The Meaning of Esther 2:4 Explained

Esther 2:4

KJV: And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.

YLT: and the young woman who is good in the eyes of the king doth reign instead of Vashti;' and the thing is good in the eyes of the king, and he doth so.

Darby: And let the maiden that pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.

ASV: and let the maiden that pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And let the maiden  which pleaseth  the king  be queen  instead of Vashti.  And the thing  pleased  the king;  and he did so. 

What does Esther 2:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Esther 2:1-23 - The Service Of A Foreigner
Esther's Hebrew name meant Myrtle. It could not have been easy for her to retain her sweet simplicity amid the corruptions of her time, but her Persian name means "a star," as though she were a garden enclosed, encircled by the atmosphere of the divine purity and protection. We must not judge Esther by our own standards, but by the custom of her time. Each of these young girls was considered to be married to the king, was kept under his roof, and was his wife of a lower rank. How great is the influence of Christianity in raising our standards and pervading the world with a loftier morality! She was not bidden to deny her parentage, but only advised not to proclaim it, Esther 2:10. When, afterwards, she was raised to power, she showed no flinching from identification with her race. So she attained the highest position in the world to which a woman could aspire. God lifted her there to serve a high and noble purpose. Her relative, Mordecai, discovered a plot against the king, and told it to his ward, the queen, and she to her royal spouse. The deed was unrewarded; in this, however, the faithful doorkeeper felt no disappointment. He acted not for reward, but from a sense of duty. But the act was registered both in heaven and on earth, and it bore fruit. It is enough for us to do our duty, and please God. [source]

Chapter Summary: Esther 2

1  Out of the choice of virgins a queen is to be chosen
5  Mordecai the nursing father of Esther
8  Esther preferred before the rest
12  The manner of purification, and going in to the king
15  Esther, best pleasing the king, is made queen
21  Mordecai, discovering a treason, is recorded in the chronicles

What do the individual words in Esther 2:4 mean?

And the young woman who pleases pleases the king let be queen instead of Vashti And pleased the thing pleased the king and he did so -
וְהַֽנַּעֲרָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר תִּיטַב֙ בְּעֵינֵ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ תִּמְלֹ֖ךְ תַּ֣חַת וַשְׁתִּ֑י וַיִּיטַ֧ב הַדָּבָ֛ר בְּעֵינֵ֥י הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ וַיַּ֥עַשׂ כֵּֽן ס

וְהַֽנַּעֲרָ֗ה  And  the  young  woman 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: נַעֲרָה  
Sense: girl, damsel, female servant.
תִּיטַב֙  pleases 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָטַב  
Sense: to be good, be pleasing, be well, be glad.
בְּעֵינֵ֣י  pleases 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, cdc
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
תִּמְלֹ֖ךְ  let  be  queen 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: מָלַךְ 
Sense: to be or become king or queen, reign.
תַּ֣חַת  instead 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
וַשְׁתִּ֑י  of  Vashti 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: וַשְׁתִּי  
Sense: the queen, wife of Ahasuerus, whom he divorced for disobeying his orders.
וַיִּיטַ֧ב  And  pleased 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָטַב  
Sense: to be good, be pleasing, be well, be glad.
הַדָּבָ֛ר  the  thing 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
בְּעֵינֵ֥י  pleased 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, cdc
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
וַיַּ֥עַשׂ  and  he  did 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
כֵּֽן  so 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation