Esther 1:4
What does Esther 1:4 mean?
A plain-English look at Esther 1:4 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Esther 1:4 means
For 180 days the king showcases the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty. The duration alone conveys unmatched wealth and patience for spectacle. This half-year exhibition functions as imperial propaganda, assuring allies and subduing rivals by reminding them of the resources at the king’s command. The verse is not merely about excess; it reveals how earthly power sustains itself—by publicizing its glory. Readers sense both the impressive scale and the fragile pride of human rule, which must constantly be seen and admired. The stage is set for a moment when honor will be felt at risk and swift judgment will follow.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hundred and fourscore days.
KJV
King James Version · 1611When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hundred and fourscore days.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And for a long time, even a hundred and eighty days, he let them see all the wealth and the glory of his kingdom and the great power and honour which were his.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862in his shewing the wealth of the honour of his kingdom, and the glory of the beauty of his greatness, many days--eighty and a hundred days.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752That he might shew the riches of the glory of his kingdom, and the greatness, and boasting of his power, for a long time, to wit, for a hundred and fourscore days.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890when he shewed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the splendid magnificence of his grandeur many days, a hundred and eighty days.
Context
The narrative zooms in on the grandeur that marked the first phase of the celebration. After this long season of display, the king will broaden the circle of festivity to include all in Shushan. The opulence described here prepares the reader to grasp the contrast between the palace’s polished order and the relational breakdown that follows. Next, the text moves to a seven-day feast for the city’s residents, where the tone shifts from diplomatic spectacle to an atmosphere ripe for impulsive decisions.
v.3in 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;
v.4This passage
v.5And when these days were fulfilled, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- 1 Chronicles 29:11
Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Jehovah, and thou art exalted as head above all.
- Psalms 145:12
To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, And the glory of the majesty of his kingdom.
- Daniel 2:37
Thou, O king, art king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;
- 1 Chronicles 29:25
And Jehovah magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
- Isaiah 39:2
And Hezekiah was glad of them, and showed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not.
- Ephesians 1:18
having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,