In the story line this verse introduces Queen Vashti in preparation for the conflict that will make Esther queen in her place. The Hebrew version begins with an adverb also that serves a linking function in two ways. First, with respect to syntax it links this sentence to the preceding sentence. Second, with respect to the story it shows that the queen’s banquet is parallel to the king’s banquet. For these reasons Today’s English Version sets the verse aside as a separate transitional paragraph and introduces it with a temporal adverb “Meanwhile.”
The Hebrew word for Queen is the feminine form malkah from the masculine melek “king.” It should be translated by a term that makes clear Vashti’s official position as royal wife. It does not mean that she was the queen mother or a queen ruling in her own right. In the Hebrew of this verse, “the queen” occurs in apposition to the name Vashti, or as an epithet: “Vashti, the Queen.” The same pattern occurs in verse 11, while in verse 12 she is referred to by her title, Queen Vashti. This contrast is retained in some versions as “Vashti the queen” and “Queen Vashti” (for instance, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), while Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version simply translate “Queen Vashti” throughout the book.
The women: the Hebrew word translated women is sometimes used to mean “wife.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates this word as “the wives of those invited”; but since the context does not clearly specify that the women were “wives,” it is better to use a more general term as in Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version.
The palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus: this is literally “the house of the royalty [or, kingdom] which [was] of the king Ahasuerus.” This is a more precise and detailed expression than the one that is often used for “palace,” namely, “the house of the king” (see 2.8, 13). The Today’s English Version translation “inside the royal palace” may diminish the intended force of the words which belonged to King Ahasuerus. By stating the simple fact that the palace belonged to the king, the writer may be preparing the reader for the queen’s act of defiance that will follow.
Septuagint 1.9
Vashti is called “Astin the queen” throughout the Septuagint. In order to maintain the integrity of the two versions, the Hebrew and the Greek, it seems best to retain the Hebrew names for the Hebrew version and the Greek names for the Greek version. The names should then be transliterated according to the general principles adopted for the specific receptor language.
Meanwhile: literally “And.” Both New Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version introduce the episode featuring Astin with the conjunction Meanwhile. This makes it clear that her party was going on at the same time as the king’s party.
On a drinking party see comment on 1.5, where the same word is used in the Greek text.
The women: the Greek word may have either the general meaning “women” or the more specific meaning “wives.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates this “the wives of those invited,” but see the comments above on the Hebrew text of this verse.
In the palace where King Artaxerxes was is a literal translation, but the Greek is not intended to specify where the king was at this moment; rather it identifies the location of the queen’s party as being in the king’s palace (so Bible en français courant, “in the very palace of King Artaxerxes”).
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Noss, Philip A. A Handbook on the Book of Esther — Deuterocanon: The Greek Text. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .