Discovery BoxEsther 1:22 
Context1:22 He sent letters throughout all the royal provinces, to each province according to its own script and to each people according to its own language, 1 that every man should be ruling his family 2 and should be speaking the language of his own people. 3
Esther 2:7
Context2:7 Now he was acting as the guardian 4 of Hadassah 5 (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, for neither her father nor her mother was alive. 6 This young woman was very attractive and had a beautiful figure. 7 When her father and mother died, Mordecai had raised her 8 as if she were his own daughter.
Esther 2:17
Context2:17 And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she met with his loving approval 9 more than all the other young women. 10 So he placed the royal high turban on her head and appointed her queen 11 in place of Vashti.
Esther 3:2
Context3:2 As a result, 12 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, 13 nor did he pay him homage.
Esther 3:6
Context3:6 But the thought of striking out against 14 Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed 15 of the identity of Mordecai’s people. 16 So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) 17 who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.
Esther 5:14
Context5:14 Haman’s 18 wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows seventy-five feet 19 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.” 20
It seemed like a good idea to Haman, so he had the gallows built.
Esther 7:8
Context7:8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet of wine, Haman was throwing himself down 21 on the couch where Esther was lying. 22 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.
1 sn For purposes of diplomacy and governmental communication throughout the far-flung regions of the Persian empire the Aramaic language was normally used. Educated people throughout the kingdom could be expected to have competence in this language. But in the situation described in v. 22 a variety of local languages are to be used, and not just Aramaic, so as to make the king’s edict understandable to the largest possible number of people.
2 tn Heb “in his house”; NIV “over his own household.”
3 tc The final prepositional phrase is not included in the LXX, and this shorter reading is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NRSV, NLT). Some scholars suggest the phrase may be the result of dittography from the earlier phrase “to each people according to its language,” but this is not a necessary conclusion. The edict was apparently intended to reassert male prerogative with regard to two things (and not just one): sovereign and unquestioned leadership within the family unit, and the right of deciding which language was to be used in the home when a bilingual situation existed.
4 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).
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.”
8 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).
9 tn Heb “grace and loyal love.” The expression is probably a hendiadys.
10 tc The LXX does not include the words “more than all the other young women.”
11 tn Heb “caused her to rule.”
12 tn Heb “and” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). Other modern English versions leave the conjunction untranslated here (NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT).
13 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).
14 tn Heb “to send a hand against”; KJV, NRSV “to lay hands on.”
15 tn Heb “they had related to him.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a passive construction.
16 tc The entire first half of the verse is not included in the LXX.
17 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.
18 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 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.”
20 tn Or “joyful”; NRSV “in good spirits”; TEV “happy.”
21 tn Heb “falling”; NAB, NRSV “had (+ just TEV) thrown himself (+ down TEV).”
22 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.”
