Esther 5:2

And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
king	הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ ha.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
saw	כִרְא֨וֹת khir.'ot	H7200	to see · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
Esther	אֶסְתֵּ֣ר 'es.Ter	H635	Ester · proper noun, a woman's name
queen	הַמַּלְכָּ֗ה ha.mal.Kah	H4436	a queen · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
standing	עֹמֶ֙דֶת֙ 'o.Me.det	H5975	to stand · verb, qal active participle, feminine singular absolute
court	בֶּֽחָצֵ֔ר be.cha.Tzer	H2691	a yard (as inclosed by a fence) · preposition with the article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
obtained	נָשְׂאָ֥ה na.se.'Ah	H5375	to lift · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person feminine singular
favour	חֵ֖ן chen	H2580	graciousness · noun, common masculine singular absolute
sight	בְּעֵינָ֑יו be.'ei.Nav	H5869	an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
king	הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ ha.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
out	וַיּ֨וֹשֶׁט vai.Yo.o.shet	H3447	to extend · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Esther	לְאֶסְתֵּ֗ר le.'es.Ter	H635	Ester · preposition + proper noun, a woman's name
golden	הַזָּהָב֙ ha.za.Hav	H2091	gold · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
sceptre	שַׁרְבִ֤יט shar.Vit	H8275	a rod of empire · noun, common masculine singular construct
hand	בְּיָד֔וֹ be.ya.Do	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
Esther	אֶסְתֵּ֔ר 'es.Ter	H635	Ester · proper noun, a woman's name
near	וַתִּקְרַ֣ב va.tik.Rav	H7126	to approach (causatively · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
touched	וַתִּגַּ֖ע va.ti.Ga'	H5060	properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
top	בְּרֹ֥אשׁ be.Rosh	H7218	the head (as most easily shaken) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
sceptre	הַשַּׁרְבִֽיט ha.shar.Vit	H8275	a rod of empire · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Esther 8:4 Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,
Esther 4:11 All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king int…
Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Genesis 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Nehemiah 1:11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear t…
Esther 2:9 And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belo…
Psalms 116:1 I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
Acts 7:10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Esther 5:1-8

Here is, I. Esther's bold approach to the king, Est 5:1. When the time appointed for their fast was finished she lost no time, but on the third day, when the impression of her devotions were fresh upon her spirit, she addressed the king. When the heart is enlarged in communion with God it will be emboldened in doing and suffering for him. Some think that the three days' fast was only one whole day and two whole nights, in all which time they did not take any food at all, and that this is called three days, as Christ's lying in the grave so long is. This exposition is favoured by the consideration that on the third day the queen made her appearance at court. Resolutions which have difficultie…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Esther 5:2

the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand--This golden scepter receives an interesting illustration from the sculptured monuments of Persia and Assyria. In the bas-reliefs of Persepolis, copied by Sir Robert Ker Porter, we see King Darius enthroned in the midst of his court, and walking abroad in equal state; in either case he carries in his right hand a slender rod or wand, about equal in length to his own height, ornamented with a small knob at the summit. In the Assyrian alabasters, those found at Nimroud as well as those from Khorsabad, "the great king" is furnished with the same appendage of royalty, a slender rod, but destitute of any knob or ornament. On the…

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Adam Clarke on Esther 5:2

She obtained favor in his sight - The Septuagint represents "the king as being at first greatly enraged when he saw Esther, because she had dared to appear before him unveiled, and she, perceiving this, was so terrified that she fainted away; on which the king, touched with tenderness, sprung from his throne, took her up in his arms, laid the golden scepter on her neck, and spoke to her in the most endearing manner." This is more circumstantial than the Hebrew, but is not contrary to it. The golden scepter that was in his hand - That the kings of Persia did wear a golden scepter, we have the following proof in Xenophon: Ὁτι ου τοδε το χρυσουν σκηπτρον το την βασιλειαν διασωξον εστιν, αλλ' π…

The Church Fathers

He, who held out to that queen the golden scepter that was in his hand, showed the power of his rule, that is, the cross of his passion through which he gained authority over heaven, earth and the underworld so that "at his name every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth." And (the church) lovingly kissed it, that is, worshiped it with all her devotion.
— Rabanus Maurus, EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 8

He extends to this queen the staff he holds in his hand when he shows her the power of his rule, or rather the cross of his passion through which he has acquired for himself power in Heaven, on earth, and below the earth; so that "in his name every creature—celestial, terrestrial and infernal—shall bend his knee." In fact, she kisses this staff lovingly, that is, she reveres it with total devotion.
— Rabanus Maurus, Commentary on Esther

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Banquet — A feast provided for the entertainment of a company of guests (Esther 5; 7; 1 Pet. 4:3); such as was provided for our Lord by his friends in Bethany (Matt. 26:6; Mark 14:3; comp. John 12:2). These…
Medo-Persian Kingdom · Kings of: Held in their hand a golden sceptre — Kings of: Held in their hand a golden sceptre
Scepter (Sceptre) · General references — General references

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Esther 5:2

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Esther 5:1-8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Esther 5:2

Adam Clarke on Esther 5:2

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Esther 5:2

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Esther 5:1-8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Esther 5:2

Adam Clarke on Esther 5:2

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Esther 5:2

Keil & Delitzsch on Esther 5:1-8

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Esther 5:2

Rashi on Esther 5:1