Esther 1:19

1:19 If the king is so inclined, ¹  let a royal edict go forth from him, and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media that cannot be repealed, ²  that Vashti ³  may not come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king convey her royalty to another ⁴  who is more deserving than she. ⁵ 

Esther 2:8

2:8 It so happened that when the king’s edict and his law became known ⁶  many young women were taken to Susa the citadel to be placed under the authority of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the royal palace ⁷  to be under the authority of Hegai, who was overseeing the women.

Esther 2:17

2:17 And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she met with his loving approval ⁸  more than all the other young women. ⁹  So he placed the royal high turban on her head and appointed her queen ¹⁰  in place of Vashti.

Esther 3:2

3:2 As a result, ¹¹  all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate were bowing and paying homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded. However, Mordecai did not bow, ¹²  nor did he pay him homage.

Esther 3:6

3:6 But the thought of striking out against ¹³  Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed ¹⁴  of the identity of Mordecai’s people. ¹⁵  So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) ¹⁶  who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

Esther 4:4

4:4 When Esther’s female attendants and her eunuchs came and informed her about Mordecai’s behavior, ¹⁷  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 4:8

4:8 He also gave him a written copy of the law that had been disseminated ¹⁸  in Susa for their destruction so that he could show it to Esther and talk to her about it. He also gave instructions that she should go to the king to implore him and petition him on behalf of her people.

Esther 5:1

Esther Appeals to the King for Help

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, ¹⁹  opposite the king’s quarters. ²⁰  The king was sitting on his royal throne in the palace, opposite the entrance. ²¹ 

Esther 5:14

5:14 Haman’s ²²  wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows seventy-five feet ²³  high built, and in the morning tell the king that Mordecai should be hanged on it. Then go with the king to the banquet contented.” ²⁴ 

It seemed like a good idea to Haman, so he had the gallows built.

Esther 6:9

6:9 Then let this clothing and this horse be given to one of the king’s noble officials. Let him ²⁵  then clothe the man whom the king wishes to honor, and let him lead him about through the plaza of the city on the horse, calling ²⁶  before him, ‘So shall it be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor!’”

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¹ 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.

² 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.

³ 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.

⁴ tn Heb “her neighbor”; NIV “someone else.”

⁵ 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.”

⁶ tn Heb “were heard” (so NASB); NRSV “were (had been NIV) proclaimed.”

⁷ tn Heb “the house of the king.” So also in vv. 9, 13. Cf. NLT “the king’s harem.”

⁸ tn Heb “grace and loyal love.” The expression is probably a hendiadys.

⁹ tc The LXX does not include the words “more than all the other young women.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “caused her to rule.”

¹¹ tn Heb “and” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). Other modern English versions leave the conjunction untranslated here (NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT).

¹² sn Mordecai did not bow. The reason for Mordecai’s refusal to bow before Haman is not clearly stated here. Certainly the Jews did not refuse to bow as a matter of principle, as though such an action somehow violated the second command of the Decalogue. Many biblical texts bear witness to their practice of falling prostrate before people of power and influence (e.g., 1 Sam 24:8; 2 Sam 14:4; 1 Kgs 1:16). Perhaps the issue here was that Haman was a descendant of the Amalekites, a people who had attacked Israel in an earlier age (see Exod 17:8-16; 1 Sam 15:17-20; Deut 25:17-19).

¹³ tn Heb “to send a hand against”; KJV, NRSV “to lay hands on.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “they had related to him.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a passive construction.

¹⁵ tc The entire first half of the verse is not included in the LXX.

¹⁶ 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.

¹⁷ 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.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “given” (so KJV); NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT “issued”; NIV “published”; NAB “promulgated.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “of the house of the king”; NASB, NRSV “of the king’s palace.”

²⁰ 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.

²¹ tn Heb “the entrance of the house” (so ASV).

²² tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²³ tn Heb “fifty cubits.” Assuming a standard length for the cubit of about 18 inches (45 cm), this would be about seventy-five feet (22.5 meters), which is a surprisingly tall height for the gallows. Perhaps the number assumes the gallows was built on a large supporting platform or a natural hill for visual effect, in which case the structure itself may have been considerably smaller. Cf. NCV “a seventy-five foot platform”; CEV “a tower built about seventy-five feet high.”

²⁴ tn Or “joyful”; NRSV “in good spirits”; TEV “happy.”

²⁵ tc The present translation reads with the LXX וְהִלְבִּישׁוֹ (vÿhilbisho, “and he will clothe him”) rather than the reading of the MT וְהִלְבִּישׁוּ (vÿhilbishu, “and they will clothe”). The reading of the LXX is also followed by NAB, NRSV, TEV, CEV, and NLT. Likewise, the later verbs in this verse (“cause him to ride” and “call”) are better taken as singulars rather than plurals.

²⁶ tn Heb “and let them call” (see the previous note).