[Esther 1:6]

The exact meaning of much of verse 6 is not clear, although it obviously emphasizes the splendor of the banquet. Not connected grammatically with the preceding verse, it is a list or catalog of items describing the royal setting.

The beginning of the verse is literally “white stuff (either cotton or linen), finely woven material (either cotton or linen), purple wool, held fast with cords of fine linen and purple wool on rings of silver and pillars of precious stone and alabaster.” The image described appears to be that purple and white curtains were used as awnings to provide shade from the sun. A descriptive phrase such as “cloths that were spread out and hung from pillars” may be used. The curtains were attached by cords to rings fastened to marble pillars.

The invited guests reclined on the couches while they ate (see Amos 6.4). The Hebrew word for “bed” sometimes refers to a mat placed on the ground and sometimes to the frame on which the mat was placed. Here it is probably the frame itself. The Persians had couches and tables of gold and silver, which may have been covered or plated with gold and silver, or which may have been made from gold and silver.

A mosaic pavement: the ground in the courtyard was paved, that is, it was covered with stones to make the surface hard and beautiful. The surface of the courtyard was a mosaic. It was made of four kinds of colored stones that were arranged in beautiful patterns or designs. Several of the Hebrew words for stones occur only here in the Old Testament, and their meaning is not certain, as the differences in translations indicate.

The first stone is called porphyry in Revised Standard Version. This is a rock that has feldspar crystals, that is, large crystal-like minerals contained within a dark red or purple mass of fine-grained rock. Today’s English Version translates this stone as “red feldspar”; Revised English Bible calls it “malachite.”

The second stone is called marble in Revised Standard Version and “white marble” in Today’s English Version. Marble is a form of limestone that can be cut and polished for building, or that can be carved by artists for making sculptures.

The third item in the list is apparently mother-of-pearl, which is not a stone. It is the inside of the shell of the clam that produces pearls. The inside of these shells has soft colors like a rainbow. The mother-of-pearl was probably used for making delicate patterns by being inserted into the other stones.

The fourth item also is a word of uncertain meaning. Revised Standard Version and New Jerusalem Bible simply use a generic expression, precious stones; New American Bible and New Revised Standard Version use a similar general expression, “colored stones”; Today’s English Version and Revised English Bible say “blue turquoise,” a stone that is found in Persia. New Jerusalem Bible reads “mosaics.”

Even though equivalents for the various names of stones given in the different versions may be difficult to find, it is important to indicate that valuable stones of different colors were used to make a pavement, or “floor,” for the courtyard. Since the names and colors of several of these stones are not known with certainty, the translator may be advised to follow the model of Bible en français courant, which says “a mosaic of red, white, pearly, and black slabs.” In place of mosaic a technical verb such as “laying” or “finishing” a floor may be used.

Septuagint 1.6

The Septuagint reads “which was decorated with white curtains of linen and cotton stretched on cords of purple, and these were attached to blocks of gold and silver resting on stone and marble columns. There were gold and silver couches placed on pavement of malachite, marble, and mother-of-pearl, and there were coverings of transparent weave elaborately embroidered with roses arranged in a circle” (Revised English Bible). The phrase “with roses around the edge” (Today’s English Version) refers to embroidered roses in the cloth.

The difficulties in translating the technical terms in the Greek version are similar to those for the Hebrew terms. Fine linen was highly prized cloth that was woven from flax yarns. A generic term such as “fine cloth” may be used if linen is unknown. The floor was made of a green stone (either emerald or malachite), white marble, and mother-of-pearl. The roses may be described as “red flowers.” In cultures where flowers are not particularly valued for their beauty, it may be necessary to specify that the fabric was beautifully decorated with markings in the design of flowers.

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 .