Ester 3:5

3:5 When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing or paying homage to him, he ¹  was filled with rage.

Ester 5:13

5:13 Yet all of this fails to satisfy me so long as I have to see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

Ester 4:2

4:2 But he went no further than the king’s gate, for no one was permitted to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.

Ester 5:9

Haman Expresses His Hatred of Mordecai

5:9 Now Haman went forth that day pleased and very much encouraged. ²  But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and he did not rise nor tremble in his presence, ³  Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai.

Ester 9:10

9:10 the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not confiscate their property.

Ester 1:15

1:15 The king asked, ⁴  “By law, ⁵  what should be done to Queen Vashti in light of the fact that she has not obeyed the instructions of King Ahasuerus conveyed through the eunuchs?”

Ester 1:17

1:17 For the matter concerning the queen will spread to all the women, leading them to treat their husbands with contempt, saying, ‘When King Ahasuerus gave orders to bring Queen Vashti into his presence, she would not come.’

Ester 6:3

6:3 The king asked, “What great honor ⁶  was bestowed on Mordecai because of this?” The king’s attendants who served him responded, “Not a thing was done for him.”

Ester 9:15

9:15 The Jews who were in Susa then assembled on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they killed three hundred men in Susa. But they did not confiscate their property.

Ester 3:8

3:8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a particular people ⁷  that is dispersed and spread among the inhabitants ⁸  throughout all the provinces of your kingdom whose laws differ from those of all other peoples. Furthermore, they do not observe the king’s laws. It is not appropriate for the king to provide a haven for them. ⁹ 

Ester 1:19

1:19 If the king is so inclined, ¹⁰  let a royal edict go forth from him, and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media that cannot be repealed, ¹¹  that Vashti ¹²  may not come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king convey her royalty to another ¹³  who is more deserving than she. ¹⁴ 

Ester 3:4

3:4 And after they had spoken to him day after day ¹⁵  without his paying any attention to them, they informed Haman to see whether this attitude on Mordecai’s part would be permitted. ¹⁶  Furthermore, he had disclosed to them that he was a Jew. ¹⁷ 

Ester 9:16

9:16 The rest of the Jews who were throughout the provinces of the king assembled in order to stand up for themselves and to have rest from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand ¹⁸  of their adversaries, but they did not confiscate their property.

Ester 2:14

2:14 In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to a separate part ¹⁹  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 ²⁰  and she was requested by name.

Ester 2:7

2:7 Now he was acting as the guardian ²¹  of Hadassah ²²  (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, for neither her father nor her mother was alive. ²³  This young woman was very attractive and had a beautiful figure. ²⁴  When her father and mother died, Mordecai had raised her ²⁵  as if she were his own daughter.

Ester 8:8

8:8 Now you write in the king’s name whatever in your opinion is appropriate concerning the Jews and seal it with the king’s signet ring. Any decree that is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot be rescinded.

Ester 4:11

4:11 “All the servants of the king and the people of the king’s provinces know that there is only one law applicable ²⁶  to any man or woman who comes uninvited to the king in the inner court – that person will be put to death, unless the king extends to him the gold scepter, permitting him to be spared. ²⁷  Now I have not been invited to come to the king for some thirty days!”

Ester 2:15

2:15 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 ²⁸ ) 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.

Ester 5:12

5:12 Haman said, “Furthermore, Queen Esther invited ²⁹  only me to accompany the king to the banquet that she prepared! And also tomorrow I am invited ³⁰  along with the king.

Ester 1:16

1:16 Memucan then replied to the king and the officials, “The wrong of Queen Vashti is not against the king alone, but against all the officials and all the people who are throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.

Ester 8:12

8:12 This was to take place on a certain day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus – namely, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar).

Ester 2:10

2:10 Now Esther had not disclosed her people or her lineage, ³¹  for Mordecai had instructed her not to do so. ³² 

Ester 4:17

4:17 So Mordecai set out to do everything that Esther had instructed him.

Ester 6:1

The Turning Point: The King Honors Mordecai

6:1 Throughout that night the king was unable to sleep, ³³  so he asked for the book containing the historical records ³⁴  to be brought. As the records ³⁵  were being read in the king’s presence,

Ester 9:7

9:7 In addition, they also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,

Ester 3:13

3:13 Letters were sent by the runners to all the king’s provinces stating that ³⁶  they should destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, from youth to elderly, both women and children, ³⁷  on a particular day, namely the thirteenth day ³⁸  of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar), and to loot and plunder their possessions.

Ester 3:2-3

3:2 As a result, ³⁹  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, ⁴⁰  nor did he pay him homage.

3:3 Then the servants of the king who were at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you violating the king’s commandment?”

Ester 1:12

1:12 But Queen Vashti refused ⁴¹  to come at the king’s bidding ⁴²  conveyed through the eunuchs. Then the king became extremely angry, and his rage consumed ⁴³  him.

Ester 1:8

1:8 There were no restrictions on the drinking, ⁴⁴  for the king had instructed all of his supervisors ⁴⁵  that they should do as everyone so desired. ⁴⁶ 

Ester 2:1

Esther Becomes Queen in Vashti’s Place

2:1 When these things had been accomplished ⁴⁷  and the rage of King Ahasuerus had diminished, he remembered ⁴⁸  Vashti and what she had done and what had been decided ⁴⁹  against her.

Ester 2:20

2:20 Esther was still not divulging her lineage or her people, ⁵⁰  just as Mordecai had instructed her. ⁵¹  Esther continued to do whatever Mordecai said, just as she had done when he was raising her.

Ester 4:4

4:4 When Esther’s female attendants and her eunuchs came and informed her about Mordecai’s behavior, ⁵²  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.

Ester 10:1

Mordecai’s Fame Increases

10:1 King Ahasuerus then imposed forced labor on the land and on the coastlands of the sea.

Ester 6:13

6:13 Haman then related to his wife Zeresh and to all his friends everything that had happened to him. These wise men, ⁵³  along with his wife Zeresh, said to him, “If indeed this Mordecai before whom you have begun to fall is Jewish, ⁵⁴  you will not prevail against him. No, you will surely fall before him!”

Ester 7:4

7:4 For we have been sold ⁵⁵  – both I and my people – to destruction and to slaughter and to annihilation! If we had simply been sold as male and female slaves, I would have remained silent, for such distress would not have been sufficient for troubling the king.”

Ester 9:28

9:28 These days were to be remembered and to be celebrated in every generation and in every family, every province, and every city. The Jews were not to fail to observe these days of Purim; the remembrance of them was not to cease among their descendants.

Ester 3:1

Haman Conspires to Destroy the Jews

3:1 Some time later ⁵⁶  King Ahasuerus promoted ⁵⁷  Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, exalting him and setting his position ⁵⁸  above that of all the officials who were with him.

Ester 3:9

3:9 If the king is so inclined, ⁵⁹  let an edict be issued ⁶⁰  to destroy them. I will pay ten thousand talents of silver ⁶¹  to be conveyed to the king’s treasuries for the officials who carry out this business.”

Ester 9:17

9:17 All of this happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. They then rested on the fourteenth day and made it a day for banqueting and happiness.

Ester 1:13

1:13 The king then inquired of the wise men who were discerners of the times – for it was the royal custom to confer with all those who were proficient in laws and legalities. ⁶² 

Ester 9:2

9:2 The Jews assembled themselves in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to strike out against those who were seeking their harm. No one was able to stand before them, for dread of them fell on all the peoples.

Ester 9:27

9:27 Therefore, because of the account found in this letter and what they had faced in this regard and what had happened to them, the Jews established as binding on themselves, their descendants, and all who joined their company that they should observe these two days without fail, just as written and at the appropriate time on an annual basis.

Ester 2:12

2:12 At the end of the twelve months that were required for the women, ⁶³  when the turn of each young woman arrived to go to King Ahasuerus – for in this way they had to fulfill their time of cosmetic treatment: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfume and various ointments used by women –

[3:5]  ¹ tn Heb “Haman.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. Repeating the proper name here is redundant according to contemporary English style, although the name is repeated in NASB and NRSV.

[5:9]  ² tn Heb “happy and good of heart”; NASB “glad and pleased of heart”; NIV “happy and in high spirits.”

[5:9]  ³ tn Heb “tremble from before him”; NIV “nor showed fear in his presence”; TEV “or show any sign of respect as he passed.”

[1:15]  ⁴ tn These words are not present in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT, all of which supply similar phrases).

[1:15]  ⁵ tc The location of the prepositional phrase “according to law” is somewhat unusual in the Hebrew text, but not so much so as to require emendation. Some scholars suggest deleting the phrase as an instance of dittography from the final part of the immediately preceding word in v. 14. Others suggest taking the phrase with the end of v. 14 rather than with v. 15. Both proposals, however, lack adequate justification.

[6:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “honor and greatness.” The expression is a hendiadys (see the note on 5:10 for an explanation of this figure).

[3:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “one people.” Note the subtle absence at this point of a specific mention of the Jewish people by name.

[3:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “peoples” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “nations”

[3:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “to cause them to rest”; NASB “to let them remain”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “to tolerate them.”

[1:19]  ¹⁰ sn Heb “If upon the king it is good”; KJV “If it please the king.” Deferential language was common in ancient Near Eastern court language addressing a despot; it occurs often in Esther.

[1:19]  ¹¹ sn Laws…that cannot be repealed. On the permanence of the laws of Media and Persia see also Esth 8:8 and Dan 6:8, 12, 15.

[1:19]  ¹² sn Previously in this chapter the word “queen” accompanies Vashti’s name (cf. vv. 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17). But here, in anticipation of her demotion, the title is dropped.

[1:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “her neighbor”; NIV “someone else.”

[1:19]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “who is better than she.” The reference is apparently to worthiness of the royal position as demonstrated by compliance with the king’s wishes, although the word טוֹב (tob, “good”) can also be used of physical beauty. Cf. NAB, NASB, NLT “more worthy than she.”

[3:4]  ¹⁵ sn Mordecai’s position in the service of the king brought him into regular contact with these royal officials. Because of this association the officials would have found ample opportunity to complain of Mordecai’s refusal to honor Haman by bowing down before him.

[3:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Will the matters of Mordecai stand?”; NASB “to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand.”

[3:4]  ¹⁷ sn This disclosure of Jewish identity is a reversal of the practice mentioned in 1:10, 20.

[9:16]  ¹⁸ tc For this number much of the Greek MS tradition reads “fifteen thousand.” The Lucianic Greek recension reads “70,100.”

[2:14]  ¹⁹ 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.

[2:14]  ²⁰ tc The LXX does not include the words “was pleased with her.”

[2:7]  ²¹ 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).

[2:7]  ²² 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.

[2:7]  ²³ 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.

[2:7]  ²⁴ 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.”

[2:7]  ²⁵ 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).

[4:11]  ²⁶ tn Heb “one is his law”; NASB “he (the king NIV) has but one law”

[4:11]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and he will live”; KJV, ASV “that he may live”; NIV “and spare his life.”

[2:15]  ²⁸ tn Heb “who had taken her to him as a daughter”; NRSV “who had adopted her as his own daughter.”

[5:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “caused to come”; KJV “did let no man come in…but myself.”

[5:12]  ³⁰ tn Heb “called to her”; KJV “invited unto her”; NAB “I am to be her guest.”

[2:10]  ³¹ tn Cf. v. 20, where the same phrase occurs but with the word order reversed.

[2:10]  ³² tn Heb “that she not tell” (NRSV similar); NASB “that she should not make them known.”

[6:1]  ³³ tn Heb “and the sleep of the king fled.” In place of the rather innocuous comment of the Hebrew text, the LXX reads here, “And the Lord removed the sleep from the king.” The Greek text thus understands the statement in a more overtly theological way than does the Hebrew text, although even in the Hebrew text there may be a hint of God’s providence at work in this matter. After all, this event is crucial to the later reversal of Haman’s plot to destroy the Jewish people, and a sympathetic reader is likely to look beyond the apparent coincidence.

[6:1]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the book of the remembrances of the accounts of the days”; NAB “the chronicle of notable events.”

[6:1]  ³⁵ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the records) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:13]  ³⁶ tn The words “stating that” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[3:13]  ³⁷ tn Heb “children and women.” The translation follows contemporary English idiom, which reverses the order.

[3:13]  ³⁸ tc The LXX does not include the words “on the thirteenth day.”

[3:2]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). Other modern English versions leave the conjunction untranslated here (NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT).

[3:2]  ⁴⁰ 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).

[1:12]  ⁴¹ sn Refusal to obey the king was risky even for a queen in the ancient world. It is not clear why Vashti behaved so rashly and put herself in such danger. Apparently she anticipated humiliation of some kind and was unwilling to subject herself to it, in spite of the obvious dangers. There is no justification in the biblical text for an ancient Jewish targumic tradition that the king told her to appear before his guests dressed in nothing but her royal high turban, that is, essentially naked.

[1:12]  ⁴² tn Heb “at the word of the king”; NASB “at the king’s command.”

[1:12]  ⁴³ tn Heb “burned in him” (so KJV).

[1:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “the drinking was according to law; there was no one compelling.”

[1:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “every chief of his house”; KJV “all the officers of his house”; NLT “his staff.”

[1:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “according to the desire of man and man.”

[2:1]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “decreed” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); TEV “and about his proclamation against her.”

[2:20]  ⁵⁰ 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.

[2:20]  ⁵¹ tc The LXX adds the words “to fear God.”

[4:4]  ⁵² 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.”

[6:13]  ⁵³ tc Part of the Greek tradition and the Syriac Peshitta understand this word as “friends,” probably reading the Hebrew term רֲכָמָיו (rakhamayv, “his friends”) rather than the reading of the MT חֲכָמָיו (hakhamayv, “his wise men”). Cf. NLT “all his friends”; the two readings appear to be conflated by TEV as “those wise friends of his.”

[6:13]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “from the seed of the Jews”; KJV, ASV similar.

[7:4]  ⁵⁵ sn The passive verb (“have been sold”) is noncommittal and nonaccusatory with regard to the king’s role in the decision to annihilate the Jews.

[3:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “after these things” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV “After these events.”

[3:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “made great”; NAB “raised…to high rank”; NIV “honored.”

[3:1]  sn The promotion of Haman in 3:1 for reasons unexplained contrasts noticeably with 2:19-23, where Mordecai’s contribution to saving the king’s life goes unnoticed. The irony is striking.

[3:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “chair”; KJV, NRSV “seat”; NASB “established his authority.”

[3:9]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “If upon the king it is good”; KJV “If it please the king.”

[3:9]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “let it be written” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “let it be decreed.”

[3:9]  ⁶¹ 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.

[1:13]  ⁶² tn Heb “judgment” (so KJV); NASB, NIV “justice”; NRSV “custom.”

[2:12]  ⁶³ tc The LXX does not include the words “that were required for the women.”

[2:12]  tn Heb “to be to her according to the law of the women”; NASB “under the regulations for the women.”