Ester 2:1

Esther Becomes Queen in Vashti’s Place

2:1 When these things had been accomplished ¹  and the rage of King Ahasuerus had diminished, he remembered ²  Vashti and what she had done and what had been decided ³  against her.

Ester 3:9

3:9 If the king is so inclined, ⁴  let an edict be issued ⁵  to destroy them. I will pay ten thousand talents of silver ⁶  to be conveyed to the king’s treasuries for the officials who carry out this business.”

[2:1]  ¹ tn Heb “after these things” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). The expression is very vague from a temporal standpoint, not indicating precisely just how much time might have elapsed. Cf. v. 21.

[2:1]  ² sn There may be a tinge of regret expressed in the king’s remembrance of Vashti. There is perhaps a hint that he wished for her presence once again, although that was not feasible from a practical standpoint. The suggestions by the king’s attendants concerning a replacement seem to be an effort to overcome this nostalgia. Certainly it was to their advantage to seek the betterment of the king’s outlook. Those around him the most were probably the most likely to suffer the effects of his ire.

[2:1]  ³ tn Or “decreed” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); TEV “and about his proclamation against her.”

[3:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “If upon the king it is good”; KJV “If it please the king.”

[3:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “let it be written” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “let it be decreed.”

[3:9]  ⁶ sn The enormity of the monetary sum referred to here can be grasped by comparing this amount (10,000 talents of silver) to the annual income of the empire, which according to Herodotus (Histories 3.95) was 14,500 Euboic talents. In other words Haman is offering the king a bribe equal to two-thirds of the royal income. Doubtless this huge sum of money was to come (in large measure) from the anticipated confiscation of Jewish property and assets once the Jews had been destroyed. That such a large sum of money is mentioned may indicate something of the economic standing of the Jewish population in the empire of King Ahasuerus.