New International Version
Esther 1:12
12But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.
Esther 1:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him.
- New Living Translation (NLT)But when they conveyed the king’s order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious, and he burned with anger.
Context of Esther 1:12
10On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas— 11to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger. 13Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times 14and were closest to the king—Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memukan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom.
Read all of Esther 1Esther 1:12 word by word
וַתְּמָאֵ֞ן הַמַּלְכָּ֣ה וַשְׁתִּ֗י לָבוֹא֙ בִּדְבַ֣ר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּיַ֣ד הַסָּרִיסִ֑ים וַיִּקְצֹ֤ף הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ מְאֹ֔ד וַחֲמָת֖וֹ בָּעֲרָ֥ה בֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- But the queenמַלְכָּהmalkâh · queenH4436
- Vashtiוַשְׁתִּיvashtîy · VashtiH2060
- refusedמָאֵןmâ'ên · to refuseH3985
- to comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- at the king’sמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- commandmentדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- byיָדyâd · hand: toH3027
- chamberlainsסָרִיסsârîys sâris · eunuchH5631
- veryמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
- wrothקָצַףqâtsaph · be angryH7107
- and his angerחֵמָהchêmâh chêmâ' · rageH2534
- burnedבָּעַרbâ‛ar · to burn: burnH1197
Cross-references for Esther 1:12
- Genesis 3:16To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
- Ephesians 5:22Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.
- 1 Peter 3:1Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,
- Proverbs 19:12A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
- Proverbs 20:2A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion; those who anger him forfeit their lives.
- Daniel 2:12This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon.
- Daniel 3:13Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king,
- Nahum 1:6Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him.
- Revelation 6:16They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
- Exodus 32:19When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.
- Deuteronomy 29:20The Lord will never be willing to forgive them; his wrath and zeal will burn against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the Lord will blot out their names from under heaven.
- Psalms 74:1O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
- Psalms 79:5How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
Commentaries on Esther 1:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Vashti refused to come - And much should she be commended for it. What woman, possessing even a common share of prudence and modesty, could consent to expose herself to the view of such a group of drunken Bacchanalians? Her courage was equal to her modesty: she would resist the royal mandate, rather than violate the rules of chaste decorum. Her contempt of worldly grandeur, when brought in competition with what every modest woman holds dear and sacred, is…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-22Verses 10-22 Ahasuerus's feast ended in heaviness, by his own folly. Seasons of peculiar festivity often end in vexation. Superiors should be careful not to command what may reasonably be disobeyed. But when wine is in, men's reason departs from them. He that had rule over 127 provinces, had no rule over his own spirit. But whether the passion or the policy of the king was served by this decree, God's providence made way for Esther to the crown, and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12refused to come: The queen's refusal is not explained. Perhaps she feared the king, who was drunk, might humiliate her. the king became furious: His anger likely increased because he was drunk and felt embarrassed in front of his friends.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-1210-12. On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine--As the feast days advanced, the drinking was more freely indulged in, so that the close was usually marked by great excesses of revelry. he commanded ... the seven chamberlains--These were the eunuchs who had charge of the royal harem. The refusal of Vashti to obey an order which required her to make an indecent exposure of herself before a company of drunken revellers, was…Read the comment
Topics related to Esther 1:12
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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