SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000 – Page 14

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 9:15

9:15a

Adar: See note on 3:7d.

9:15c

but they did not lay a hand on the plunder: See notes on 9:10b. The same phrase is repeated here.

Paragraph 9:16–19

© 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 1:16

1:16a

princes: See note on 1:3b.

1:16b

wronged not only the king: Memucan did not refer to the king as “you” although he was speaking directly to him. You need to decide whether you can do this or whether you need to say “you.” If you have a special way of addressing a chief, you need to consider if you should use it here. For example, the Contemporary English Version has:

Your Majesty, Queen Vashti has not only embarrassed you

princes: See note on 1:3b.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 3:6

3:6a

the identity of Mordecai’s people: That is, that they were Jews. You may need to state this information explicitly here.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 5:11

5:11a

his many sons: It was considered a blessing to have many sons, and Haman had ten (see 9:10).

5:11b

the king had honored and promoted him: Literally “the king had made him great.”

5:11c

promoted: See note on 3:1b.

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

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 8:8

8:8a

write in the king’s name: See note on 3:12d.

8:8b

seal it with the royal signet ring: See note on 3:12e.

8:8c

For a decree that is written in the name of the king and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked: The commentators and English versions do not agree on which document the king is referring to here. There are two possibilities:

(1) It is a general statement, referring to any order made in the king’s name. In this verse it therefore refers to the order Esther and Mordecai were about to make. Because the king authorized it to be issued, no one would be able to cancel it. This is the best interpretation of this sentence based on its position in the Hebrew text, and it is the one followed by nearly every English version.

(2) It refers specifically to the order Haman had issued. The king was saying that he could not cancel it, but he permitted Esther and Mordecai to write something of their own. This interpretation is followed by Good News Translation, which reverses the order of the verse to express this:

But a proclamation issued in the king’s name and stamped with the royal seal cannot be revoked. You may, however, write to the Jews whatever you like; and you may write it in my name and stamp it with the royal seal. (Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow the first option like the majority of the translations.

a decree: See note on 1:19a.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 9:27

9:27b

and all who join them: This refers to people from other races who would change their religion and become Jews. See 8:17.

9:27c

at the appointed time each and every year, according to their regulation: That is, exactly as Mordecai had instructed in his letter.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2:6

2:6

He had been carried into exile: It is not clear to whom exactly this refers and the Berean Standard Bible is ambiguous. There are three main possibilities:

(1) It refers to Kish, the great-grandfather of Mordecai. This seems to be the easiest way of understanding the Hebrew.

(Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word)

(2) It refers to Mordecai himself. However, if it were Mordecai himself who had been taken captive in 597 BC, he would be a very old man in 480 BC when this story takes place. So this seems rather unlikely.

(Good News Translation, Revised English Bible)

(3) It refers to Mordecai’s family, but not necessarily Mordecai himself. No major English version follows this interpretation.

Both (1) and (2) are possible grammatically, but (1) is more probable since it is unlikely that Mordecai was already 120 years old in this story.

carried into exile: This means to be taken away or sent away from your own country and forced to live in another place.

taken captive with Jeconiah king of Judah: This refers to when the Babylonians defeated the people of the tribe of Judah in 597 BC. King Nebuchadnezzar then took the king of Judah and many of his people back with him to Babylon as captives. When the OT refers to “Judah” it usually includes the tribe of Benjamin as well.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 4:3

4:3a

king’s command and edict: See note on 2:8a.

4:3b

They fasted: When people fasted, they chose not to eat food for a chosen length of time. They also usually prayed to God. In the book of Esther there is a sharp contrast between the king and his men who feasted (see 3:15), and the Jews who fasted (see 4:3, 16).

4:3c

many lay in sackcloth and ashes: Literally “sackcloth and ashes were spread to many.” This phrase is ambiguous in many English versions. There are three possibilities:

(1) lay in sackcloth and ashes means that people spread ashes on the ground, put sackcloth on top of the ashes, and then they lay on the sackcloth. For example, the New Century Version has:

many of them lay down on rough cloth and ashes

(Berean Standard Bible, New Century Version, Revised English Bible)

(2) The expression means to “put on,” in the same way as Mordecai did in 4:1b. So the people acted in the same way as Mordecai. For example, the God’s Word has:

Many put on sackcloth and ashes

(God’s Word)

(3) lay in sackcloth means to lie down wearing sackcloth. However lay in…ashes means to lie down on ashes. For example, the Good News Translation has:

most of them put on sackcloth and lay in ashes

(Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow the first option.

Paragraph 4:4–5

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

Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000