For “It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom,” see Mark 6:23.
Esther
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Esther” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign depicting a star on a crown, referring to her being a queen and her name likely meaning “star” (see here ). (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
“Esther” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Esther .
For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .
self-referencing pronoun for king or queen
In Malay, the pronoun beta for the royal “I” (or “my” or “me”) that is used by royals when speaking to people of lower rank, subordinates or commoners to refer to themselves in these verses. This reflects the “language of the court because the monarchy and sultanate in Malaysia are still alive and well. All oral and printed literature (including newspapers and magazines) preserve and glorify the language of the court. Considering that the language of the court is part of the Malaysian language, court language is used sparingly where appropriate, specifically with texts relating to palace life.” (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 263ff.)
complete verse (Esther 5:3)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Esther 5:3:
- Kupsabiny: “Then right away the king asked her, ‘What are you thinking my dear Esther, the wife of the king? Tell me what you want. I will give anything you ask. Even if it is part/half of this country which I rule, I will give you.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
- Newari: “The king said, "Queen Esther, what do you want? I will give [you] whatever you ask for, even up to the half of the kingdom, I will give [it to you]."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
- Hiligaynon: “The king asked her, ‘What do you (sing.) need? Beloved Queen? Just say (it) for I will-give (it) to you (sing.) even half of my kingdom.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
- Eastern Bru: “The king asked queen Esther: "Esther! Whatever you want, then tell me. Even to a half of my kingdom I will give you."” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
- English: “Then the king asked her, ‘Esther, what do you want? Tell me, and I will give you what you want, even if you ask me to give you half of my kingdom!’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
king
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
(Click or tap here to see details)
- Piro: “a great one”
- Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
- Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
- Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
- Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
- Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
- Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
- Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
- Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )
See also king (Japanese honorifics).
Translation commentary on Esther 5:3
The king’s words are quoted in direct speech. He addresses Esther in formal court language, using her title of queen. But his words are kind, and care must be taken not to make his questions sound accusing or unkind. The language should not be casual. The king’s assurance that her wish will be granted is expressed with a passive verb in Revised Standard Version, reflecting the meaning of the Hebrew original. The king avoids referring to himself in the first person, except where he speaks of his kingdom.
The king asks two parallel questions. The first is general, “What [is it] for you?” The second is specific, “What [is] your request?” He concludes with a promise.
The half of my kingdom poses two potential problems for the translator. These are in the words half and kingdom. If fractions are difficult to express, the half may be restated as “the one part” or “the one side out of two.” Kingdom here refers specifically to the territory or the land over which the king rules (compare Mark 6.23). The king himself makes this clear by specifying my kingdom.
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 .
SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 5:3
5:3a
Queen Esther: You need to decide the best way for King Xerxes to address Esther in your language. In Hebrew, he uses her title “queen” and her name “Esther.” Maybe it would be better for you just to use her name, or just her title or even to not use either one.
© 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.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.