SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000 – Page 19

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 5:1

Section 5:1–8

Esther went to talk to the king

After Esther had finished fasting, she went to the inner rooms of the palace. The king was pleased to see her and promised to grant any request she might make. So she asked that the king and Haman should come and eat a special meal that she would get her servants to prepare for them. The king agreed.

Paragraph 5:1–4

5:1a

On the third day: That is, on the last day of the fast.

5:1b

the king’s quarters: The word translated “quarters” is literally “house.” The expression “house of the king” can mean the whole palace, but here it probably refers to the room where the king would sit on his throne to receive visitors.

5:1c

his royal throne: A throne is the special chair a king or queen sits on, especially when greeting visitors or during other special occasions. It may have been made of, or decorated with, gold.

© 2000 by SIL International®
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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 7:8

7:8a

couch: See note on 1:6c.

7:8b

Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace?: This is a rhetorical question. The Display shows one way of expressing this as a statement.

7:8c

they covered Haman’s face: Most scholars think that this action showed that Haman was condemned to death. You will need to find some way of making this clear to your readers. The Display shows one way of doing this. However, if you are using footnotes in your translation, it would be better to put this information in a footnote.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 9:16

9:16b

and rid themselves of their enemies: The main difficulty in translating this verse is to decide how to relate this clause to the rest of the verse. All five clauses in this verse are connected by the simple Hebrew conjunction translated as “and.” There is no further indication how rid themselves of their enemies is related to the clauses which precede it and the one which follows it. So different versions have chosen different grammatical structures and punctuation to show the relationship between the clauses. There are two main interpretations:

(1) Killing their enemies was the way in which the Jews got relief from their enemies, as in the Good News Translation:

They rid themselves of their enemies by killing seventy-five thousand people who hated them

(2) The Jews gathered together to protect themselves and to kill their enemies, as in the New Century Version:

the Jewish people in the king’s empire also met to protect themselves and get rid of their enemies

Both structures are possible from the Hebrew. The Display follows Good News Translation and is the recommended interpretation.

rid themselves of: The Hebrew verb which the Berean Standard Bible translates as rid themselves of could be translated “get rid of” or “free themselves from.”

9:16c

but they did not lay a hand on the plunder: This is again the same phrase as in 9:10b. See the notes for that verse.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 1:17

1:17

You may need to add something to what the women are reported as saying in order to make it clear why this worried the nobles. The Display shows one way to do this.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 3:7

Section 3:7–15

Haman plotted to kill the Jews

Haman went to the king and told him that the Jews in the empire did not obey the laws of the land, and so they all should be killed. The king authorized him to write an order saying that the Jews should be killed. Haman caused the order to be sent out everywhere in the kingdom on the thirteenth day of the first month of the next year. The order told the public to be ready to attack the Jews on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month.

Paragraph 3:7–11

3:7a

Nisan: See the note about Tebeth in 2:16. The month of Nisan was mid-March to mid-April.

3:7b-c

the Pur (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman: The verse does not say who cast the Pur. The Hebrew text says “he cast…” but this cannot refer to Haman, because the verse contains the phrase “in the presence of Haman.” Because of this, many versions make this phrase passive and say, “the Pur was cast.” The Pur, or the lot, were probably cast by an astrologer or another person who claimed to be able to predict the future. If your language has no passive, you could say: “Haman ⌊ordered the people ⌋ to cast the Pur (that is, the lot).”

Pur: This was another word for “lot.” This word is important because the Jews used the plural of this word, purim, as the name of the festival they would later hold to celebrate their victory over their enemies (see 9:20–32).

lot: No one knows exactly how Persians cast lots. One possible method could have been that someone threw a group of small objects like stones or sticks in the air. After they fell to the ground, this person would study the pattern they made and from it answer the question being asked.

3:7d

Adar: See the note about Tebeth in 2:16. The month of Adar was mid-February to mid-March.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 5:12

5:12a

Notice that in the English versions, this verse is in direct speech, whereas 5:11 was indirect. You need to decide if it is possible in your language to keep these verses in this way or whether it would be better to treat both verses in the same way.

What is more: This translates a Hebrew word which means that what follows is even greater than what was before. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

And that’s not all (New International Version)

banquet: See note on 1:9.

5:12b

I am invited back tomorrow along with the king: The emphasis is on the word “me” here. Haman was saying that he was such an important man in the kingdom that he was the only other person besides the king who was invited to the queen’s feast.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 8:9

Paragraph 8:9–14

There are many similarities between this passage and the section about Haman’s plot to kill the Jews. You should compare this passage with 3:12–15.

8:9a

royal scribes: See note on 3:12a.

were summoned: The text does not say who summoned the secretaries, but it was probably Mordecai and Esther, since the king had permitted them to issue the order.

Sivan: See the note about Tebeth in 2:16. The month of Sivan was from mid-May to mid-June.

8:9b

satraps: See note on 3:12b.

princes: See note on 1:3b.

from India to Cush: See note on 1:1c.

8:9c

writing to each province in its own script, to every people in their own language: The same instructions were given for the writing of these documents as for the original documents which Haman wrote. See 3:12–14.

script: See note on 1:22b.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 9:28

9:28a

by every generation: This refers to the future as well as the present. You could state this explicitly, as in the Good News Translation:

“of every future generation

Paragraph 9:29–32

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000