In the story line this verse introduces Queen Vashti in preparation for the conflict that will make Esther queen in her place. The Hebrew version begins with an adverb also that serves a linking function in two ways. First, with respect to syntax it links this sentence to the preceding sentence. Second, with respect to the story it shows that the queen’s banquet is parallel to the king’s banquet. For these reasons Good News Translation sets the verse aside as a separate transitional paragraph and introduces it with a temporal adverb “Meanwhile.”

The Hebrew word for Queen is the feminine form malkah from the masculine melek “king.” It should be translated by a term that makes clear Vashti’s official position as royal wife. It does not mean that she was the queen mother or a queen ruling in her own right. In the Hebrew of this verse, “the queen” occurs in apposition to the name Vashti, or as an epithet: “Vashti, the Queen.” The same pattern occurs in verse 11, while in verse 12 she is referred to by her title, Queen Vashti. This contrast is retained in some versions as “Vashti the queen” and “Queen Vashti” (for instance, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), while Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation simply translate “Queen Vashti” throughout the book.

The women: the Hebrew word translated women is sometimes used to mean “wife.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates this word as “the wives of those invited”; but since the context does not clearly specify that the women were “wives,” it is better to use a more general term as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

The palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus: this is literally “the house of the royalty [or, kingdom] which [was] of the king Ahasuerus.” This is a more precise and detailed expression than the one that is often used for “palace,” namely, “the house of the king” (see 2.8, 13). The Good News Translation translation “inside the royal palace” may diminish the intended force of the words which belonged to King Ahasuerus. By stating the simple fact that the palace belonged to the king, the writer may be preparing the reader for the queen’s act of defiance that will follow.

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 .