Drinks were served: this passive construction may need to be restated; for example, “The king’s servants served [or, gave] drinks….”
Goblet is a general term that may be used to refer to drinking vessels of different sizes and shapes. Goblets of different kinds means that they were all different in appearance, a fact that emphasizes the wealth of the king. Existing goblets from this period show that some of these goblets were made in the shapes of animals at the base and covered with silver or gold.
Royal wine: wine in this context is a fermented drink made from the juice of grapes. If grape wine is not known in the receptor language area, it may be necessary to use a general term for fermented beverages. However, because of the importance of the grapevine, vineyards, and wine in the history of Israel, and as a symbol in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, a way should be found to express each of the terms in translation. In some areas the name of a local vine that is related to the grapevine and that produces fruits may be used for the biblical grapevine. Sometimes borrowed words may be used where wine is well known in recent times. However, wine should not be translated as “whisky,” nor should it be rendered “grape juice” without reference to fermentation. Royal wine is the kind of wine that the king himself drank, that is, the wine from the king’s own supply (Louis Segond [Segond] “the king’s wine”). New Jerusalem Bible says wine “provided by the king.”
According to the bounty of the king is literally “according to the hand of the king.” The meaning of this Hebrew expression is uncertain. The Septuagint translation renders it “which the king himself drinks” (see ESG 1.24[7]). Some translations take it to have adverbial meaning: “in royal style” (Revised English Bible), “royally” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), or “as befits a king” (New Jerusalem Bible). Bible en français courant speaks of “royal generosity.”
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 .