Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close LSB

Esther 2:5-11
Legacy Standard Bible

5 Now there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew. And his name was (A)Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, 6 (B)who had been taken away into exile from Jerusalem with the exiles who had been taken away into exile with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken away into exile. 7 And he was bringing up Hadassah, that is (C)Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

Esther Advances in Favor

8 Now it happened that when the word and law of the king were heard and (D)many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the hand of (E)Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s [a]house into the hand of Hegai, who kept charge of the women. 9 And the young lady was good in his eyes, and she advanced in lovingkindness before him. So he hurried to give her (F)cosmetics and portions of food to her, and to give to her seven choice young women from the king’s [b]house. And he transferred her and her young women to the best place in the harem. 10 (G)Esther did not tell anyone about her people or her kinsmen, for Mordecai had commanded her that she should not tell anyone about them. 11 And every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the court of the harem to know the well-being of Esther and [c]how she fared.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Esther 2:8 Or palace
  2. Esther 2:9 Or palace
  3. Esther 2:11 Lit what was done to her
Close NET

Esther 2:5-11
New English Translation

5 Now there happened to be a Jewish man in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai.[a] He was the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried into exile with Jeconiah[b] king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile. 7 Now he was acting as the guardian of[c] Hadassah[d] (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, for neither her father nor her mother was alive.[e] This young woman was very attractive and had a beautiful figure.[f] When her father and mother died, Mordecai had raised her[g] as if she were his own daughter.

8 It so happened that when the king’s edict and his law became known[h] many young women were taken to Susa the citadel to be placed under the authority of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the royal palace[i] to be under the authority of Hegai, who was overseeing the women. 9 This young woman pleased him,[j] and she found favor with him. He quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her rations; he also provided her with the seven specially chosen[k] young women who were from the palace. He then transferred her and her young women to the best quarters in the harem.[l]

10 Now Esther had not disclosed her people or her lineage,[m] for Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.[n] 11 And day after day Mordecai used to walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem in order to learn how Esther was doing[o] and what might happen to her.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Esther 2:5 sn Mordecai is a pagan name that reflects the name of the Babylonian deity Marduk. Probably many Jews of the period had two names, one for secular use and the other for use especially within the Jewish community. Mordecai’s Jewish name is not recorded in the biblical text.
  2. Esther 2:6 sn Jeconiah is an alternative name for Jehoiachin. A number of modern English versions use the latter name to avoid confusion (e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).
  3. Esther 2:7 tn According to HALOT 64 s.v. II אמן the term אֹמֵן (ʾomen) means: (1) “attendant” of children (Num 11:12; Isa 49:23); (2) “guardian” (2 Kgs 10:1, 5; Esth 2:7); (3) “nurse-maid” (2 Sam 4:4; Ruth 4:16); and (4) “to look after” (Isa 60:4; Lam 4:5). Older lexicons did not distinguish this root from the homonym I אָמַן (ʾaman, “to support; to confirm”; cf. BDB 52 s.v. אָמַן). This is reflected in a number of translations by use of a phrase like “brought up” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NIV) or “bringing up” (NASB).
  4. Esther 2:7 sn Hadassah is a Jewish name that probably means “myrtle”; the name Esther probably derives from the Persian word for “star,” although some scholars derive it from the name of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. Esther is not the only biblical character for whom two different names were used. Daniel (renamed Belteshazzar) and his three friends Hananiah (renamed Shadrach), Mishael (renamed Meshach), and Azariah (renamed Abednego) were also given different names by their captors.
  5. Esther 2:7 tn Heb “for there was not to her father or mother.” This is universally understood to mean Esther’s father and mother were no longer alive.
  6. Esther 2:7 tn Heb “beautiful of form.” The Hebrew noun תֹּאַר (toʾar, “form; shape”) is used elsewhere to describe the physical bodily shape of a beautiful woman (Gen 29:17; Deut 21:11; 1 Sam 25:3); see BDB 1061 s.v. Cf. TEV “had a good figure.”
  7. Esther 2:7 tn Heb “had taken her to him.” The Hebrew verb לָקַח (laqakh, “to take”) describes Mordecai adopting Esther and treating her like his own daughter: “to take as one’s own property” as a daughter (HALOT 534 s.v. I לקח 6).
  8. Esther 2:8 tn Heb “were heard” (so NASB); NRSV “were (had been NIV) proclaimed.”
  9. Esther 2:8 tn Heb “the house of the king.” So also in vv. 9, 13. Cf. NLT “the king’s harem.”
  10. Esther 2:9 tn Heb “was good in his eyes”; NLT “Hegai was very impressed with Esther.”
  11. Esther 2:9 tn Heb “being looked at (with favor).”
  12. Esther 2:9 tn Heb “of the house of the women” (so KJV, ASV). So also in vv. 11, 13, 14.
  13. Esther 2:10 tn Cf. v. 20, where the same phrase occurs but with the word order reversed.
  14. Esther 2:10 tn Heb “that she not tell” (NRSV similar); NASB “that she should not make them known.”
  15. Esther 2:11 tn Heb “to know the peace of Esther.”
Next
Esther 1
Esther 3
Next
dropdown
Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.

New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.