Discovery BoxEsther 1:7 
Context1:7 Drinks 1 were served in golden containers, all of which differed from one another. Royal wine was available in abundance at the king’s expense.
Esther 2:16
Context2:16 Then Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus at his royal residence in the tenth 2 month (that is, the month of Tebeth) in the seventh 3 year of his reign.
1 tn Heb “to cause to drink” (Hiphil infinitive construct of שָׁקָה, shaqah). As the etymology of the Hebrew word for “banquet” (מִשְׁתֶּה, mishteh, from שָׁתָה, shatah, “to drink”) hints, drinking was a prominent feature of ancient Near Eastern banquets.
2 tc The Greek
3 tc The Syriac Peshitta reads “fourth” here.
