That this verse is important in the author’s story is made clear by the number of keywords and expressions that it contains, including the final clause, which has already occurred twice before (see verses 10 and 15 above).

The relationship of the action in this verse to the action in verse 15 needs to be made clear. Verse 16 does not continue the action in linear fashion from verse 15. Rather verse 16 returns to the time of action found in verses 2-5. In English a pluperfect verb form may be used to indicate that the action in verse 16 comes before the action in verse 15: “Now the rest of the Jews in the king’s provinces had gathered” (FOX). Other languages will have their own ways of indicating previous action or previous time.

Now does not specify time but serves as a transitional marker shifting the scene from Susa to the provinces.

The other Jews who were in the king’s provinces also gathered …: as verse 17 makes clear, this verse refers to the action of the Jews outside of Susa, who defended themselves on the thirteenth day of Adar. Translators may want to bring the information regarding the date into verse 16 from verse 17 in order to avoid giving the impression that the time in verse 16 (thirteenth Adar) is the same day as the time of verse 15 (fourteenth Adar). For caution in regard to Today’s English Version‘s “organized” as the translation of gathered, see the comments on 8.11.

Following a slight change in the Hebrew text, New English Bible reads that the Jews “took vengeance on their enemies” rather than got relief from their enemies. Though this proposed change makes good sense of the verse, it has no support in the textual tradition and should be rejected, as Revised English Bible has done. HOTTP gives the Hebrew text an “A” evaluation, indicating that the reading in the Hebrew should not be altered. It is not clear whether the translation “They disposed of their enemies” in New Jerusalem Bible is based on the proposed change in the consonants of the Hebrew verb, or whether the verb “got relief” is interpreted to mean “they disposed of their enemies and therefore had relief from them.”

There is an apparent problem of the order in which the events happened, if “they got relief from their enemies” precedes “they killed those who hated them.” Today’s English Version and Bible en français courant resolve the contradiction by taking the second of the two statements as explaining how the first was accomplished. A number of other versions break the verse into two parts, the first giving the purpose of the Jews in assembling together, and the second stating what they did. New International Version, LSR, and Maredsous translate similarly: “The other Jews … gathered to defend themselves and to get relief from their enemies. They killed…, but they did not lay hands on plunder.”

Seventy-five thousand: for comment on writing numbers see 1.1-2.

Septuagint 9.16

The Septuagint expresses the events of this verse with a series of verbs linked by the conjunctions “and,” “for,” and finally “and” or “but”: “the Jews … assembled … and defended themselves … and got relief…; for they killed … but they looted nothing.” Both New Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version have structured their translation of the Greek to be in harmony with their translation of the Hebrew.

The Greek says that the Jews destroyed fifteen thousand of their enemies. For comment on writing numbers see 1.1-2. The Septuagint here uses a new word for “enemies” that refers to adversaries in the context of fighting. The Greek also states explicitly in this verse that this happened “on the thirteenth day of Adar” (Today’s English Version, Revised English Bible), though New Revised Standard Version does not translate these words.

The final clause is the same in the Greek as in the preceding verse, “but [they] took no plunder,” although New Revised Standard Version modifies the translation slightly.

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 .