Discovery BoxEsther 4:15 
Context4:15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:
Esther 4:10
Context4:10 Then Esther replied to Hathach with instructions for Mordecai:
Esther 4:12-13
Context4:12 When Esther’s reply 1 was conveyed to Mordecai, 4:13 he 2 said to take back this answer to Esther:
Esther 5:7
Context5:7 Esther responded, 3 “My request and my petition is this:
Esther 2:22
Context2:22 When Mordecai learned of the conspiracy, 4 he informed Queen Esther, 5 and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s behalf. 6
Esther 5:2
Context5:2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she met with his approval. 7 The king extended to Esther the gold scepter that was in his hand, and Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.
Esther 5:5
Context5:5 The king replied, “Find Haman quickly so that we can do as Esther requests.”
So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
Esther 4:9
Context4:9 So Hathach returned and related Mordecai’s instructions 8 to Esther.
Esther 4:17
Context4:17 So Mordecai set out to do everything that Esther had instructed him.
Esther 7:1
Context7:1 So the king and Haman came to dine 9 with Queen Esther.
Esther 8:4
Context8:4 When the king extended to Esther the gold scepter, she 10 arose and stood before the king.
Esther 9:32
Context9:32 Esther’s command established these matters of Purim, and the matter was officially recorded. 11
Esther 2:20
Context2:20 Esther was still not divulging her lineage or her people, 12 just as Mordecai had instructed her. 13 Esther continued to do whatever Mordecai said, just as she had done when he was raising her.
Esther 8:1
Context8:1 On that same day King Ahasuerus gave the estate 14 of Haman, that adversary of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Now Mordecai had come before the king, for Esther had revealed how he was related to her.
Esther 8:7
Context8:7 King Ahasuerus replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I have already given Haman’s estate to Esther, and he has been hanged on the gallows because he took hostile action 15 against the Jews.
Esther 2:10
Context2:10 Now Esther had not disclosed her people or her lineage, 16 for Mordecai had instructed her not to do so. 17
Esther 2:16
Context2:16 Then Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus at his royal residence in the tenth 18 month (that is, the month of Tebeth) in the seventh 19 year of his reign.
Esther 5:3-4
Context5:3 The king said to her, “What is on your mind, 20 Queen Esther? What is your request? Even as much as half the kingdom will be given to you!”
5:4 Esther replied, “If the king is so inclined, 21 let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”
Esther 5:12
Context5:12 Haman said, “Furthermore, Queen Esther invited 22 only me to accompany the king to the banquet that she prepared! And also tomorrow I am invited 23 along with the king.
Esther 6:14
Context6:14 While they were still speaking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived. They quickly brought Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
Esther 7:5-6
Context7:5 Then King Ahasuerus responded 24 to Queen Esther, “Who is this individual? Where is this person to be found who is presumptuous enough 25 to act in this way?”
7:6 Esther replied, “The oppressor and enemy is this evil Haman!”
Then Haman became terrified in the presence of the king and queen.
Esther 9:29
Context9:29 So Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew wrote with full authority to confirm this second 26 letter about Purim.
Esther 2:15
Context2:15 When it became the turn of Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai (who had raised her as if she were his own daughter 27 ) to go to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who was overseer of the women, had recommended. Yet Esther met with the approval of all who saw her.
Esther 7:2
Context7:2 On the second day of the banquet of wine the king asked Esther, “What is your request, Queen Esther? It shall be granted to you. And what is your petition? Ask up to half the kingdom, and it shall be done!”
Esther 2:11
Context2:11 And day after day Mordecai used to walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem in order to learn how Esther was doing 28 and what might happen to her.
Esther 4:5
Context4:5 So Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been placed at her service, 29 and instructed him to find out the cause and reason for Mordecai’s behavior. 30
Esther 5:6
Context5:6 While at the banquet of wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your request? It shall be given to you. What is your petition? Ask for as much as half the kingdom, 31 and it shall be done!”
Esther 7:3
Context7:3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have met with your approval, 32 O king, and if the king is so inclined, grant me my life as my request, and my people as my petition.
Esther 7:7
Context7:7 In rage the king arose from the banquet of wine and withdrew to the palace garden. Meanwhile, Haman stood to beg Queen Esther for his life, 33 for he realized that the king had now determined a catastrophic end for him. 34
Esther 8:2-3
Context8:2 The king then removed his signet ring (the very one he had taken back from Haman) and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther designated Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s estate.
8:3 Then Esther again spoke with the king, falling at his feet. She wept and begged him for mercy, that he might nullify the evil of Haman the Agagite which he had intended against the Jews. 35
Esther 9:13
Context9:13 Esther replied, “If the king is so inclined, let the Jews who are in Susa be permitted to act tomorrow also according to today’s law, and let them hang the ten sons of Haman on the gallows.”
Esther 9:31
Context9:31 to establish these days of Purim in their proper times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established, and just as they had established both for themselves and their descendants, matters pertaining to fasting and lamentation.
Esther 2:7-8
Context2:7 Now he was acting as the guardian 36 of Hadassah 37 (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, for neither her father nor her mother was alive. 38 This young woman was very attractive and had a beautiful figure. 39 When her father and mother died, Mordecai had raised her 40 as if she were his own daughter.
2:8 It so happened that when the king’s edict and his law became known 41 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 42 to be under the authority of Hegai, who was overseeing the women.
Esther 2:17-18
Context2:17 And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she met with his loving approval 43 more than all the other young women. 44 So he placed the royal high turban on her head and appointed her queen 45 in place of Vashti. 2:18 Then the king prepared a large banquet for all his officials and his servants – it was actually Esther’s banquet. He also set aside a holiday for the provinces, and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense. 46
Esther 4:4
Context4:4 When Esther’s female attendants and her eunuchs came and informed her about Mordecai’s behavior, 47 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
Context4:8 He also gave him a written copy of the law that had been disseminated 48 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
Context5:1 It so happened that on the third day Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace, 49 opposite the king’s quarters. 50 The king was sitting on his royal throne in the palace, opposite the entrance. 51
Esther 7:8
Context7:8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet of wine, Haman was throwing himself down 52 on the couch where Esther was lying. 53 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.
Esther 9:12
Context9:12 Then the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman! What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? What is your request? It shall be given to you. What other petition do you have? It shall be done.”
1 tn Heb “the words of Esther”; TEV, NLT “Esther’s message.”
2 tn Heb “Mordecai.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style.
3 tn Heb “answered and said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.
4 sn The text of Esther does not disclose exactly how Mordecai learned about the plot against the king’s life. Ancient Jewish traditions state that Mordecai overheard conspiratorial conversation, or that an informant brought this information to him, or that it came to him as a result of divine prompting. These conjectures are all without adequate support from the biblical text. The author simply does not tell the source of Mordecai’s insight into this momentous event.
5 tc The LXX simply reads “Esther” and does not include “the queen.”
6 tc The LXX adds here “the things concerning the plot.”
tn Heb “in the name of Mordecai” (so NRSV); NIV “giving credit to Mordecai.”
7 tn Heb “she obtained grace in his eyes”; NASB “she obtained favor in his sight”; NIV “he was pleased with her”; NLT “he welcomed her.”
8 tn Heb “the words of Mordecai” (so KJV); NIV, NRSV, CEV “what Mordecai had said”; NLT “with Mordecai’s message.”
9 tn Heb “to drink”; NASB “to drink wine.” The expression is a metaphor for lavish feasting, cf. NRSV “to feast”; KJV “to banquet.”
10 tn Heb “Esther.” The pronoun (“she”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name is redundant here in terms of contemporary English style.
11 tn Heb “written in the book” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “written down in the records”; NRSV “recorded in writing.”
12 sn That Esther was able so effectively to conceal her Jewish heritage suggests that she was not consistently observing Jewish dietary and religious requirements. As C. A. Moore observes, “In order for Esther to have concealed her ethnic and religious identity…in the harem, she must have eaten…, dressed, and lived like a Persian rather than an observant Jewess” (Esther [AB], 28.) In this regard her public behavior stands in contrast to that of Daniel, for example.
13 tc The LXX adds the words “to fear God.”
14 tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV; also in vv. 2, 7). Cf. TEV “all the property.”
15 tn Heb “sent forth his hand”; NAB, NIV “attacked”; NLT “tried to destroy.” Cf. 9:2.
16 tn Cf. v. 20, where the same phrase occurs but with the word order reversed.
17 tn Heb “that she not tell” (NRSV similar); NASB “that she should not make them known.”
18 tc The Greek
19 tc The Syriac Peshitta reads “fourth” here.
20 tn Heb “What to you?”; NAB, NIV NRSV “What is it, Queen Esther?”
21 tn Heb “If upon the king it is good”; NASB “If it please the king.”
22 tn Heb “caused to come”; KJV “did let no man come in…but myself.”
23 tn Heb “called to her”; KJV “invited unto her”; NAB “I am to be her guest.”
24 tc The second occurrence of the Hebrew verb וַיּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”) in the MT should probably be disregarded. The repetition is unnecessary in the context and may be the result of dittography in the MT.
25 tn Heb “has so filled his heart”; NAB “who has dared to do this.”
26 tc The LXX and the Syriac Peshitta omit the word “second.”
27 tn Heb “who had taken her to him as a daughter”; NRSV “who had adopted her as his own daughter.”
28 tn Heb “to know the peace of Esther.”
29 tn Heb “whom he caused to stand before her”; NASB “whom the king had appointed to attend her.”
30 tn Heb “concerning Mordecai, to know what this was, and why this was.”
31 sn As much as half the kingdom. Such a statement would no doubt have been understood for the exaggeration that it clearly was. Cf. the similar NT scene recorded in Mark 6:23, where Herod makes a similar promise to the daughter of Herodias. In that case the request was for the head of John the Baptist, which is a lot less than half the kingdom.
32 tn Heb “If I have found grace in your eyes” (so also in 8:5); TEV “If it please Your Majesty.”
33 sn There is great irony here in that the man who set out to destroy all the Jews now finds himself begging for his own life from a Jew.
34 tn Heb “for he saw that calamity was determined for him from the king”; NAB “the king had decided on his doom”; NRSV “the king had determined to destroy him.”
35 sn As in 7:4 Esther avoids implicating the king in this plot. Instead Haman is given sole responsibility for the plan to destroy the Jews.
36 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).
37 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.
38 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.
39 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.”
40 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).
41 tn Heb “were heard” (so NASB); NRSV “were (had been NIV) proclaimed.”
42 tn Heb “the house of the king.” So also in vv. 9, 13. Cf. NLT “the king’s harem.”
43 tn Heb “grace and loyal love.” The expression is probably a hendiadys.
44 tc The LXX does not include the words “more than all the other young women.”
45 tn Heb “caused her to rule.”
46 tc The LXX does not include the words “and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense.”
47 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.”
48 tn Heb “given” (so KJV); NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT “issued”; NIV “published”; NAB “promulgated.”
49 tn Heb “of the house of the king”; NASB, NRSV “of the king’s palace.”
50 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.
51 tn Heb “the entrance of the house” (so ASV).
52 tn Heb “falling”; NAB, NRSV “had (+ just TEV) thrown himself (+ down TEV).”
53 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.”
