[Today’s English Version A.11; Revised Standard Version 11.12]

What God had determined to do: this may be translated as “what God had fixed [or, prepared] to do.”

He had it on his mind is literally “he had it in his heart.” The meaning is that Mordecai pondered the dream or considered it carefully, as made explicit by La Sainte Bible: La version Etablie par les moines de Maredsous. In Hebrew as well as in Greek thought, the heart was often considered to be the center of intellectual activity and perception (see 1 Kgs 3.9, 12 [translated “mind”]; compare Luke 2.19).

Sought all day to understand it is literally “sought to understand it until night.” It may be necessary to restate, for example, “he kept it in his liver [or, spirit] and tried the day until night to understand the meaning [or, bottom] of it.”

In every detail: Today’s English Version appears to leave this part of the verse untranslated. But it should be translated. Compare Revised English Bible: “trying in every way to understand it” (so also Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). New American Bible is similar: “and tried in every way, until night, to understand its meaning.” New Jerusalem Bible says “trying his best.”

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 .

In verses 5-7 the narrative briefly and suddenly turns to a completely different subject, in order to introduce Esther and explain how she came to be in Susa. In verses 12-14 something similar happens in order to provide background information.

There was a Jew in Susa: the Hebrew text makes an abrupt break with the preceding story line. In dramatic fashion the author interrupts his account to announce “A man a Jew was in Susa the citadel and his name was Mordecai.” Most translations reflect this interruption and change of focus as both Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version have done. Today’s English Version, however, highlights the city Susa rather than the man Mordecai. There is no word in the Hebrew corresponding to the word Now in Revised Standard Version. The English word Now is used in Revised Standard Version to indicate a transition point in the story (so also New Jerusalem Bible, Maredsous, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

Jew: only after telling his reader that Mordecai was a Jew does the author indicate where he lived, and only then that his name was Mordecai. Jew was the name given to the people of Judah after the Babylonian exile in 586 B.C., and after that it came to be applied to Israelites more generally, including people of the tribe of Benjamin. It may be rendered by a borrowed term or by an equivalent expression such as “child of Judah” or “Judah-person.”

Although the Hebrew says only that Mordecai was “in” Susa, the meaning probably is that he lived there (so Today’s English Version, New Jerusalem Bible).

Susa the capital is here “the citadel of Susa” (New Revised Standard Version). See comments on 1.2.

The son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish: this tells us the ancestral line of Mordecai. It is not clear whether the persons named are his immediate ancestors, that is, his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, or whether they are his distant ancestors. The pattern of repeating “the son of” is a common construction for citing genealogies in the Old Testament. Translations should follow accepted practice for citing ancestry; for example, “son of…, grandson of…, great-grandson of….”

Mordecai was a Benjaminite, that is, he belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. This information about the ancestry of Mordecai is important for understanding the conflict between Mordecai and Haman (see the comments on 3.1). The translation may specify that he belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, or it may use an equivalent expression such as the Hebrew, “he was a man of Benjamin,” or else “he was a son of Benjamin.”

Septuagint 2.5

As indicated above, this verse is of dramatic importance in the story, and the structure of the Greek version follows the Hebrew almost word for word. However, unlike the Hebrew, which has no transition word, this verse in Greek begins with the word kai, which serves to introduce something new. New Revised Standard Version signals the break in discourse structure by introducing the new episode with the adverb Now.

The Septuagint does differ from the Hebrew version in several details. It refers to Susa as “the city” rather than the citadel. The names of Mordecai’s ancestors are given Greek forms, that is, “Jairus,” “Semeios,” and “Kisaeus” in the Septuagint; and the name “Mordecai” is also given in a Greek form, “Mardochaeus” (Revised English Bible). Though both New Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version spell Mordecai’s name the same in the translation of the Greek as in the Hebrew throughout the Greek text, translators may want to transliterate the Greek form as Revised English Bible does. The Greek also states explicitly that Mordecai was of the tribe of Benjamin.

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 .

[Today’s English Version B.1; Revised Standard Version 13.1]

The entire contents of this Addition are the message or the letter sent by the king throughout his empire. Both Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version use a colon early in the verse to set off the author’s introduction to the letter from the king’s introduction that is the beginning of the letter itself. At the end of the verse, Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version use a second colon to mark the end of the king’s introduction and the beginning of the main text. The translator may need to restructure and use punctuation that is appropriate to the discourse structure of the receptor language.

The style of the letter is that of an official document, which begins with the identification of the sender. The king identifies himself formally by title and by name, The Great King, Artaxerxes. In many languages this title can be translated simply as “Big King Artaxerxes” or “Great Master of the Land Artaxerxes.” A difference should be maintained in translation between this title and the epithet “Artaxerxes the Great” (16.1 [E.1]), if possible. This, rather than “Xerxes,” is the name of the Persian king throughout the Greek text. Following the introduction in this verse is the text of the king’s message, which begins in verse 2.

In the Greek text the king writes in the first person singular in verses 2-3. Then the style shifts in verses 4-7 to the first person plural. Interpreters must decide whether the shift to the plural indicates that the king now includes his advisers also, or whether the plural is an epistolary plural, that is, a polite form of referring to oneself. Translators should normally follow receptor culture practice in rendering the king’s words. If they decide that the plural is an epistolary plural, they may follow the example of several common language translations that use the first person singular in verses 4-6 (Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). The same problem occurs in translating the king’s decree in Addition E, which follows 8.12.

A copy of the letter: this may also be translated “This is the text of the letter” (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible; see also Bible en français courant). Today’s English Version emphasizes the legal character of the message, twice identifying it as a “decree,” but that information may preferably be left implicit.

On the hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia, see 1.1.

On the rulers of the … provinces, see 1.1. The governors under them (under the rulers of the provinces) translates a Greek word that referred to a district governor. New Jerusalem Bible says “and to their subordinate district commissioners” (also Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). The words under them translate a Greek masculine plural participle that is more literally “the ones being subordinate.” The pronoun them is not in the Greek text. Nearly all interpreters understand this participle to describe only the word the governors, that is, the governors who are subordinate to the rulers of the provinces. It is possible, however, that this participle describes both the rulers and the governors, that is, “The Great King Artaxerxes to the rulers and governors, his subjects” (La Bible Pléiade). However, since most translations agree with the interpretation found in Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version, translators may prefer to follow them here.

Ethiopia: see comments on 1.1.

Writes thus: with these words Revised Standard Version introduces the main content of the letter that follows in the next verses. This should not be interpreted as leading the way to a quotation within a quotation, for it is all one letter.

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 .

[Today’s English Version D.13; Revised Standard Version 15.13]

Esther’s words to the king in verses 13-14 have no parallel in the Hebrew text.

Esther addresses the king respectfully, calling him “Lord, Master.” Both Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version add the first personal pronoun to make explicit in English the formality of Esther’s response, my lord (“Sire” in New Jerusalem Bible). Then, speaking in figurative language, she uses a simile to describe how he looked to her, like an angel of God. Using a simile she tells of her emotions at seeing him. Literally she says “and my heart was confused [or, disturbed, troubled] from fear of your glory.” To speak of the angel the translator may wish to use an expression like “messenger from God” or “heavenly messenger.” To speak of emotions Greek uses the metaphor of the heart, but other languages may refer to the liver, the chest, or the entrails. For comments on the Greek word for “confusion,” see LXX 3.15.

Your glory refers here to the king’s radiant appearance. Revised English Bible says “your glorious appearance.”

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 .

The king’s question suggests that he made no connection between “a certain people” of Haman’s request (3.8) and the fate about to befall Esther and her people.

The beginning of this verse in Hebrew is literally “Then King Ahasuerus said, and he said to Queen Esther” (so Segond, Reina-Valera revisada). Some interpreters think that a scribe mistakenly repeated the verb, so they translate only one of the two verbs (so Anchor Bible). Others omit one of the verbs for the sake of style in the receptor language (so Today’s English Version). Occasionally the repetition is taken as a strengthened form that may be interpreted “demanded” (New Jerusalem Bible). It is also possible that the writer intended to build suspense, as the reader wonders for an instant whether the king was speaking to Esther or to Haman. Since the same repetition of the verb “he said” occurs in the Hebrew of Ezek 10.2, it is unlikely that it is a scribal mistake in this verse in Esther. Apparently this was an emphatic Hebrew idiom, and Today’s English Version renders it by an acceptable English idiom. If repetition of the verb is not natural in the receptor language, translators should find an equivalent that is natural, such as the modern versions quoted here.

The king’s questions are very brusk. They are reported in the form of direct quotation, “Who is this and where is this [one] he who his heart has filled him to do thus?” The Hebrew expression “his heart has filled him” means “to dare, to be so bold as to.”

Septuagint 7.5

Some Greek manuscripts, following more closely the Hebrew, include the words “to Queen Esther” after Then the king said, and they add the name “Artaxerxes” after the king. The differences between New Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version here are probably due to differences in translation principles rather than to following different Greek manuscripts.

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 .

[Today’s English Version E.15; Revised Standard Version 16.15]

But we find introduces a formal statement that conveys the king’s determination and judgment with regard to Haman’s charges against the Jews. Today’s English Version restructures the verse, thereby modifying the king’s logic. It is preferable to follow the original text by keeping the king’s conclusion, we find, in prominent position.

Who were consigned to annihilation: this translates a passive participle and prepositional phrase in Greek. Today’s English Version restructures the verse to make the meaning clear, “plotted to wipe out.” The king’s reference is to Haman’s intention to have the Jews destroyed. The Greek for consigned is literally “handed over,” “betrayed.” Annihilation is literally “disappearance,” “vanishing.”

Thrice accursed: this expression is a metaphor and is not to be translated literally. The basic meaning of the Greek word is “triple-sinning” or “three times guilty.” It is a way of expressing the extreme contempt with which Haman was regarded by the king. It may be translated by a superlative, “worst,” or “most accursed.” New American Bible says “archcriminal”; New Jerusalem Bible says “arch-scoundrel”; Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “scoundrel.”

In this context the literal translation evildoers has the implied meaning of “traitors” (so Today’s English Version). Other translations, however, maintain the basic meaning of the word, “doers of bad things” (Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible; compare “criminals” in New Jerusalem Bible).

Are governed should not merely be translated that they follow certain laws, but more formally that these laws govern them or “administer” them as one administers a state. Some languages may say “They are people who walk according to very just laws,” or “They are people to whom very just laws show the way of being [or, living],” or “They are people that very just laws direct them on their paths.”

The expression most righteous laws combines the superlative form of the adjective dikaios, “just, righteous,” with nomos, “law.” It refers to the Law of Moses, which is the “laws” referred to in 3.8; 13.5 (B.5). Righteous in this context means that the Jewish laws are just (see comments on “righteous” in 14.7 [C.18]). In some languages they may be described as “very straight laws” or “the straightest of laws.”

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 .

In Revised Standard Version this verse together with the preceding verse and the following verse comprise one long sentence. Today’s English Version 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.

Septuagint 9.21

The Greek lacks the words “every year.” It also uses fewer words to give the same information that is in the Hebrew.

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 .