Esther 1:21
What does Esther 1:21 mean?
A plain-English look at Esther 1:21 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Esther 1:21 means
The king and princes find Memucan’s proposal good, and the king acts accordingly. This reveals how royal policy can hinge on persuasive counsel offered at a volatile moment. The consensus of the princes matters; their approval lends legitimacy to what might otherwise appear as the king’s rashness. The swift acceptance underscores the court’s concern for honor and order over personal reconciliation. The decision turns a single refusal into a constitutional change. It shows a monarchy eager to maintain image and control, even at the cost of dismissing a queen and reshaping household norms by decree.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:
KJV
King James Version · 1611And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And this suggestion seemed good to the king and the captains; and the king did as Memucan said;
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862And the thing is good in the eyes of the king, and of the princes, and the king doth according to the word of Memucan,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752His counsel pleased the king, and the princes: and the king did according to the counsel of Mamuchan.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan.
Context
This verse records the positive reception and immediate implementation of Memucan’s counsel. With the decision made, the narrative moves to execution: official letters disseminating the policy throughout the realm. The approval sets the machinery of empire in motion, bringing the chapter to a close with a definitive, public response. This outcome paves the way for chapter 2’s search for a new queen, opening the path for Esther to enter the story.
v.20And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small.
v.21This passage
v.22for he sent letters into all the king’s provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and should speak according to the language of his people.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Genesis 41:37
And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
- Esther 1:19
If it please the king, let there go forth a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, that Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.
- Esther 2:4
and let the maiden that pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.