Ester 1:15

1:15 The king asked, ¹  “By law, ²  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 1:22--2:1

1:22 He sent letters throughout all the royal provinces, to each province according to its own script and to each people according to its own language, ³  that every man should be ruling his family ⁴  and should be speaking the language of his own people. ⁵ 

Esther Becomes Queen in Vashti’s Place

2:1 When these things had been accomplished ⁶  and the rage of King Ahasuerus had diminished, he remembered ⁷  Vashti and what she had done and what had been decided ⁸  against her.

Ester 3:4

3:4 And after they had spoken to him day after day ⁹  without his paying any attention to them, they informed Haman to see whether this attitude on Mordecai’s part would be permitted. ¹⁰  Furthermore, he had disclosed to them that he was a Jew. ¹¹ 

Ester 3:6

3:6 But the thought of striking out against ¹²  Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed ¹³  of the identity of Mordecai’s people. ¹⁴  So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) ¹⁵  who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

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.

[1:15]  ¹ 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]  ² 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.

[1:22]  ³ sn For purposes of diplomacy and governmental communication throughout the far-flung regions of the Persian empire the Aramaic language was normally used. Educated people throughout the kingdom could be expected to have competence in this language. But in the situation described in v. 22 a variety of local languages are to be used, and not just Aramaic, so as to make the king’s edict understandable to the largest possible number of people.

[1:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “in his house”; NIV “over his own household.”

[1:22]  ⁵ tc The final prepositional phrase is not included in the LXX, and this shorter reading is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NRSV, NLT). Some scholars suggest the phrase may be the result of dittography from the earlier phrase “to each people according to its language,” but this is not a necessary conclusion. The edict was apparently intended to reassert male prerogative with regard to two things (and not just one): sovereign and unquestioned leadership within the family unit, and the right of deciding which language was to be used in the home when a bilingual situation existed.

[2:1]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Or “decreed” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); TEV “and about his proclamation against her.”

[3:4]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Will the matters of Mordecai stand?”; NASB “to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand.”

[3:4]  ¹¹ sn This disclosure of Jewish identity is a reversal of the practice mentioned in 1:10, 20.

[3:6]  ¹² tn Heb “to send a hand against”; KJV, NRSV “to lay hands on.”

[3:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “they had related to him.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a passive construction.

[3:6]  ¹⁴ tc The entire first half of the verse is not included in the LXX.

[3:6]  ¹⁵ tc This parenthetical phrase is not included in the LXX. Some scholars emend the MT reading עַם (’am, “people”) to עִם (’im, “with”), arguing that the phrase is awkwardly placed and syntactically inappropriate. While there is some truth to their complaint, the MT makes sufficient sense to be acceptable here, and is followed by most English versions.