The Hebrew phrase For the man whom the king delights to honor does not contain a main verb, and for that reason most translations treat it as part of the sentence that continues in verse 8. It is possible, though, to punctuate verse 7 as a question (so La Bible Pléiade, “Is there a man whom the king would like to honor?”; also Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). In either case, repeating these words of the king from verse 6 highlights the unknown identity of the person whom the king wishes to honor.
The horse which the king has ridden: Hebrew does not have a definite article before the word “horse.” Probably no specific horse was intended as the Revised Standard Version translation the horse seems to suggest. Better is the rendering “and a horse which the king has ridden” (so New Revised Standard Version). Where horses are not known, it may be necessary to borrow a term for “horse,” or one may use a descriptive phrase; for example, “an animal ridden by the king.” To substitute the name of another animal such as a mule or an elephant would be to distort the historical context of the story of Esther.
On whose head a royal crown is set may be thought to refer to the head of the person whom the king is to honor, especially since the same word is used for the crown or diadem worn by Vashti and by Esther (see 1.11; 2.17). Since the royal robes are for the man to wear, then one would also expect that the crown is for the person. However, the Hebrew most naturally refers to the head of the horse; and archeological evidence confirms that Persian horses did wear a kind of crown on their heads. Translators should make clear that the “royal crown” is set on the horse’s head. English translations such as Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible use the pronoun “its” to show that the crown is not on the man’s head: “and a horse on which the king rides, with a royal diadem on its head” (Revised English Bible). Royal in this context means clothing and adornments that are symbols of the king’s rank as ruler of the kingdom.
These two verses may be restructured if necessary, as Good News Translation has done, but the formal style of court language should be retained (see comments on 1.15). Bible en français courant uses the title “Majesty” as a formal term addressing the king.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Noss, Philip A. A Handbook on Esther (The Hebrew Text). (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .