Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem: perhaps Mordecai was some kind of minor official in the royal government.

Walked: Revised Standard Version may seem to suggest that Mordecai walked past the court once each day, but that is not what is meant. The form of the Hebrew verb indicates that Mordecai walked “back and forth” or “walked around.” New Jerusalem Bible says “Every single day Mordecai would walk about in front of the court,” and New Jerusalem Bible says “Mordecai walked up and down in front of the courtyard.” In many languages the form of the verb will indicate the fact that Mordecai did this repeatedly or habitually.

To learn how Esther was and how she fared: the Hebrew says literally “to learn the peace of Esther” or, as Chouraqui translates it, “to know if Esther is in peace.” “Peace” (shalom) here refers to her well-being (see comments on 9.30 and 10.3). And how she fared is more literally, “and what was done [or, made] to her.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates “to know how Esther was faring and how they were treating her.” This may need to be restated; for example, “to learn if Esther was fine and if they were treating her well” or “to hear if Esther was sitting well and what was falling upon her.” Although Good News Translation refers to “what was going to happen to her” in the future, most versions interpret this to refer to Esther’s situation at that time.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Noss, Philip A. A Handbook on Esther (The Hebrew Text). (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .