SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000 – Page 4

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2:3

-4

2:3a

commissioners: This was another kind of official.

2:3b

harem: This was the area of the palace where the concubines of the king lived. A concubine is a woman who is a secondary wife, that is, who is not legally

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2:5

2:5

Now: This verse introduces Mordecai, one of the important characters in the story. If you have special ways of introducing characters in stories in your language, you should introduce Mordecai in that way here. The Berean Standard Bible has indicated this by using Now.

citadel of Susa: See note on 1:2.

from the tribe of Benjamin: All Jews traced their ancestors back to one of Jacob’s 12 sons. Benjamin was Jacob’s youngest son.

son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish: Jair, Shimei and Kish were ancestors of Mordecai. Hebrew used the term “son of” in the more general sense of “descendant of,” so some commentators think Shimei and Kish were famous ancestors of Mordecai who had lived many years before him. For example, Shimei is mentioned in 2 Samuel 16:5; and the father of King Saul, the first king of Israel, was called Kish (see 1 Samuel 9:1–2). Good News Translation translates it in this way. However, this verse must be considered with the comments on 2:6 below, which seem to suggest that it is a literal “son of” which was meant here.

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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 2:6

2:6

He had been carried into exile: It is not clear to whom exactly this refers and the Berean Standard Bible is ambiguous. There are three main possibilities:

(1) It refers to Kish, the great-grandfather of Mordecai. This seems to be the easiest way of understanding the Hebrew.

(Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word)

(2) It refers to Mordecai himself. However, if it were Mordecai himself who had been taken captive in 597 BC, he would be a very old man in 480 BC when this story takes place. So this seems rather unlikely.

(Good News Translation, Revised English Bible)

(3) It refers to Mordecai’s family, but not necessarily Mordecai himself. No major English version follows this interpretation.

Both (1) and (2) are possible grammatically, but (1) is more probable since it is unlikely that Mordecai was already 120 years old in this story.

carried into exile: This means to be taken away or sent away from your own country and forced to live in another place.

taken captive with Jeconiah king of Judah: This refers to when the Babylonians defeated the people of the tribe of Judah in 597 BC. King Nebuchadnezzar then took the king of Judah and many of his people back with him to Babylon as captives. When the OT refers to “Judah” it usually includes the tribe of Benjamin as well.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2:7

2:7a

the daughter of his uncle: Literally “daughter of his paternal uncle.” Esther’s father and Mordecai’s father were brothers. You should use the correct kinship term in your language for this sort of relative.

2:7e

had taken her in as his own daughter: When Esther’s parents died, Mordecai had adopted her and treated her as if she were his own daughter.

General Comment about 2:7

You may want to rearrange this verse in your language because of the repetition. Good News Translation would be a helpful model to follow, if you wish to combine 2:7b and 2:7e:

He had a cousin, Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah; she was a beautiful young woman, and had a good figure. At the death of her parents, Mordecai had adopted her and brought her up as his own daughter, (Good News Translation)

Paragraph 2:8–11

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2:8

2:8a

the king’s command and edict: These two words are very similar in meaning. See 1:20a for edict.

2:8b

citadel of Susa: See note on 1:2.

General Comment about 2:8

As in 2:7, there is some repetition in this verse, so you may need to rearrange the verse as Good News Translation has done:

When the king had issued his new proclamation and many young women were being brought to Susa, Esther was among them. She too was put in the royal palace in the care of Hegai, who had charge of the harem. (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2:9

2:9b

beauty treatments: See note on 2:3d.

2:9c-d

harem: See note on 2:3b.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2:10

2:10

It may be better in your language to reverse 2:10a and 2:10b. Then you could say something like:

⌊ Before she went to the palace,⌋Mordecai had warned Esther not to tell anyone that she was a Jew or what family she came from, and she obeyed him.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2:11

2:11a