Let Your Majesty appoint officers in every province of your realm to assemble all the beautiful young virgins at the fortress Shushan, in the harem under the supervision of Hege, the king’s eunuch, guardian of the women. Let them be provided with their cosmetics.
[Kish] had been exiled from Jerusalem in the group that was carried into exile along with King Jeconiah of Judah, who had been driven into exile by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
He was foster father to Hadassah—that is, Esther—his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was shapely and beautiful; and when her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter.
When the king’s order and edict was proclaimed, and when many maidens were assembled in the fortress Shushan under the supervision of Hegai,aHegai Identical with Hege in v. 3. Esther too was taken into the king’s palace under the supervision of Hegai, guardian of the women.
The maiden pleased him and won his favor, and he hastened to furnish her with her cosmetics and her rations, as well as with the seven maids who were her due from the king’s palace; and he treated her and her maids with special kindness in the harem.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ותיטב
427
הנערה
330
בעיניו
148
ותשא
707
חסד
72
לפניו
176
ויבהל
53
אתתמרוקיה
1162
ואתמנותה
908
לתת
830
לה
35
ואת
407
שבע
372
הנערות
731
הראיות
622
לתתלה
865
מבית
452
המלך
95
וישנה
371
ואתנערותיה
1148
לטוב
47
בית
412
הנשים
405
Esther 2:10
Gematria: 3656
לאהגידהאסתראתעמהואתמולדתהכימרדכיצוהעליהאשרלאתגידס
Esther did not reveal her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had told her not to reveal it.
When each maiden’s turn came to go to King Ahasuerus at the end of the twelve months’ treatment prescribed for women (for that was the period spent on beautifying them: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and women’s cosmetics,
and it was after that that the maiden would go to the king), whatever she asked for would be given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace.
She would go in the evening and leave in the morning for a second harem in charge of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, guardian of the concubines. She would not go again to the king unless the king wanted her, whereupon she would be summoned by name.
When the turn came for Esther daughter of Abihail—the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his own daughter—to go to the king, she did not ask for anything but what Hegai, the king’s eunuch, guardian of the women, advised. Yet Esther won the admiration of all who saw her.
Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, in his royal palace,bpalace See note at 1.9. in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she won his grace and favor more than all the virgins. So he set a royal diadem on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
The king gave a great banquet for all his officials and courtiers, “the banquet of Esther.” He proclaimed a remission of taxesca remission of taxes Or “an amnesty.” for the provinces and distributed gifts as befits a king.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויעש
386
המלך
95
משתה
745
גדול
43
לכלשריו
596
ועבדיו
98
את
401
משתה
745
אסתר
661
והנחה
74
למדינות
540
עשה
375
ויתן
466
משאת
741
כיד
34
המלך
95
Esther 2:19
Gematria: 3068
ובהקבץבתולותשניתומרדכיישבבשערהמלך
dMeaning of verse uncertain. When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai sat in the palace gate.
But Esther still did not reveal her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had instructed her; for Esther obeyed Mordecai’s bidding, as she had done when she was under his tutelage.
At that time, when Mordecai was sitting in the palace gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the threshold, became angry, and plotted to do away with King Ahasuerus.