[Today’s English Version D.5; Revised Standard Version 15.5]

She was radiant with perfect beauty refers to the color of her face, the blush of color that was due to the bloom or prime of her beauty (see Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). New Jerusalem Bible translates “Rosy with the full flush of her beauty.” The meaning is not specifically perfection but rather “the full bloom of her beauty” (so La Sainte Bible: La version Etablie par les moines de Maredsous). This may be restated, “Her face shown with her wonderful beauty,” or an appropriate idiom may be used. Each language will have its own idioms and images; for instance, “she stood with the beauty of a maiden” or “she stood with the look of the antelope,” or “she was standing she was beautiful again again.” In some languages an ideophone may describe her dazzling beauty.

As if beloved: the Greek may be understood as in Revised Standard Version, that Esther looked happy as one does when one is loved (so New Revised Standard Version, Nueva Biblia Española), or as stating that her face looked equally happy and lovely (so Today’s English Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, La Sainte Bible: La version Etablie par les moines de Maredsous). If the first interpretation is followed, it may be translated “she looked as happy as a woman that someone loves very much.” If the second interpretation is followed, it may be translated “her face looked both joyful and pleasing.” Either interpretation is possible.

In contrast to her outward appearance, Esther’s heart was frozen with fear. This is an English idiom to express great fear. In her heart she was gripped by fear or seized with terror. Frozen with fear is literally “shrunken with fear.” The root idea is that of being narrow or restricted. Revised English Bible maintains the imagery of the Greek: “her heart was constricted with fear.” Compare New American Bible “her heart was shrunk with fear.”

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 .