New English Translation
Esther 1:3
3in the third year of his reign he provided a banquet for all his officials and his servants. The army of Persia and Media was present, as well as the nobles and the officials of the provinces.
Esther 1:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him:
- New International Version (NIV)and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present.
- English Standard Version (ESV)in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him,
- New King James Version (NKJV)that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him—
Context of Esther 1:3
1The following events happened in the days of Ahasuerus. (I am referring to that Ahasuerus who used to rule over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces extending all the way from India to Ethiopia.) 2In those days, as King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa the citadel, in the third year of his reign he provided a banquet for all his officials and his servants. The army of Persia and Media was present, as well as the nobles and the officials of the provinces. 4He displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his majestic greatness for a lengthy period of time – a hundred and eighty days, to be exact! 5When those days were completed, the king then provided a seven-day banquet for all the people who were present in Susa the citadel, for those of highest standing to the most lowly. It was held in the court located in the garden of the royal palace.
Read all of Esther 1Esther 1:3 word by word
בִּשְׁנַ֤ת שָׁלוֹשׁ֙ לְמָלְכ֔וֹ עָשָׂ֣ה מִשְׁתֶּ֔ה לְכָל־שָׂרָ֖יו וַעֲבָדָ֑יו חֵ֣יל׀ פָּרַ֣ס וּמָדַ֗י הַֽפַּרְתְּמִ֛ים וְשָׂרֵ֥י הַמְּדִינ֖וֹת לְפָנָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- In the thirdשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
- yearשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141
- of his reignמָלַךְmâlak · to reignH4427
- he madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: offerH6213
- a feastמִשְׁתֶּהmishteh · feastH4960
- unto all his princesשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
- and his servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- the powerחַ֫יִלchayil · armyH2428
- of Persiaפָּרַסpâras · PersiaH6539
- and Mediaמָדַיmâday · MediaH4074
- the noblesפַּרְתְּמִיםpartam · nobleH6579
- of the provincesמְדִינָהmedîynâh · provinceH4082
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
Cross-references for Esther 1:3
- Esther 2:18Then the king prepared a large banquet for all his officials and his servants – it was actually Esther’s banquet. He also set aside a holiday for the provinces, and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense.
- Genesis 40:20On the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he gave a feast for all his servants. He “lifted up” the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants.
- 1 Kings 3:15Solomon then woke up and realized it was a dream. He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, offered up burnt sacrifices, presented peace offerings, and held a feast for all his servants.
- Daniel 5:1King Belshazzar prepared a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in front of them all.
- Mark 6:21But a suitable day came, when Herod gave a banquet on his birthday for his court officials, military commanders, and leaders of Galilee.
- Esther 1:14Those who were closest to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. These men were the seven officials of Persia and Media who saw the king on a regular basis and had the most prominent offices in the kingdom.
- Ezra 1:2“Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: “‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
- Isaiah 21:2I have received a distressing message: “The deceiver deceives, the destroyer destroys. Attack, you Elamites! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all the groaning!”
- Jeremiah 51:11“Sharpen your arrows! Fill your quivers! The Lord will arouse a spirit of hostility in the kings of Media. For he intends to destroy Babylonia. For that is how the Lord will get his revenge – how he will get his revenge for the Babylonians’ destruction of his temple.
- Daniel 5:28As for peres – your kingdom is divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”
- Daniel 8:20The ram that you saw with the two horns stands for the kings of Media and Persia.
- Daniel 3:2Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a summons to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other authorities of the province to attend the dedication of the statue that he had erected.
- Daniel 6:1It seemed like a good idea to Darius to appoint over the kingdom 120 satraps who would be in charge of the entire kingdom.
Commentaries on Esther 1:3
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3In the third year - In this year, 483 B.C., Xerxes assembled the governors of provinces at Susa, in connection with his contemplated expedition against Greece. The nobles - literally, “the first men.” The Hebrew word used is one adopted from the Persian.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. made a feast unto all his princes and his servants--Banquets on so grand a scale, and extending over so great a period, have been frequently provided by the luxurious monarchs of Eastern countries, both in ancient and modern times. The early portion of this festive season, however, seems to have been dedicated to amusement, particularly an exhibition of the magnificence and treasures of the court, and it was closed by a special feast of seven days'…Read the comment
Topics related to Esther 1:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Esther 1
- 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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