The first sentence of this verse contains four pairs of near synonyms: province–city; command–edict; gladness–joy; feast–holiday. The author surely intended to use this stylistic pattern of repetition, but the translator will need to decide how it can be represented in the receptor language. Good News Translation has restated to express the meaning of the words, while changing the form to have only two pairs of near synonyms.

A holiday is literally “a good day.” Here, as in later Hebrew, these words indicate a religious festival. Many languages will say “festival day,” although this must not be so culturally restricted as to make the reader or the listener associate this Jewish holiday with a specific holiday in one’s own culture.

The phrase many from the peoples of the country refers to “the peoples of the world” (Revised English Bible), “people of other nationalities” (New International Version). These were non-Jews who lived throughout the Persian Empire. Moffatt says “many pagans.” These people declared themselves Jews, that is, they “became Jews” (Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible), for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them. The fear of the Jews is not fear of what the Jews feared; rather these peoples of the world were afraid of the Jews. Some interpreters, however, understand the fear in this verse to be “religious awe.” That is, the people became Jews, not because they were afraid of the Jewish people, but because they had seen the power of the God of the Jews. Against this latter interpretation is the use of “fear” in 9.2 in the sense of “to be afraid of.”

The Hebrew masculine plural participle “the ones becoming Jews” is variously interpreted in the versions. The participle is in the hithpael form; and as Waltke and O’Connor state, “the Hithpael may denote esteeming or presenting oneself in a state, sometimes without regard to the question of truthfulness” (pages 430-431). Revised Standard Version leaves a certain ambiguity as to whether they merely declared themselves Jews or actually became Jews. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible expresses the same ambiguity in a footnote, stating that the Hebrew may mean either “pretending to become Jews” or “converting to Judaism.” New Jerusalem Bible says that they “professed to be Jews,” implying that it was in name only. Even stronger than New Jerusalem Bible is Gordis, “pretended to be Jews.” Many versions, however, understand that they “made themselves Jews” indeed (so Segond and Bible en français courant; compare New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). This interpretation is supported by 9.27. The translator should follow this latter interpretation.

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 .