Paragraph 1:3–4
The king displayed his riches to the officials of his kingdom for six months. During this time he may have been planning the battles against Greece which took place from 482–479 BC. At the end of the six months, he gave a huge feast for his officials and the public which lasted for a week.
1:3a
officials: This is the first of five groups of important people mentioned in this verse as guests at the banquet. The word in Hebrew which the Berean Standard Bible translates officials is a general term for a leader or other important person and refers to someone whom the king has appointed to that position.
servants: Literally “servants/slaves.” Here it does not refer to ordinary servants but those of high rank. The Berean Standard Bible has servants ; Good News Translation has “administrators.”
If you translate “officials” as “important people,” you may want to switch the two terms and say, for example, “administrators and other important people.”
1:3b
Three more groups of leaders are mentioned in this part of the verse. However, this was probably just another way of referring to the same people as in 1:3a. This is how the Display has linked the two parts of the verse.
military leaders: This is literally “armies.” However, it is more likely that the term refers here only to the army chiefs, not to all the soldiers (as Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version), and it is recommended that you translate it in this way.
Persia and Media: The Persian Empire was made up of these two kingdoms, which were ruled by the same king.
nobles: The Hebrew word here refers to important officials, governors ruling over a district or province.
princes: This is the same word that was translated “officials” in 1:3a.
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