The Meaning of Esther 1:17 Explained

Esther 1:17

KJV: For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.

YLT: for go forth doth the word of the queen unto all the women, to render their husbands contemptible in their eyes, in their saying, The king Ahasuerus said to bring in Vashti the queen before him, and she did not come;

Darby: For the act of the queen will come abroad to all women, so as to render their husbands contemptible in their eyes, when they shall say, The king Ahasuerus commanded the queen Vashti to be brought in before him, and she came not!

ASV: For this deed of the queen will come abroad unto all women, to make their husbands contemptible in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For [this] deed  of the queen  shall come abroad  unto all women,  so that they shall despise  their husbands  in their eyes,  when it shall be reported,  The king  Ahasuerus  commanded  Vashti  the queen  to be brought in  before  him, but she came  not. 

What does Esther 1:17 Mean?

Context Summary

Esther 1:1-22 - Vashti's Noble Refusal
The book opens with a royal festival, which lasted for six months, Esther 1:1-9. Perhaps the princes came up from their governments to partake of it in rotation. It finished with a banquet, open to all the people who dwelt in Shushan, great and small. Whenever men are overcome with wine, there is grave peril for women. Coarseness, indelicacy, and impurity troop in at the door, which has been unlocked by the excess of wine. Who can tell the anguish which has been caused to women, children, and the dumb creation through the intemperance of man! Here is given a glimpse of a noble woman, who respected herself too highly to yield to a demand, wholly foreign to the customs of the time, which forbade women to appear in public. Of course the king was incensed, all the more so because he knew that he was in the wrong. He had command over 127 provinces, but he could not rule his own spirit, and the sense of moral weakness is always irritating. He consulted his counselors, who were only too glad to fall in with and humor the royal whims; they counseled that the divorce of Vashti was a public duty, for the repression of wife-insubordination throughout the empire. Men are not always to be trusted when they legislate about women, or in respect to their own dignity. When wine is in them they may be expected to say and do very stupid things. It has been truly said that every Ahasuerus had his Memucan, a man who was sycophant and parasite, who held his influence by humoring caprice and lust. [source]

Chapter Summary: Esther 1

1  Xerxes makes royal feasts
10  Vashti, sent for, refuses to come
13  Xerxes, by the counsel of Memucan, puts away Vashti, and decrees men's sovereignty

What do the individual words in Esther 1:17 mean?

For will become known behavior of the queen to all women so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes when they report King Ahasuerus commanded to be brought in - Vashti Queen before him but not she did come
כִּֽי־ יֵצֵ֤א דְבַר־ הַמַּלְכָּה֙ עַל־ כָּל־ הַנָּשִׁ֔ים לְהַבְז֥וֹת בַּעְלֵיהֶ֖ן בְּעֵינֵיהֶ֑ן בְּאָמְרָ֗ם הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֡וֹשׁ אָמַ֞ר לְהָבִ֨יא אֶת־ וַשְׁתִּ֧י הַמַּלְכָּ֛ה לְפָנָ֖יו וְלֹא־ בָֽאָה

יֵצֵ֤א  will  become  known 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
דְבַר־  behavior 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
הַמַּלְכָּה֙  of  the  queen 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מַלְכָּה  
Sense: queen.
הַנָּשִׁ֔ים  women 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
לְהַבְז֥וֹת  so  that  they  will  despise 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: בָּזָה 
Sense: to despise, hold in contempt, disdain.
בַּעְלֵיהֶ֖ן  their  husbands 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine plural
Root: בָּעַל 
Sense: owner, husband, lord.
בְּעֵינֵיהֶ֑ן  in  their  eyes 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, cdc, third person feminine plural
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
בְּאָמְרָ֗ם  when  they  report 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ  King 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אֲחַשְׁוֵר֡וֹשׁ  Ahasuerus 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹושׁ 
Sense: title of the king of Persia, probably Xerxes.
אָמַ֞ר  commanded 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לְהָבִ֨יא  to  be  brought  in 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
וַשְׁתִּ֧י  Vashti 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: וַשְׁתִּי  
Sense: the queen, wife of Ahasuerus, whom he divorced for disobeying his orders.
הַמַּלְכָּ֛ה  Queen 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מַלְכָּה  
Sense: queen.
לְפָנָ֖יו  before  him 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
וְלֹא־  but  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
בָֽאָה  she  did  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.

What are the major concepts related to Esther 1:17?

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