Verse 26 explains the reason these days are called Purim. Purim is the plural of the word pur (see comment on 3.7). Since the words Purim and pur are words with no meaning for most readers today, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates the beginning of this verse as follows: “That is why these days are called ‘Fate,’ from the word ‘Fate,’ ” and then it places an explanation of the word “Purim” in a footnote. Most versions, however, retain the original names. Since this festival is still celebrated in Jewish communities to this day, and since it is still known by the same name, it is best to retain Purim in the translation.

Today’s English Version restructures the second part of the verse by combining and shortening some of the apparent repetition to make a more simple sentence. In doing this it also eliminates some of the author’s emphasis that is achieved by restating an essentially similar idea three different ways. The author refers first to “all the words of the letter,” then he refers to what the Jews “had seen,” and lastly to “what had happened to them.” The translator may need to restructure the syntax of this and the following verse, but details that were included by the author should not be omitted.

In the words because of all that was written in this letter, this letter does not mean the biblical book of Esther but the letters that Mordecai wrote to all the Jews (verse 20 above). Translators may want to make explicit, as Today’s English Version does, that the letter mentioned was the letter written by Mordecai.

The second occurrence of the word therefore connects to the beginning of verse 27 (“therefore … the Jews ordained…”). The words because of all … and of what had befallen them form a parenthetical statement.

Septuagint 9.26

Today’s English Version restructures verses 26-28. Some restructuring may be necessary and helpful, but it should be in the direction of using relatively short sentences with appropriate conjunctions and transitions.

The Greek says that Purim is the word in their language, that is, in Hebrew, that means “lots.” However, Purim is probably an Akkadian word that the writer of 3.7 explains to the Hebrew readers. As in its translation of the Hebrew text, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates Purim (frourai in the Greek) with the word “Fates.”

The Greek verb rendered in New Revised Standard Version as established is difficult to translate. As the note in New Revised Standard Version shows, the verb is in the third person singular and has no explicit subject or explicit direct object. Both New Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version take the verb as transitive, that is, as having an implied direct object. They understand the subject of this verb to be Mordecai and the object to be this festival. Both the Rahlfs and the Göttingen editions of the Septuagint place this verb at the beginning of verse 27. (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and Bible en français courant both begin a new sentence in verse 27 with the words “Mordecai made an institution of it” and “Mordecai instituted these days of festival”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is similar.)

However, it is also possible to understand this Greek verb to be intransitive, that is, as having no direct object and having the meaning “existing” or “being.” The subject of this verb is not necessarily Mordecai. The subject may be the same as that of the previous verb: “what [or, all] that [had befallen them].” Revised English Bible follows this interpretation and translates the end of verse 26 and the beginning of verse 27 as follows: “Because of all that was written in this letter, because of all that they had experienced, and all that had happened to them and had been done, the Jews gladly undertook….” This interpretation reflected in the Revised English Bible translation is grammatically possible, but it is not the most widely accepted understanding.

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 .