Esther 2:23

Esther 2:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.
• New International Version (NIV)And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.
• English Standard Version (ESV)When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was confirmed, and both were hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.

Context of Esther 2:23

21In those days while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who protected the entrance, became angry and plotted to assassinate King Ahasuerus. 22When Mordecai learned of the conspiracy, he informed Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s behalf. The king then had the matter investigated and, finding it to be so, had the two conspirators hanged on a gallows. It was then recorded in the daily chronicles in the king’s presence.

Esther 2:23 word by word

וַיְבֻקַּ֤שׁ הַדָּבָר֙ וַיִּמָּצֵ֔א וַיִּתָּל֥וּ שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם עַל־עֵ֑ץ וַיִּכָּתֵ֗ב בְּסֵ֛פֶר דִּבְרֵ֥י הַיָּמִ֖ים לִפְנֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And when inquisitionבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• was made of the matterדָּבָרdâbâr · word: deedH1697
• it was found outמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• therefore they were bothשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• hangedתָּלָהtâlâh · to hangH8518
• on a treeעֵץ‛êts · tree: stakeH6086
• and it was writtenכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
• in the bookסֵ֫פֶרsêpher siphrâh · scroll: bookH5612
• of the chroniclesיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428

Cross-references for Esther 2:23

• Esther 5:14Haman’s wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows seventy-five feet high built, and in the morning tell the king that Mordecai should be hanged on it. Then go with the king to the banquet contented.” It seemed like a good idea to Haman, so he had the gallows built.
• Esther 7:10So they hanged Haman on the very gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. The king’s rage then abated.
• Genesis 40:19In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you.”
• Deuteronomy 21:22If a person commits a sin punishable by death and is executed, and you hang the corpse on a tree,
• Joshua 8:29He hung the king of Ai on a tree, leaving him exposed until evening. At sunset Joshua ordered that his corpse be taken down from the tree. They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and erected over it a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day).
• Esther 6:1Throughout that night the king was unable to sleep, so he asked for the book containing the historical records to be brought. As the records were being read in the king’s presence,
• Malachi 3:16Then those who respected the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice. A scroll was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the Lord and honored his name.

Commentaries on Esther 2:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23It was found out - It was proved against them, in consequence of which they were hanged. Perhaps the words עץ על ויתלו vaiyittalu al ets, they were hung upon wood or a tree, may refer to their being impaled. A pointed stake is set upright in the ground, and the culprit is taken, placed on the sharp point, and then pulled down by his legs till the stake that went in at the fundament passes up through the body and comes out by the side of the neck. A most…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23Both hanged on a tree - i. e. “crucified” or “impaled” the ordinary punishment of rebels and traitors in Persia. The book of the chronicles - Ctesias drew his Persian history from them, and they are often glanced at by Herodotus.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-23Verses 21-23 Good subjects must not conceal any bad design they know of against the prince, or the public peace. Mordecai was not rewarded at the time, but a remembrance was written. Thus, with respect to those who serve Christ, though their recompence is not till the resurrection of the just, yet an account is kept of their work of faith and labour of love, which God is not unrighteous to forget. The servant of God must be faithful to every trust, and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23hanged on the gallows: Thought this phrase has often been translated as hanged on a gallows, inscriptions from ancient Persia show that impalement was a common execution method. Xerxes’ father, Darius I, claimed he impaled 3,000 Babylonians when he conquered Babylon. Sometimes, authorities executed criminals first and then displayed them on a stake, as with the execution of Haman’s sons (Esther 9:5–14). This was all recorded, but Mordecai was not rewarded…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 21-2321. In those days ... two of the king's chamberlains ... were wroth and sought to lay hand on the king, &c.--This secret conspiracy against the king's life probably arose out of revenge for the divorce of Vashti, in whose interest, and at whose instigation, these eunuchs may have acted. Through the vigilance of Mordecai, whose fidelity, however, passed unnoticed, the design was frustrated, while the conspirators were condemned to be executed and as the…Read the comment

Topics related to Esther 2:23

• Bigthan
• Citizens
• Conspiracy
• Gallows
• Loyalty
• Mordecai
• Punishment
• Teresh
• Treason

In the dictionaries

• Bigthan
• Chronicles, Books of
• Esther, Book of
• Inquisition

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