Esther 3:6-7

3:6 But the thought of striking out against 1  Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed 2  of the identity of Mordecai’s people. 3  So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) 4  who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

3:7 In the first month (that is, the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year 5  of King Ahasuerus’ reign, pur 6  (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman in order to determine a day and a month. 7  It turned out to be the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar). 8 

Esther 7:9

7:9 Harbona, 9  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 10  high.”

The king said, “Hang him on it!”

Esther 9:2

9:2 The Jews assembled themselves in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to strike out against those who were seeking their harm. No one was able to stand before them, for dread of them fell on all the peoples.

Esther 10:2

10:2 Now all the actions carried out under his authority and his great achievements, along with an exact statement concerning the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king promoted, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia?

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

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

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

4 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 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.

6 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).

7 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.

tn Heb “from day to day and from month to month” (so KJV, NASB).

8 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.

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

10 tn Heb “fifty cubits.” See the note on this expression in Esth 5:14.