SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 1:10

Section 1:10–22

Queen Vashti disobeyed the king and he removed her from her position as queen

Towards the end of the feast, when he had drunk too much wine, the king sent a message, ordering the queen to come to him so that he could show off her beauty to his guests. But she probably did not wish to be seen by a crowd of drunken, leering men, and so she refused. The king was very angry about the queen’s disobedience and asked his advisors what the law said about how she should be punished. The advisors said that the king should divorce the queen, in order to show all wives in the empire that they must obey their husbands. The king was pleased with this advice and issued a decree to inform everyone about it.

Paragraph 1:10–12

1:10a

the king’s heart was merry with wine: Literally, “the heart of the king was good with wine.” By the last day of the feast, the king had drunk a lot of wine. If you have alcoholic drinks in your area, you probably have an expression to describe a person who has drunk enough wine to make him think he is very happy. You should use that expression here.

1:10b

eunuchs: Many of the king’s servants were eunuchs, that is, men who had been castrated and therefore could no longer have sexual relations with a women. In ancient times a king would use such men to protect his wives because they would not try to have sexual relations with the women. If a literal translation would shock your readers or be too difficult to translate, then use a word for an important servant, and explain the meaning of “eunuch” in a footnote or in the glossary.

who served him: Literally “who served the face of the king.” This probably refers to the king’s personal servants, who were responsible for looking after him.

© 2000 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2:23

2:23b

hanged on the gallows: In the Hebrew, this phrase is more literally “hanged on a tree.” It is possible that Xerxes had these men executed by impaling them on a piece of wood, rather than hanging them by a rope. However, the Hebrew text uses the verb “to hang,” and this is how most English versions translate it. It is recommended that you follow the majority of English translations.

2:23c

Book of the Chronicles: This book recorded all the important happenings in the Persian Empire.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 5:5

5:5a

Notice that the king was no longer talking to Esther, but to one of his servants. The Display shows a couple of ways to state this explicitly.

Esther: The king here refers to Esther by her name. If this would be inappropriate or too familiar in your language, you may have to say “the queen” instead.

5:5b

the banquet that Esther had prepared: See note on 5:4b.

banquet: See note on 1:9.

Paragraph 5:6–8

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 8:2

8:2a

the signet ring: By giving Mordecai his own ring, the king made him the highest official in the land. This was the same ring which he had previously given to Haman. See note on 3:10a.

Paragraph 8:3–6

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 9:20

Section 9:20–32

How the Jews began to celebrate the festival called Purim

Mordecai sent out letters to tell the Jews to hold a celebration each year to remember the victory of the Jews over their enemies. This annual festival was called Purim because Haman had cast lots called purim to choose the best day to kill the Jews. Jews still celebrate this festival today.

Paragraph 9:20–23

9:20a

these events: This probably refers to the massacre by the Jews and not to all the events recorded in Esther.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 1:21

1:21

princes: See note on 1:3b.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 3:12

3:12a

royal scribes: These were men whose job was to write the letters and documents the king told them to write.

3:12b

satraps: This is another word for government officials.

officials: This is the same word as 1:3a, but here it is best translated as “leaders” or “chiefs.”

3:12c

script: See note on 1:22b.

3:12d

in the name of King Xerxes: This means that they wrote the letters with the king’s full authority.

3:12e

sealed with the royal signet ring: When people finished writing a document, they then rolled it up and covered the end of the paper with wax. The king then stamped it with his seal, that is, he pressed the wax with the special ring on one of his fingers. This made a design on the wax and showed that the letter was authorized by the king.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 6:2

6:2

who guarded the king’s entrance: See note on 2:21b.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000