When Mordecai learned: Mordecai did not “learn” something literally as a schoolchild does. He “came to know” or “found out” (FOX) what had happened. The Hebrew is literally “he knew.”

Mordecai rent his clothes: tearing of clothing was a customary way of expressing great emotion such as anger, grief, and humiliation. In this context Mordecai’s emotion is probably “anguish” (Good News Translation) or mourning. It may be necessary to make explicit the reason why he tears his clothes, as Good News Translation has done.

Sackcloth and ashes were symbols of mourning and grief. They occur frequently in the Old Testament, accompanied by various actions. The action may be walking as here; often it is sitting (Jonah 3.6); and occasionally it is lying down (4.3 below). Sackcloth was a coarse cloth made out of goat hair or camel hair that was used for making bags or clothing (see Gen 37.34; 42.25; 2 Sam 3.31). Although it was not always a sack, some translations describe it as “sack-clothing,” that is, clothing made from cloth of sacks. In other languages it may be referred to as “mourning cloth.” Ashes were put on one’s head (see 2 Sam 13.19), and this is made explicit in some translations (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant).

He put on sackcloth and ashes uses the one verb for putting on clothing to refer to two different actions. However, in translation it may be necessary to use two distinct verbs that are appropriate to each gesture. For instance, it may be said, “he dressed [or, wrapped] himself in sackcloth,” and “he sprinkled [or, rubbed] ashes on his head.”

In some societies the meanings of these gestures may not be known. However, instead of making cultural adaptations in the translation, it is preferable to make the meaning clear in the context. For example, it could be said, “he dressed in sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on his head to show that he was sorrowing” or “that he was in great distress.” Another solution may be to use a footnote or a glossary entry to explain these Old Testament practices. In this way as much historical accuracy is retained in the translation as possible.

The midst of the city is not a specific location in the city. It indicates simply that Mordecai walked “through” the city (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible), wailing or lamenting loudly and bitterly, or “with bitterness.” That Mordecai wept “with bitterness” means that he wept because of the intense misery that he experienced. The Hebrew idiom expresses not primarily a sense of anger but rather the sense of undergoing a severely unpleasant experience. In some languages this may be expressed with an idiom like “with sourness in his heart” or “with a darkened liver.” In other languages it may be better to avoid the figurative language of bitterness and say something like “crying loudly and very sadly” (New Century Version) or “crying out loudly with pain” (La Bible du Semeur).

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 .

And when these days were completed refers back to the 180 days of verse 4. New Jerusalem Bible reads “At the end of this period.” This clause may be translated as a transitional phrase that moves the story from the general setting of the first big banquet to the second and smaller banquet, where the story really begins.

All the people: the Hebrew says literally all the people, but since verse 9 says that the queen also gave a banquet for the women, some translations make explicit in verse 5 that the king’s banquet was for the men of the fortress or acropolis: “for all the men” (Anchor Bible [Anchor Bible]). However, to avoid giving the impression that the author is making an important point of distinguishing between men and women, it is preferable to translate with a general term people as Revised Standard Version has done. Since the banquet in verses 3-4 was for officials of the empire, Gordis translates these words as “for all the common people.”

As in verse 1, in Susa the capital refers not to the town but to the acropolis.

Both great and small: this does not mean that adults and children were present at the banquet. Great and small refers to the important people and the unimportant people, big people and little people alike (the same Hebrew terms are translated “high and low” in 1.20; see also 1 Sam 30.19; 2 Chr 15.13). Many translations show that social rank and not age is intended: “rich and poor” (Good News Translation); “high and low” (Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible); “from the least to the greatest” (New International Version); “from the most important to the most humble” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). What must be made clear in the translation is that the invitation to the banquet was all-inclusive.

The second banquet of the king lasted seven days. Good News Translation uses the more common English expression “a whole week.” The number “seven,” which often has symbolic meaning of completeness and perfection in the Bible, occurs frequently in Esther: seven days (1.5), seven eunuchs (1.10), seven princes (1.14), seven chosen maids (2.9), and the seventh year of the king’s reign (2.16). Because of this repeated occurrence of the number “seven,” and because of the emphasis the author places on precision in marking time throughout the book, it is preferable to retain the number “seven” but to use it according to receptor language practice; for example, seven days may need to be rendered “seven nights.” Translators may wish to indicate in a footnote the frequent use of the number seven and its significance for the Israelite people.

In the court of the garden of the king’s palace: in front of the king’s palace was a courtyard. This was an open space that was paved with special stones (see verse 6 below). Around the courtyard was a garden or gardens (Good News Translation). This was an area where there were trees and perhaps flowers. It was not a field for farming or a vegetable garden. The courtyard, the garden, and the palace were all surrounded by a fortified wall.

The Hebrew word here translated as palace is not the usual “house of the king” (see verse 9 below and 2.8, 13) but another word that may refer to an open structure with columns and a roof. Chouraqui and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible in a footnote refer to it as a “pavilion,” and Anchor Bible says “in the courtyard of the king’s pavilion.”

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 .

The king loved Esther: for very strong emphasis the author states the king’s attraction to Esther with three expressions. First, the king loved Esther, then she found grace and [she found] favor in his sight. The words grace and favor are similar in meaning (see comments on chesed and chen in verses 9 and 15). They may be an example of a construction known as hendiadys (see 6.3), that is, one idea expressed through two words: “devoted favor” (so Anchor Bible). New Revised Standard Version reads “she won his favor and devotion.”

Good News Translation makes no distinction between all the women and all the virgins, though the writer may have intended two separate groups. All the women may refer to the king’s wives, that is, the women who were already members of his harem; and all the virgins refers to the young women brought to Susa in the search for a new queen (so Anchor Bible: “more than all his other wives; and more than all the other girls she won his favor;” also Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and Moffatt).

Royal crown: see comments on 1.11.

Made her queen: Esther is formally given the position of queen previously held by Vashti (see 1.9). Some languages will have a specific verb for making her queen, such as “installing [setting, placing, naming]” her queen.

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 .

Mordecai’s warning continues from verse 13, twice repeating the phrase such a time as this. The emphasis on time found throughout the book is underscored by the repetition of timeliness at this crucial point in the story. However, some versions place the emphasis on the situation or circumstances (Bible en français courant: “If you refuse to intervene in the present circumstances”), or the “crisis” (New Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt).

If you keep silence means if Esther does not speak or intercede on behalf of her people. However, the translator must be careful to select the appropriate expression. Sitting in dumb silence is not meant any more than mere talk. Many African languages have highlighting patterns similar to the Hebrew of this sentence: “For if [as far as] remaining silent [is concerned], you remain silent at the time this one….”

Relief and deliverance: most versions reflect the Hebrew use of near synonyms. The first is more general relief or help while the second is more specifically deliverance from the destruction that awaits the Jews.

The meaning of the words from another quarter is much debated. Literally it is “from another place.” The most common interpretation is that this is an indirect reference to God (so Good News Translation: “help will come from heaven”). Later Hebrew came to use the word “place” as an indirect way of talking about God, but it is not certain that such usage existed when the book of Esther was written. If “place” means “God,” what, then, does the word “another [place]” mean? Some interpreters consider “another quarter” to be referring to an unnamed individual, or perhaps the inhabitants of the Persian Empire. It is preferable to keep an indefinite “place” in the translation as most versions do. A footnote may be added to explain the common interpretation of this verse.

Your father’s house refers to Esther’s family (so Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible). Some languages use an expression like “the people of your father” or “the people of your father’s door.”

And who knows…?: Mordecai’s question is not primarily asking for information. Rather he is trying to encourage Esther by suggesting that perhaps her becoming queen was part of a larger plan of God in order that she could have position and influence to save her people. The Hebrew construction is probably equivalent to “perhaps.” If so, then Anchor Bible and Nueva Biblia Española provide good models. Anchor Bible omits the words And who knows and avoids the form of a question, simply stating “It’s possible that you came to the throne for just such a time as this” (also Nueva Biblia Española).

You have … come to the kingdom means “you were made queen” (so Good News Translation) or “you have attained to royal position” (New Jerusalem Bible).

For such a time as this: Esther’s being queen is timely, according to Mordecai, because the reason for her presence in the palace is to deliver or save the Jews in this moment of great danger.

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 .

Though the Hebrew word “to fall” may mean to fall unintentionally, it sometimes means to fall intentionally, or “to throw oneself down” (Good News Translation, Segond). The latter meaning is intended here, so translators should avoid a word that will suggest that Haman fell unintentionally. Throwing oneself down before someone and taking hold of that person’s feet was a common way of pleading to someone (see Est 8.3; 1 Sam 25.24; 2 Kgs 4.27). Perhaps there is even a play on words and a touch of irony, since earlier Haman is warned that “he will surely fall” before Mordecai (see comments on 6.13), and here the author describes him as falling before Esther.

Revised Standard Version says that Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. Though the Hebrew says only that Esther was on the couch, some translations say “on which Esther lay” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “where she was reclining” (New International Version), since meals were eaten while reclining rather than while sitting (see 1.6). To avoid ambiguities it may be preferable to use a more general expression like Revised Standard Version, which follows the Greek. Compare also Good News Translation‘s restructuring. Regarding the Hebrew word translated couch, see the comments on this same word (in the plural) in 1.6.

Will he even assault…?: the Hebrew is literally an infinitive phrase, not a complete sentence: “Even to assault the queen with me in the house?” Nearly all translations use a finite verb with a third person masculine subject, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. However, the Hebrew may also be translated with a second person singular verb, as in Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “Are you wanting also to dishonor the queen in my presence and in my own house?” (see comments on the Septuagint text of this verse at ESG 7.8).

The basic meaning of the Hebrew verb assault is “to trample, to tread underfoot.” Its extended meaning is that of conquest, “to subdue, to subject, to conquer.” In this context most interpreters understand it to have connotations of sexual assault. Good News Translation makes this explicit (so also New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), while other versions more closely reflect the basic meaning of the Hebrew verb (Revised Standard Version, Segond). The translator needs to keep in mind the strong language used by the king in his great anger. So even though the Hebrew says literally that the king “said,” it may be better in this context to use a verb such as “cried” (New Jerusalem Bible), “cried out” (Good News Translation), or “exclaimed” (New International Version, Revised English Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). The king’s question is not asking for information. Rather the question functions to emphasize the king’s astonishment and anger. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente therefore turns this question into an exclamation, ending with an exclamation mark: “And he even dares to violate the queen while I am in the house!”

As the words left the mouth of the king is a close translation of the Hebrew. The receptor language may have a similar image, or it may restate as Good News Translation has done. Although the Hebrew image may be easy to translate, the translator should look for the appropriate expression in the receptor language. The meaning is not that words literally went out of the king’s mouth or that they were a command. The meaning is rather that things happened very quickly. The king had hardly finished exclaiming over Haman’s deed when Haman was already being covered (so Good News Translation). In some languages it may be expressed as “the king’s mouth had not dried from saying those words when Haman’s head was being covered.”

The meaning of they covered Haman’s face is not entirely clear. Interpreters have proposed a number of different changes in the letters of the Hebrew verb translated they covered in Revised Standard Version. If one accepts the Hebrew text without changes, the meaning is probably that the eunuchs serving the king immediately treated Haman as a man condemned to death by covering his head, just as the head of a man condemned to death may be covered before he is executed (for “eunuchs” see 1.10). Assuming this interpretation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente drops the literal description of the action and makes explicit the symbolic meaning of the action by rendering this final sentence as “With this word of the king, Haman was already condemned.”

If translators follow this interpretation, they may wish to include an explanatory footnote, following the model of either Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, or Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente. The note in Biblia Dios Habla Hoy (similarly in Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje) states “In some countries it was the practice to cover with a veil or hood the head of those condemned to die on the gallows.” With more detail the note in Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “Greece and Rome used to cover the head of those condemned to die; it is probable that this was done also in Persia, but we have no knowledge on the matter beyond that of the Bible.”

There are difficulties with this interpretation, however. The Hebrew does not actually say that his head was covered; it says his face was covered. Also, as the note in Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente states, there is no evidence apart from this verse in the Bible that it was Persian custom to cover the head of a person condemned to death.

The Septuagint says that Haman “turned aside his face,” which probably means that he was perplexed or confounded (see Septuagint discussion at ESG 7.8); and on the basis of that reading, some interpreters slightly alter the Hebrew verb to read that Haman’s face “grew red” (this is the proposed reading in the textual notes of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia). A note in New Jerusalem Bible suggests that a different change in the Hebrew text makes more sense here. The recommended translation of this interpretation would read “Haman’s face blanched,” that is, his face became white (this also appears in the textual notes of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia). The best solution, however, seems to be to follow the Masoretic Text.

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 .

In Revised Standard Version this verse together with the preceding verse and the following verse comprise one long sentence. Good News Translation makes verses 20 and 21 one sentence, and then breaks verse 22 into two separate sentences. The translator will need to consider clarity and readability in determining how to structure these verses. It is possible to make verse 20 a complete sentence by itself. Verse 21 can then begin a new sentence, “He enjoined them….”

Enjoining is formal English and reflects the Hebrew, which expresses an obligation that is imposed on someone. The Hebrew word that is translated enjoining is a keyword in the ancient text of this part of chapter 9, where it occurs seven times (verses 21, 27, 29, three times in 31, and in 32). Thematically it parallels the author’s early insistence on the importance of the law, dat. New Jerusalem Bible here says “charging them to observe.” The Jews were directed by Mordecai to keep or “observe” these two days. In some languages this may be expressed as a third person command in indirect quotation; for instance, “he commanded them that they should keep the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as holidays year after year.”

The Revised Standard Version translation enjoining, that is, imposing an obligation on someone, represents the most widely accepted understanding of this verb form in this verse and is the understanding recommended in this Handbook. However, the verb in this form sometimes means “to confirm [or, to validate]” (see Psa 119.106; see also comments on Est 9.29, 31) rather than “to command.” It is possible to understand that Mordecai, by means of his letters, confirmed that the Jews should be celebrating these two days. Based on this understanding of the Hebrew verb, FOX says “[Mordecai wrote] to confirm upon themselves the celebration of the fourteenth day….” According to this interpretation Mordecai was not imposing something on the Jews; rather he was merely validating what the Jews had already decided to do. FOX translates this same verb “confirm” in 9.27, 29, 31, 32. If the language of the translation has a clear term for this kind of confirming, the translator may wish to use it; otherwise it seems preferable to translate it as imposing an obligation.

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 .

This verse continues the direct quotation from the previous verse, within which it includes another quotation. This second quotation is the statement that the husbands will make when they hear what Queen Vashti has done. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have an ambiguous they as speakers of the quotation. The Hebrew is clearly masculine, and the translation should make clear that it is the husbands who are reporting what Vashti has done. Some languages may prefer to use indirect quotation within direct quotation, but the dramatic impact of direct speech should be maintained at both levels, if possible.

Note how New American Bible does not clearly state that these are the husbands’ words, but this seems to be implied in the words “when it is reported.” New American Bible says “and they will look with disdain upon their husbands when it is reported, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded that Queen Vashti be ushered into his presence, but she would not come.’ ”

Though the writer does not state the comparison explicitly, the meaning is that, just as Queen Vashti did not obey the king, now women in the Persian Empire will say to their own husbands that they likewise will not obey their husbands.

Husbands translates the Hebrew word that is often translated as “owner” or “master,” and this word fits the context well here. However, in translation the equivalent of “husband” should be retained.

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 .

The month of Nisan was the first month in the Hebrew calendar, which began on the new moon of mid-March to mid-April. The name “Nisan” is Babylonian in origin and appears in Old Testament writings only after the Babylonian exile. In the Pentateuch the Canaanite name “Abib” occurs for the first month (see Exo 13.4). Nueva Biblia Española translates this phrase “in the first month, that is, the month of April.” For discussion of the author’s practice of identifying months by name and by number, see 2.16 and the detailed comment on the Hebrew calendar, page 97.

In the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, about 472 B.C., refers to the twelfth year of his rule as king, as Good News Translation explicitly states (so also Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Nueva Biblia Española).

They cast Pur is literally “he caused Pur to fall” (so Chouraqui). Good News Translation interprets the unspecified third person subject to be Haman (also Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). The majority of the versions, however, avoid being explicit by referring to an indefinite “they” (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version), or to an indefinite third person singular pronoun (the French on, or “one,” as in Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Segond. Some translations use a passive construction (“the pur was cast” New Jerusalem Bible).

Pur is a Persian word, probably of Akkadian origin (see 9.26 and comments). Its meaning, “lot, chance,” is therefore given in Hebrew in the original text. Most versions retain Pur while translating its Hebrew equivalent. At least one common language translation omits the word Pur from the translation, saying only “they cast lots,” and then stating in a footnote that the drawing of lots was called Pur (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Translators should, however, keep this word in the text, since it shows that the writer explained the meaning of pur for the original readers.

Good News Translation uses the plural form “purim,” perhaps because the festival itself is known by that name. Good News Translation also places the words “ ‘purim,’ they were called” within parentheses, indicating that the writer was interrupting the story in order to explain to the reader the meaning of the unknown foreign word “pur.” It should be noted that Good News Translation takes some liberty with the text here in placing in parentheses the Persian word, which is actually in the main text (see Revised Standard Version), and by adding the explanatory or interpretive comment “they were called.”

Although the term may originally have meant that pebbles were cast, ordinary expressions for casting lots may be used in the receptor languages if they are not overly culture-specific. For instance, if casting lots is referred to as “throwing cowries,” that may be acceptable, whereas “looking at the crab” may be too specific. Terms that have a bad meaning, or imply bad luck or fate, should also be avoided.

The lots were cast day after day and month after month till the twelfth month. The Hebrew of the last clause is literally “from month to month; it was the twelfth month, Adar.” It sounds in Revised Standard Version as if lots were cast every day from the first month of the year until the last month of the year. However, as the note in Traduction œcuménique de la Bible indicates, the casting of lots probably consisted of checking each day of every month in order to decide on the right day for the extermination of the Jewish people. All this may have taken place in one day and at one sitting, though the text does not say. Verse 12 below does indicate that by the thirteenth day of the first month, the day had been decided on.

Some translations are similar to New Jerusalem Bible: “the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in Haman’s presence, to determine the day and the month” (so also New International Version, Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version). Such a translation does not mislead the reader into thinking that lots were cast day after day, month after month, but it also obscures the fact that lots were apparently cast for each day of the year until the right day was found. The Revised English Bible translation, “taking the days and months one by one,” is both clear in meaning and accurate in describing how the lots were cast. See also Traduction œcuménique de la Bible: “casting the lot by passing from one day to the next and from one month to the next.”

The twelfth month, which is the month of Adar: Adar was the last month of the Hebrew calendar, and it began on the new moon of mid-February to mid-March. Like “Nisan,” the name “Adar” is Babylonian in origin. Nueva Biblia Española translates this phrase as “in the twelfth month, that is, the month of March.”

Only in verse 13 of this chapter are we told that the plot was to be carried out on the thirteenth day of Adar. Good News Translation brings this information forward into verse 7: “The thirteenth day of the twelfth month” (so also New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised English Bible, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). It is possible that a scribe accidentally skipped over part of the original Hebrew text, omitting the words which state that the lot fell on the thirteenth day (Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives a “B” evaluation to the text translated in Revised Standard Version, but for translation purposes translators may choose to follow the example of Good News Translation).

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 .