Английская Википедия:Esther 5
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Bible chapter Esther 5 is the fifth chapter of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible,Шаблон:Sfn The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the Hebrew text would have been formed by the second century BCE.Шаблон:Sfn Chapters 3 to 8 contain the nine scenes that form the complication in the book.Шаблон:Sfn This chapter records that Esther's risky behavior to appear uninvited before the king Ahasuerus is richly rewarded, because the king generously offers to give her whatever she wants, 'even to the half of my kingdom' (5:3), but Esther cleverly asks for nothing more than an opportunity to entertain her husband and his chief officer, Haman.Шаблон:Sfn Both men were pleased at her hospitality, but when the king again offers her half the empire, this time she requests only a second banquet.Шаблон:Sfn While Haman was happy to have been entertained by the queen, he became intensely distressed when Mordecai once more refused to bow down before him.Шаблон:Sfn Haman's wife, Zeresh, advised him to erect a monumental gallows intended for Mordecai, and only then Haman felt happy again to look forward to Esther's second banquet.Шаблон:Sfn
Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 14 verses.
Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes Codex Leningradensis (1008).Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Efn
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; <math> \mathfrak{G}</math>B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: <math> \mathfrak{G}</math>S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; <math> \mathfrak{G}</math>A; 5th century).Шаблон:Sfn
Esther's first audience with the king and its outcome (5:1–8)
This section records the first uninvited audience of Esther before king Ahasuerus.Шаблон:Sfn Esther was immediately successful in her approach: the king extended his scepter as a sign of clemency and promised to grant her wish up to half of his kingdom. However, she didn't use this opportunity to avert the decree of genocide and instead invited the king and Haman to a dinner party.Шаблон:Sfn The act indicates Esther's skills as a wise courtier because the seemingly simple request gives Esther several advantages to achieve her goal:Шаблон:Sfn
- The king will be placed under obligation of courtesies to more likely grant her wish
- The king and Haman will be positioned in Esther's territory, rather than in the male-dominated court.Шаблон:Sfn
Verse 1
- Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.[1]
- "The king's house" (KJV): Hebrew: "the house of the king"; this expression is used twice in this verse: the first instance to describe 'the larger palace complex that is in view' ("the inner court"; NASB, NKJV, NRSV: "the king's palace"), whereas the second instance refers 'specifically to the quarters from which the king governed' (NASB: "the king's rooms"; NIV, NLT: "the king's hall").[2] This layout of the palace in Susa is attested by archaeological excavations.[3]
Verse 3
- And the king said to her, "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom."[4]
Verse 4
- So Esther answered, "If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him."[6]
- "If it pleases the king": Hebrew: "If it is good to the king".[7]
- "Let the king and Haman come today": It is recorded in the Masorah (footnotes of the Hebrew Bible text) of at least three old manuscripts,[8] and noted at least as early as Bachya ben Asher in the thirteenth century, that God's divine name, YHWH, is present in four verses within the Book of Esther, but is deliberately hidden by means of the literary style of acrostics, formed by either the initial or final characters in consecutive and contiguous words in the text.[9] One of these occurrences is found in verse 5:4 (others are in 1:20; 5:13; 7:7), with the divine name written by initial characters in 'majuscule' (bigger than the rest) and spelt forward (reading right-to-left),[9] The significance of the initial letters is linked to the interpretation that in this event 'God is initiating His action,'[10] causing Esther to take the first step leading to a great end,[8] and the forward positioning is because here 'God actively rules, underlining His initiative and direct interposition'.[11]
Verse 5
- Haman also said, “Even Esther the queen let no one but me come with the king to the banquet which she had prepared; and tomorrow also I am invited by her with the king.[12]
Reading direction | Word order | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Right-to-left | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Hebrew | Шаблон:LangШаблон:Lang | Шаблон:LangШаблон:Lang | Шаблон:LangШаблон:Lang | Шаблон:LangШаблон:Lang |
Left-to-right | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Transliteration | Шаблон:Strong-number | Ha-Шаблон:Strong-number | Wə-Шаблон:Strong-number | Ha-Шаблон:Strong-number |
English | Let_come | the_king | and_Haman | today |
Haman grows more incensed against Mordecai (5:9–14)
This pericope shows that Haman is a dangerous foe who was constantly full of wrath for being worsted by his inferior, Mordecai, so he planned to butcher the whole population of Jews to appease his own sense of inferiority.Шаблон:Sfn Haman would not enjoy all his honors as long as there was one Jew who did not give him the customary respect he wanted.Шаблон:Sfn His friends understood that Haman wanted not only Mordecai dead, but also be humiliated publicly, so they suggested the setting up of high gallows for Mordecai to appease Haman.Шаблон:Sfn Nonetheless, Modercai's continued defiance against Haman is 'enigmatic', as he still held it while knowing that his action has placed the Jews in great mortal danger.Шаблон:Sfn
Verse 13
- [Haman said:] "Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate."[13]
- "This avails me nothing": As described in Esther 5:4, God's divine name, YHWH, is present in four verses within the Book of Esther, but is deliberately hidden by means of the literary style of acrostics, formed by either the initial or final characters in consecutive and contiguous words in the text.[8][9] One of these occurrences is found in verse 5:13 (others are in 1:20, 5:4; 7:7), with the divine name written by last characters in 'majuscule' (bigger than the rest) but spelt backward (reading left-to-right),[9] The significance of the final letters is because in this event 'Haman's end was approaching',[10] as his joy at the first banquet of Esther (Шаблон:Bibleverse-nb) would be his last,[8] and the backward positioning is because here God is turning back Haman's counsel 'in order to bring to fruition his eternal purposes', as well as because it is spoken by a non-Jew (Haman) who 'instigates the crisis which needs to be reversed'.[11]
Reading direction | Word order | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Right-to-left | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Hebrew | Шаблон:LangШаблон:Lang | Шаблон:LangШаблон:Lang | Шаблон:LangШаблон:Lang | Шаблон:LangШаблон:Lang |
Left-to-right | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Transliteration | Шаблон:Strong-number | Шаблон:Strong-number | Шаблон:Strong-number | lî(Y) |
English | This | nothing | avails | me |
Verse 14
- Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, "Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet."
- And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made.[14]
See also
Notes
References
Sources
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite journal
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Turner, L. A. (2013). Desperately Seeking YHWH: Finding God in Esther's "Acrostics". Interested Readers. Essays on the Hebrew Bible in Honor of David J. A. Clines, 183–193.
- Шаблон:Cite book
Further reading
External links
- Jewish translations:
- Esther - Chapter 5 (Judaica Press) translation [with Rashi's commentary] at Chabad.org
- Christian translations:
- Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
- Book of Esther Chapter 5. Bible Gateway
- ↑ Шаблон:Bibleverse KJV
- ↑ Notes [a] and [b] on Esther 5:1 in NET
- ↑ Perrot, Jean (1989) "Shoshan Ha-birah," Eretz-Israel 20, pp. 155–160.
- ↑ Шаблон:Bibleref2 ESV
- ↑ Note [a] on Esther 5:3 in NET.
- ↑ Шаблон:Bibleverse NKJV
- ↑ Note [a] on Esther 5:4 in ESV.
- ↑ 8,0 8,1 8,2 8,3 Bullinger, E. W. The Companion Bible. Kregel Publications. 1906-1922. Appendix 60.
- ↑ 9,0 9,1 9,2 9,3 Turner 2013, p. 185
- ↑ 10,0 10,1 Missler, Chuck (1998) Cosmic Codes: Hidden Messages from the Edge of Eternity. Coeur d’Alene, Idaho: Koinoinia House, pp. 77–88; apud Turner 2013, p. 186.
- ↑ 11,0 11,1 Bullinger, E. W. The Name of Jehovah in the Book of Esther (2nd ed.; 1891; repr., Tresta, Shetland, U.K.: Open Bible Trust, 1999), p. 10; apud Turner 2013, p. 185.
- ↑ Шаблон:Bibleref2 NASB1995
- ↑ Шаблон:Bibleref2 NKJV
- ↑ Шаблон:Bibleverse NKJV
- ↑ Note [a] on Esther 5:14 in NKJV.
- ↑ Note [b] on Esther 5:14 in NKJV.