[Esther 1:3]

The Hebrew sentence structure in verses 13-15 is somewhat complicated. Verse 13 begins by stating that the king spoke to the wise men who knew the times, but what he said to them is not stated until verse 15. Some translations indicate the parenthetical nature of 13b and 14 by the use of dashes (Revised Standard Version, An American Translation) or parentheses (New Jerusalem Bible), while other versions restructure the sentence and introduce verse 15 with the words “He said to these men” (Today’s English Version, Bible en français courant).

No specific indication of time is given in verse 13. Some versions say Then the king said (Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible), while other versions begin this verse with no time reference: “He conferred with the wise men…” (New American Bible, Revised English Bible). Verse 18 (“This very day”) may be interpreted to mean that the king consulted the wise men the very same day that Queen Vashti refused to come, but the Hebrew text itself in fact uses that expression to indicate how soon the evil result of Vashti’s action will take effect.

The wise men who knew the times probably refers to court astrologers (New International Version Study Bible). Gordis translates “his wise counsellors, who were expert in astrology.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible transposes these words to the beginning of verse 15 for greater clarity and translates “Then the king said to the astrologers.” Possibly they knew the times in that they knew past events and how past events had been resolved according to the law. Compare Revised English Bible, “versed in precedents.”

Some interpreters, however, think that the Hebrew text here should be changed slightly to read “the laws” (so New Revised Standard Version) instead of “the times.” Astrologers, they argue, were not considered as versed in law and judgment. Additionally, the answer in verses 16-20 does not depend on a knowledge of astrological matters. Translations that follow this suggested change in the text read as follows: “He conferred with the wise men versed in the law” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). Some translations avoid the specific reference either to “those who knew the times” or to “those who knew the law,” and use a more general term such as “advisers” (Today’s English Version) or “experts” (Bible en français courant).

The textual scholars who prepared HOTTP have not accepted conjectures, that is, readings with no support by any biblical manuscripts, so the recommendation of HOTTP is that translators accept the reading “who knew the times.” HOTTP gives an “A” evaluation to the Hebrew text, indicating a very high probability that this is the correct text to be translated.

In some languages it may be appropriate to say that “they knew the times,” while in others the idea of seeing or divining may be brought out. However, it should not be implied that they were magicians or that they practiced witchcraft.

Though some interpreters see two different groups of specialists in verse 13, the wise men who knew the times and those who were versed in law and judgment, most understand the two groups to be identical. Law, a word that first occurred in 1.8 above, may be translated here with a formal or technical term representing laws in the legal sense. Judgment, din, the third legal term to be used in the book, is closely associated with “law” and may be translated as “justice” (New International Version) or “custom” (New Revised Standard Version).

Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew text fairly closely, while Today’s English Version restates it to make clear the explanation given in this verse that the king was following normal procedure in seeking the advice of his councilors. This continuity with precedent may be expressed by saying that he acted “according to the way,” in accord with “practice,” or in line with “tradition.”

Septuagint 1.13

The text of the Septuagint is considerably different from the Hebrew. Literally the Greek reads “And he said to his friends, ‘Thus and so spoke Astin. Give therefore on this [matter] [your] ruling and judgment.’ ”

The king’s words are cited in the form of direct quotation (see comments on Hebrew text of verse 15 below). However, the king only refers to how the queen spoke, “Thus and so,” without quoting her actual words. It is left to the reader to understand the basic sense from the context. Having alluded to the queen’s disobedient response to him, he commands his associates to do “law [nomos] and judgment.”

A literal translation of the Greek, “Thus and so spoke Astin,” will make little sense in most languages. Both New Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version have restructured the text to express the general meaning in idiomatic English. Revised English Bible says “You hear how Astin spoke.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible makes it a question that is almost an exclamation, “Is it thus that Astin replied?” Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente states the meaning more explicitly: “He said to his counselors, ‘The queen has not obeyed me’ ….”

Today’s English Version interprets “law and judgment” as hendiadys, that is, two words often joined by “and” that express a single idea. Bible en français courant restates to say “examine her case and judge it according to the law.”

On the king’s Friends see comments on the LXX 1.3.

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 .