[Today’s English Version C.20; Revised Standard Version 14.9]
Beginning in this verse and continuing to the next verse is a list of six things that the enemies of the Jews have made a pact with their idols to do. Today’s English Version restructures for clarity but thereby loses the distinct statement of each intention as one follows the other.
What thy mouth has ordained refers to the Law of Moses, which the Jews observed (so Today’s English Version “to do away with your Law”; see 3.8; B.4).
On thy inheritance see 13.15-16 (C.8-9) and comments.
To stop the mouths: “to block up” or “to close” is an expression that means “to silence the people who praise you” (see 13.17 [C.10] and comments).
To quench thy altar and the glory of thy house: literally “to quench the glory of your house and your altar.” The verb is that of extinguishing a fire, and it is used here with reference to the altar in the temple and the glory associated with God’s house (see 1 Kgs 8.10-11). Some translations take glory with both the altar and the house (so Today’s English Version, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Chouraqui), while others take glory only with the noun house, which immediately follows glory (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible). While the Greek syntax allows for either interpretation, perhaps Revised English Bible most closely preserves the sense: “extinguishing the glory of your house and the flame on your altar.” The construction in Greek is elliptical, omitting the word “flame” (see Lev 6.12-13, which states that the fire on the altar shall be kept burning continually). It may be necessary in some languages to use two different verbs for extinguishing flame and glory.
Glory is sometimes difficult to translate. In other contexts in the book of Esther it has been used to describe royal splendor (1.4; C.13). It has also been used with the meaning of honor (Septuagint 5.11; C.5). In this context it refers specifically to the glory that is associated with God’s house (see Exo 40.34; 1 Kgs 8.10-11; Psa 26.8) or with God himself (Exo 33.18, 22). God’s glory is a manifestation of his presence. It is often identified with “brightness” or “shining light,” and some languages express it in those terms. Other languages may translate “majesty” or simply “greatness.”
Thy house means the “temple” (so New American Bible, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) in Jerusalem. Some translations capitalize the words altar and house to indicate that the temple is meant (so Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente; New Jerusalem Bible capitalizes “House”), but translators should not rely on capitalization alone to indicate the meaning. For the sake of clarity it may be translated “your house in Jerusalem.”
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 .