The Meaning of Esther 1:2 Explained

Esther 1:2

KJV: That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace,

YLT: in those days, at the sitting of the king Ahasuerus on the throne of his kingdom, that is in Shushan the palace,

Darby: in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the fortress,

ASV: that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace,

Discover Esther 1:2

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Esther 1:2?

MEANING: What does Esther 1:2 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Esther 1:2 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Esther 1:2?

What is the context of Esther 1:2?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[That] in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which [was] in Shushan the palace,

What does Esther 1:2 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 1:2 mean?

In days those when sat King Ahasuerus on the throne of his kingdom which [was] in Shushan the citadel

בַּיָּמִ֖ים הָהֵ֑ם כְּשֶׁ֣בֶת ׀ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֗וֹשׁ עַ֚ל כִּסֵּ֣א מַלְכוּת֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּשׁוּשַׁ֥ן הַבִּירָֽה

בַּיָּמִ֖ים	In days
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural Root: יׄום Sense: day, time, year.
הָהֵ֑ם	those
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine plural Root: הֵם Sense: they, these, the same, who.
כְּשֶׁ֣בֶת ׀	when sat
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct Root: שֶׁבֶת Sense: (Qal) seat, dwelling, place.
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ	King
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular Root: מֶלֶךְ Sense: king.
אֲחַשְׁוֵר֗וֹשׁ	Ahasuerus
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹושׁ Sense: title of the king of Persia, probably Xerxes.
כִּסֵּ֣א	the throne
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct Root: כִּסֵּא Sense: seat (of honour), throne, seat, stool.
מַלְכוּת֔וֹ	of his kingdom
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular Root: מַלְכוּת Sense: royalty, royal power, reign, kingdom, sovereign power.
בְּשׁוּשַׁ֥ן	[was] in Shushan
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: שׁוּשַׁן Sense: the winter residence of the Persian kings; located on the river Ulai or Choaspes.
הַבִּירָֽה	the citadel
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular Root: בִּירָה Sense: palace, castle.

What are the major concepts related to Esther 1:2?

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Similar Scriptures for Esther 1:2

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