SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000 – Page 11

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 9:3

-4

9:3–4

officials: See note on 1:3a.

satraps: See note on 3:12b.

Paragraph 9:5–10

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 1:7

1:7a

Beverages were served: The rest of the verse says that the beverages were wine. However, the text does not say who was serving the beverages. If your language has no passive, you may need to say something like: “The king’s servants served the beverages….”

goblets of gold: This word refers to specially designed and decorated cups.

© 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.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2:18

2:18a

officials and servants: See notes on 1:3a.

2:18b

tax holiday: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as holiday is more literally “causing to rest.” There are two main ways that English versions translate this word:

(1)__ It refers to any type of holiday.

(New International Version, Good News Translation, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version)

(2) It refers to a period of not paying taxes, something that kings of that time sometimes did to celebrate special events.

(Berean Standard Bible, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow the first option.

2:18c

worthy of the king’s bounty: This means that the king did it in a way which displayed his generosity. He did it in the way people expected a king to behave.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 5:2

5:2b

the gold scepter: See note on 4:11b.

5:2c

touched the tip of the scepter: The text does not describe whether Esther touched the scepter with her hand or her lips (that is, she kissed it; see Keil-Delitzsch, p. 355). If you can use a general verb, like the English versions, and not specify how she touched the scepter, you should do so. If it is necessary in your language to say how she touched the scepter, it is recommended that you say “with her hand,” since this is the most natural meaning of the Hebrew verb.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 7:9

7:9b

gallows: See note on 2:23b.

7:9c

gave the report that saved the king: This refers to when Mordecai told the king about the plot to kill him and so saved his life. See 2:21–23.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 9:17

9:17a

Adar: See note on 3:7d.

9:17c

a day of feasting and joy: It was a day when the Jews held feasts and joyfully celebrated their victory over their enemies.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 1:18

1:18a

the king’s officials: See note on 1:3a.

1:18b

much contempt and wrath: There would be discord or quarrels between husbands and their wives, because the husbands would be angry about their wives’ behavior.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 3:8

3:8a-b

Haman was addressing the king. Some Bible versions use an honorific title to show that Haman was addressing the king. You again need to decide whether or not to use a term like “Your Majesty” and whether Haman should address the king as “you” or not.

3:8c-d

So it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them: This can also be translated in a negative form. For example, the Contemporary English Version has:

We would be better off to get rid of them!

Step into the multitudes of languages of the Bible and join the worldwide conversation!

Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000