Today’s English Version introduces this verse with the attention-getting words “In fact.” The Hebrew simply begins “And all,” which Revised Standard Version conveys by All … also …. The last clause of the verse is nearly identical to the last clause of the preceding verse, a parallelism that is lost in Today’s English Version‘s restructuring.

On princes, satraps, and governors, see 3.12. The royal officials translates the same words that are translated in Revised Standard Version as “those who have charge of the king’s business” in 3.9, where the meaning appears to be “those who collect the revenue for the royal treasury.” It is a bit surprising to see the addition of the royal officials in this verse, since the other three categories of princes, satraps, and governors all refer to people with power to rule (compare 3.12). New Jerusalem Bible translates it as “the king’s stewards,” and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible says “functionaries.” The receptor language may perhaps say generally “the people of the king.”

It is doubtful that there is any significance in the change of order from 3.12, in which these officials are mentioned. It has been suggested, though, that in 3.12 the ranking is in order of greater authority to local authority; and that in 9.3 the local authority may be mentioned first from the perspective of the Jews, who had more immediate contact at that level of authority. It is therefore best to keep the order in which they are presented here.

Helped the Jews: literally “the ones helping the Jews.” This participle in Hebrew means “to lift up,” “to support.” Some interpreters understand the sense to be that these people directly aided or helped (Revised Standard Version, New International Version) the Jewish people. Revised English Bible, for example, says that they “aided the Jews.” Others, however, use a more general verb, stating that they “supported the Jews” (New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Nueva Biblia Española, Osty-Trinquet). It is not clear whether the Jews received military help, financial help, or simply encouragement. Rather than attempt to be more specific than the Hebrew itself is, translators should try to find a general term equivalent to “support” in English. Possible idioms may be “they gave strength to the Jews” or “they stood behind the Jews.”

As in the preceding verse, the words fear of mean the fear that the non-Jewish people had of Mordecai.

Septuagint 9.3

The royal secretaries: royal means that these secretaries were in the service of the king; see also comment on LXX 6.1.

Unlike the Hebrew, which says that the royal officials “helped” the Jews, the Greek says only that they were paying honor to the Jews. The imperfect verb tense makes it clear that they did not cease to pay honor to the Jews after doing it once.

Fear … weighed upon: literally “was pressing upon them.” This may be stated prosaically as Today’s English Version has done, or in idiomatic fashion as New Revised Standard Version does. The translation should make clear that this was a situation that continued for some time. Many languages have stative verb forms to express a continuing state.

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 .