that Bigthana ²²  and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, had plotted to assassinate ²³  King Ahasuerus.

Esther 10:3

10:3 Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus. He was the highest-ranking ²⁴  Jew, and he was admired by his numerous relatives. ²⁵  He worked enthusiastically ²⁶  for the good of his people and was an advocate for the welfare of ²⁷  all his descendants. ²⁸ 

[4:12]  ¹ tn Heb “the words of Esther”; TEV, NLT “Esther’s message.”

[4:9]  ² tn Heb “the words of Mordecai” (so KJV); NIV, NRSV, CEV “what Mordecai had said”; NLT “with Mordecai’s message.”

[9:30]  ³ 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.

[9:30]  ⁴ tn Heb “peace and truth.” The expression is probably a hendiadys (see the note on 5:10 for an explanation of this figure).

[7:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “falling”; NAB, NRSV “had (+ just TEV) thrown himself (+ down TEV).”

[7:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “where Esther was” (so KJV, NASB). The term “lying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “was reclining.”

[3:4]  ⁵ sn Mordecai’s position in the service of the king brought him into regular contact with these royal officials. Because of this association the officials would have found ample opportunity to complain of Mordecai’s refusal to honor Haman by bowing down before him.

[3:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “Will the matters of Mordecai stand?”; NASB “to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand.”

[3:4]  ⁷ sn This disclosure of Jewish identity is a reversal of the practice mentioned in 1:10, 20.

[9:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “great”; NRSV “powerful”; NIV “prominent”; NCV “very important.”

[9:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “the man Mordecai” (so NASB, NRSV).

[7:9]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “fifty cubits.” See the note on this expression in Esth 5:14.

[2:22]  ⁸ 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.

[2:22]  ⁹ tc The LXX simply reads “Esther” and does not include “the queen.”

[2:22]  ¹⁰ tc The LXX adds here “the things concerning the plot.”

[4:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “reached” (so NAB, NLT); KJV, NASB, NIV “came”; TEV “wherever the king’s proclamation was made known.”

[4:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the Jews went into deep mourning.”

[4:3]  ¹¹ 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.

[4:3]  ¹² tn Heb “were spread to many”; KJV, NIV “many (+ people NLT) lay in sackcloth and ashes.”

[4:4]  ¹⁰ tn The words “about Mordecai’s behavior” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in translation for the sake of clarity. Cf. NIV, NLT “about Mordecai”; TEV, CEV “what Mordecai was doing.”

[6:2]  ¹¹ tn This individual is referred to as “Bigthan,” a variant spelling of the name, in Esth 2:21.

[6:2]  ¹² tn Heb “to send a hand against”; NASB “had sought to lay hands on.”

[10:3]  ¹² tn Heb “great among the Jews” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “preeminent among the Jews”; NRSV “powerful among the Jews.”

[10:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “brothers”; NASB “kinsmen”; NIV “fellow Jews.”

[10:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he was seeking”; NAB “as the promoter of his people’s welfare.”

[10:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he was speaking peace to”; NRSV “and interceded for the welfare of.”

[10:3]  ¹⁶ 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).