Discovery BoxEsther 2:14 
Context2:14 In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to a separate part 1 of the harem, to the authority of Shaashgaz the king’s eunuch who was overseeing the concubines. She would not go back to the king unless the king was pleased with her 2 and she was requested by name.
Esther 5:14
Context5:14 Haman’s 3 wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows seventy-five feet 4 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.” 5
It seemed like a good idea to Haman, so he had the gallows built.
1 tn Heb “second.” The numerical adjective שֵׁנִי (sheniy, “second”) is difficult here. As a modifier for “house” in v. 14 the word would presumably refer to a second part of the harem, one which was under the supervision of a separate official. But in this case the definite article would be expected before “second” (cf. LXX τὸν δεύτερον, ton deuteron). Some scholars emend the text to שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”), but this does not completely resolve the difficulty since the meaning remains unclear. The translation adopted above follows the LXX and understands the word to refer to a separate group of women in the king’s harem, a group housed apparently in a distinct part of the residence complex.
2 tc The LXX does not include the words “was pleased with her.”
3 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 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.”
5 tn Or “joyful”; NRSV “in good spirits”; TEV “happy.”
