[Today’s English Version C.6-7; Revised Standard Version 13.13-14]

Today’s English Version restructures these two verses to place the main thought first. The translator will need to look carefully at the themes that are central to these verses, to determine what restating or restructuring is necessary to express the meaning clearly. Revised Standard Version seems to suggest that Mordecai might have been willing at some time in the past to kiss Haman’s feet, and Today’s English Version seems to say that he might be willing now or at some future time. The point is that Mordecai would be willing to kiss Haman’s feet if the real issue were Mordecai’s own pride. But for Mordecai it is God’s honor that is at stake and not Mordecai’s own honor.

To kiss the soles of his feet: a sign of absolute surrender. Conquered kings sometimes kissed the feet of those who conquered them. In making this statement Mordecai emphasizes that he would be willing to humiliate himself “for the deliverance of Israel.” Instead of kiss some languages may prefer to use another expression such as “lick his feet” (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “embrace his feet,” or an equivalent such as “put my neck under his foot.”

Glory of man … glory of God: in Greek the same word doxa is used for giving honor to another human being and to God. Revised Standard Version keeps the Greek expression in translation (so also New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, while Today’s English Version says “to honor”; similarly Bible en français courant and La Sainte Bible: La version Etablie par les moines de Maredsous). Compare Revised English Bible, which says “so as not to hold a man in greater honour than God.” Translators will need to use the forms that are natural in their languages; for instance, “so that I do not give greatness to a person surpass to God.”

Bow down to: the Greek verb means “to do obeisance, to worship, to adore,” and it can be used to refer to the act of bowing down or of prostrating oneself before a king or a god (see comment on 3.2). Some translations describe a physical act, “to prostrate” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), “to incline oneself” (Bible en français courant), while others refer to one’s attitude or thoughts, “to adore” (La Sainte Bible: La version Etablie par les moines de Maredsous).

At the end of verse 14 (C.7), Mordecai repeats that he is not acting in pride, implicitly alluding to this proud Haman of verse 12 (C.5).

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 .