Christian Standard Bible
Esther 2:7
7Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin Hadassah (that is, Esther), because she had no father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was extremely good-looking. When her father and mother died, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter.
Esther 2:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.
- New International Version (NIV)Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.
- English Standard Version (ESV)He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
Context of Esther 2:7
5In the fortress of Susa, there was a Jewish man named Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite. 6Kish had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the other captives when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took King Jeconiah of Judah into exile. Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin Hadassah (that is, Esther), because she had no father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was extremely good-looking. When her father and mother died, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. 8When the king’s command and edict became public knowledge and when many young women were gathered at the fortress of Susa under Hegai’s supervision, Esther was taken to the palace, into the supervision of Hegai, keeper of the women. 9The young woman pleased him and gained his favor so that he accelerated the process of the beauty treatments and the special diet that she received. He assigned seven hand-picked female servants to her from the palace and transferred her and her servants to the harem’s best quarters.
Read all of Esther 2Esther 2:7 word by word
וַיְהִ֨י אֹמֵ֜ן אֶת־הֲדַסָּ֗ה הִ֤יא אֶסְתֵּר֙ בַּת־דֹּד֔וֹ כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין לָ֖הּ אָ֣ב וָאֵ֑ם וְהַנַּעֲרָ֤ה יְפַת־תֹּ֙אַר֙ וְטוֹבַ֣ת מַרְאֶ֔ה וּבְמ֤וֹת אָבִ֙יהָ֙ וְאִמָּ֔הּ לְקָחָ֧הּ מָרְדֳּכַ֛י ל֖וֹ לְבַֽת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he brought upאָמַן'âman · be faithfulH539
- Hadassahהֲדַסָּהhădassâh · HadassahH1919
- Estherאֶסְתֵּר'estêr · EstherH635
- his uncle’sדּוֹדdôd dôd · beloved: male relativeH1730
- daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
- for she had neither fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
- nor motherאֵם'êm · motherH517
- and the maidנַעֲרָהna‛ărâh · maidenH5291
- fairתֹּ֫אַרtô'ar · appearanceH8389
- fairיָפֶהyâpheh · beautifulH3303
- and beautifulמַרְאֶהmar'eh · appearanceH4758
- and beautifulטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
- whom Mordecaiמׇרְדֳּכַיmordekay · MordecaiH4782
- were deadמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
- tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
Cross-references for Esther 2:7
- Ephesians 6:4Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
- Daniel 1:6Among them, from the Judahites, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
- Esther 2:15Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai who had adopted her as his own daughter. When her turn came to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women, suggested. Esther gained favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.
- Jeremiah 32:7Watch! Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, is coming to you to say, ‘Buy my field in Anathoth for yourself, for you own the right of redemption to buy it.’
- Esther 1:11to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the people and the officials, because she was very beautiful.
- Genesis 48:5Your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are now mine. Ephraim and Manasseh belong to me just as Reuben and Simeon do.
- 2 Corinthians 6:18And I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.
- 1 John 3:1See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children — and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him.
Commentaries on Esther 2:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7He brought up Hadassah - הדשה hadassah signifies a myrtle in Chaldee: this was probably her first or Babylonish name. When she came to the Persian court, she was called Esther, aster, or sitara, which signifies a star in Persian: the name is undoubtedly Persian. Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, and therefore must have been Mordecai's cousin, though the Vulgate and Josephus make her Mordecai's niece: but it is safest here to…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Hadassah, הדסה hădassâh from הדס hădas (“myrtle”) would seem to have been the Hebrew, and Esther the Persian, name of the damsel. Esther is thought to be connected through the Zend with ἀστήρ astēr “star.” But there is not at present any positive evidence of the existence in Old Persian of a kindred word.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7Hadassah is a Hebrew name meaning myrtle. Esther is a Persian name meaning star.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-201-3. After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased--On recovering from the violent excitement of his revelry and rage, the king was pierced with poignant regret for the unmerited treatment he had given to his beautiful and dignified queen. But, according to the law, which made the word of a Persian king irrevocable, she could not be restored. His counsellors, for their own sake, were solicitous to remove his disquietude, and hastened…Read the comment
Topics related to Esther 2:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Esther 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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