SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000 – Page 7

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 3:7

Section 3:7–15

Haman plotted to kill the Jews

Haman went to the king and told him that the Jews in the empire did not obey the laws of the land, and so they all should be killed. The king authorized him to write an order saying that the Jews should be killed. Haman caused the order to be sent out everywhere in the kingdom on the thirteenth day of the first month of the next year. The order told the public to be ready to attack the Jews on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month.

Paragraph 3:7–11

3:7a

Nisan: See the note about Tebeth in 2:16. The month of Nisan was mid-March to mid-April.

3:7b-c

the Pur (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman: The verse does not say who cast the Pur. The Hebrew text says “he cast…” but this cannot refer to Haman, because the verse contains the phrase “in the presence of Haman.” Because of this, many versions make this phrase passive and say, “the Pur was cast.” The Pur, or the lot, were probably cast by an astrologer or another person who claimed to be able to predict the future. If your language has no passive, you could say: “Haman ⌊ordered the people ⌋ to cast the Pur (that is, the lot).”

Pur: This was another word for “lot.” This word is important because the Jews used the plural of this word, purim, as the name of the festival they would later hold to celebrate their victory over their enemies (see 9:20–32).

lot: No one knows exactly how Persians cast lots. One possible method could have been that someone threw a group of small objects like stones or sticks in the air. After they fell to the ground, this person would study the pattern they made and from it answer the question being asked.

3:7d

Adar: See the note about Tebeth in 2:16. The month of Adar was mid-February to mid-March.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 3:8

3:8a-b

Haman was addressing the king. Some Bible versions use an honorific title to show that Haman was addressing the king. You again need to decide whether or not to use a term like “Your Majesty” and whether Haman should address the king as “you” or not.

3:8c-d

So it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them: This can also be translated in a negative form. For example, the Contemporary English Version has:

We would be better off to get rid of them!

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 3:9

3:9a

If it pleases the king: See note on 1:19a.

decree: See note on 1:19a.

3:9b

ten thousand talents of silver: This was an enormous amount of money. A talent weighed 75 pounds (34 kilograms). So the total amount was 750,000 pounds of silver (340,000 kilograms). This equals 335 British tons, 375 American tons and 340 metric tonnes. You should choose whichever measure is normally used in your area. However the most important thing to communicate is that Haman was promising a huge amount of money. If you use footnotes in your translation, you could put this information there. The text does not explain where Haman expected to get all this money. He may have been very wealthy already, or he may have expected to get the wealth of the Jews who would be killed.

the royal treasury: This refers to the place where all the king’s wealth was stored.

those who carry it out: Literally “the doers of the work.” This may refer to:

(1) the officials who ran the government of the empire, as the same expression clearly does in 9:3. Here it would refer especially to those who looked after the king’s financial matters. The order of the Hebrew and the reference to the “royal treasury” also suggest that this is the best interpretation.

(Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, God’s Word, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Jerusalem Bible)

(2) the men who would carry out the order to destroy all the Jews.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version)

It is recommended that you follow option 1. The Display follows the New Century Version.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 3:10

-11

3:10a

the signet ring: This was a ring that the king wore on his finger which he used to press on the wax which sealed his letters. This would show that the document had been written with the king’s authority and so its message shou

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 3:12

3:12a

royal scribes: These were men whose job was to write the letters and documents the king told them to write.

3:12b

satraps: This is another word for government officials.

officials: This is the same word as 1:3a, but here it is best translated as “leaders” or “chiefs.”

3:12c

script: See note on 1:22b.

3:12d

in the name of King Xerxes: This means that they wrote the letters with the king’s full authority.

3:12e

sealed with the royal signet ring: When people finished writing a document, they then rolled it up and covered the end of the paper with wax. The king then stamped it with his seal, that is, he pressed the wax with the special ring on one of his fingers. This made a design on the wax and showed that the letter was authorized by the king.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 3:13

3:13a

And the letters: See note on 1:22a.

couriers: These were people whose job was to travel throughout the empire delivering important messages.

3:13b

destroy, kill, and annihilate: These three words are similar in meaning and when used together cause the language to be very strong. The Display shows one way of translating this.

3:13c

Adar: See note on 3:7d.

3:13d

plunder their possessions: This means to take and keep the belongings of the people they had killed.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 3:14

3:14a

edict: See note on 1:20a.

was to be issued: The edict was to be made public, so that everybody would know about it and know that it was a law that must be obeyed. Probably when the document arrived in each town, officials would go to different parts of the area and read it aloud. It is also possible (though less likely) that it was displayed in a public place for people to read.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 3:15

3:15a

The couriers: See note on 3:13a.

spurred on by the king’s command: Since the king himself authorized the order, it was especially important, so it had to be distributed quickly. The verb which the Berean Standard Bible translates spurred on means “to drive, hasten.”

3:15b

the edict: See note on 1:20a.

the citadel of Susa: See note on 1:2.

3:15c

but: The action of the king and Haman, sitting calmly drinking, contrasts very strongly with the confusion among the people of the city.

the city of Susa: This refers to the people living in the city.

in confusion: The text does not explain why the people were in confusion. Most likely it was because they did not understand the reason for the edict and so were upset and confused. Another possibility is that it referred only to the Jews in the city, who were naturally upset because of the content of the edict.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 2000