בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֔ם וּמָרְדֳּכַ֖י יֹשֵׁ֣ב בְּשַֽׁעַר־הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ קָצַף֩ בִּגְתָ֨ן וָתֶ֜רֶשׁ שְׁנֵֽי־סָרִיסֵ֤י הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ֙ מִשֹּׁמְרֵ֣י הַסַּ֔ף וַיְבַקְשׁוּ֙ לִשְׁלֹ֣חַ יָ֔ד בַּמֶּ֖לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵֽרֹשׁ׃
21In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the threshold, became angry and conspired to kill King Ahasuerus.
The Hebrew that is translated as “(was or became) angry” in English is translated in Kwere as “saw anger.” In Kwere, emotions are always paired with sensory verbs (seeing or smelling or hearing). (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
See also anger and feel (terror, pain, suffering, anxiety).
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “eunuch” in English is translated in Low German as “man (or: person) who does not have male strength” (Minsch, de ehr Mannskraft nicht hebt) (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006). Similarly, in the German Luther Bible it is translated as Entmannter or “de-masculated.” (Source: Jost Zetzsche)
In Bislama it is “a person who has been castrated.” (Source: Bill Camden in The Bible Translator 1995, p. 240ff. )
When the mentioning of “eunuch” does not play an important part of the story, such as in Esther 2:3 or Esther 1:15, the Elhomwe translation uses “servant or “someone working at the palace” “because otherwise element of being castrated too much emphasis.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Mordecai” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign depicting the tearing of clothes, referring to Esther 4:1. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
“Mordecai” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España
More information on Mordecai .
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Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )
See also king (Japanese honorifics).
A duplicate version of the incident recounted here in 2.21-23 occurs with some differences in the Septuagint at the beginning of the book of Esther (Addition A).
In those days refers to the time setting described in verse 19. Some languages will need to make the opening clause less ambiguous, perhaps using an expression similar to Good News Translation, “At the time that…,” or simply “When….”
Regarding the meaning and translation of sitting at the king’s gate, see comments on verse 19.
Bigthan and Teresh are mentioned again in 6.2.
On eunuchs see 1.10. These two eunuchs guarded the threshold, that is, they guarded the entrance to the king’s private living quarters in the palace. Bible en français courant and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente say that they guarded the entrance to “the royal apartments.” An equivalent expression may be “the sleeping place of the king.” The Greek states why the two guards became angry, but since the Hebrew does not, translators should not attempt to provide a reason here.
The words “to lay hands on someone” mean in this context “to kill someone” (see 3.6; Gen 37.22). Good News Translation and New Revised Standard Version both say “to assassinate,” a technical term referring to premeditated murder, usually of an important person. An idiom equivalent to “lay hands on” may be used, or the intent to kill the king may be stated explicitly.
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 .
-22
2:21a
the king’s gate: See note on 2:19b.
2:21b
who guarded the entrance: They guarded the entrance to the palace, and therefore the palace itself.
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