SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000 – Page 11

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 5:12

5:12a

Notice that in the English versions, this verse is in direct speech, whereas 5:11 was indirect. You need to decide if it is possible in your language to keep these verses in this way or whether it would be better to treat both verses in the same way.

What is more: This translates a Hebrew word which means that what follows is even greater than what was before. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

And that’s not all (New International Version)

banquet: See note on 1:9.

5:12b

I am invited back tomorrow along with the king: The emphasis is on the word “me” here. Haman was saying that he was such an important man in the kingdom that he was the only other person besides the king who was invited to the queen’s feast.

© 2000 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 5:13

5:13

the king’s gate: See note on 5:9b. Again, here this refers literally to the entrance to the king’s palace.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 5:14

5:14b

a gallows…Mordecai hanged on it: See note on 2:23b. The pole, or some kind of structure made of wood, was to be very tall (75 feet or 25 meters) so that everybody would see Mordecai’s dead body.

5:14c

banquet: See note on 1:9.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 6:1

Section 6:1–14

The king honored Mordecai

The same night that Haman was planning Mordecai’s death, the king could not sleep. So he told his servants to read to him from the book of the annals, in which the important events of his reign were recorded. One of the events the servants read about was the time when Mordecai had saved his life (see 2:19–23), and the king decided that he ought to reward him. So when Haman arrived the next morning, the king asked him how he thought the king ought to reward a man whom he wanted to honor. Haman suggested some ways to do that, thinking that the king was referring to him. The king then decided to honor Mordecai in those ways, and made Haman carry out his suggestions.

Paragraph 6:1–3

6:1

That night: That is, the same night that Haman was planning to kill Mordecai.

the Book of Records, the Chronicles: This was the record of the important events which had happened since Xerxes became king. It refers to the same book as “the Book of the Chronicles” in 2:23c.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 6:2

6:2

who guarded the king’s entrance: See note on 2:21b.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 6:3

6:3a

honor or dignity: These two words are similar in meaning. If you do not have two suitable terms, you may follow the Contemporary English Version and combine the two:

What has been done to reward Mordecai for this?

6:3b

the king’s attendants: This is the same word as in 2:2a. See the note there.

Paragraph 6:4–11

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 6:4

-5

6:4b

Now: This word here does not mean “at the present time.” The Berean Standard Bible has added this word to show that this piece of information is a sort of parenthesis. It is something which has already happened or has j

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 6:6

-7

6:6a

the king is delighted to honor: The king is again referring to himself as “the king” not “I.” Translate this in the same way as you have done before. See note on 1:15b.

6:6b

Haman thought to himself:

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000