The Meaning of Esther 1:3 Explained

Esther 1:3

KJV: In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him:

YLT: in the third year of his reign, he hath made a banquet to all his heads and his servants; of the force of Persia and Media, the chiefs and heads of the provinces are before him,

Darby: in the third year of his reign, he made a feast to all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and the princes of the provinces being before him;

ASV: in the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him;

Discover Esther 1:3

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Esther 1:3?

MEANING: What does Esther 1:3 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Esther 1:3 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Esther 1:3?

What is the context of Esther 1:3?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, [being] before him:

What does Esther 1:3 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 1:3 mean?

[that] in year three of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants the powers of Persia and Media the nobles and the princes of the provinces [being] before him

בִּשְׁנַ֤ת שָׁלוֹשׁ֙ לְמָלְכ֔וֹ עָשָׂ֣ה מִשְׁתֶּ֔ה לְכָל־ שָׂרָ֖יו וַעֲבָדָ֑יו חֵ֣יל ׀ פָּרַ֣ס וּמָדַ֗י הַֽפַּרְתְּמִ֛ים וְשָׂרֵ֥י הַמְּדִינ֖וֹת לְפָנָֽיו

בִּשְׁנַ֤ת	[that] in year
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct Root: שָׁנָה Sense: year.
שָׁלוֹשׁ֙	three
Parse: Number, feminine singular Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ Sense: three, triad.
לְמָלְכ֔וֹ	of his reign
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular Root: מָלַךְ Sense: to be or become king or queen, reign.
עָשָׂ֣ה	he made
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular Root: עָשָׂה Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
מִשְׁתֶּ֔ה	a feast
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: מִשְׁתֶּה Sense: feast, drink, banquet.
לְכָל־	for all
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct Root: כֹּל Sense: all, the whole.
שָׂרָ֖יו	his officials
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular Root: סָרַר Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
וַעֲבָדָ֑יו	and servants
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular Root: עֶבֶד Sense: slave, servant.
חֵ֣יל ׀	the powers
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct Root: חֵיל Sense: rampart, fortress, wall.
פָּרַ֣ס	of Persia
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular Root: פָּרַס Sense: the empire Persia; encompassed the territory from India on the east to Egypt and Thrace on the west, and included, besides portions of Europe and Africa, the whole of western Asia between the Black Sea, the Caucasus, the Caspian and the Jaxartes on the north, the Arabian desert, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean on the south.
וּמָדַ֗י	and Media
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, feminine singular Root: מָדַי Sense: a people descended from the son of Japheth and who inhabited the territory of Media.
הַֽפַּרְתְּמִ֛ים	the nobles
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural Root: פַּרְתְּמִים Sense: noble, nobleman.
וְשָׂרֵ֥י	and the princes
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct Root: סָרַר Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
הַמְּדִינ֖וֹת	of the provinces
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural Root: מְדִינָה Sense: province, district.
לְפָנָֽיו	[being] before him
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular Root: לִפְנֵי Sense: face.

What are the major concepts related to Esther 1:3?

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