Esther 7:1
What does Esther 7:1 mean?
A plain-English look at Esther 7:1 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Esther 7:1 means
This brief verse sets the stage for the decisive moment. The king and Haman attend a second banquet prepared by Esther. Her patience and planning bring the right people into the right room, where the hidden conflict can finally be exposed. Haman comes confident, assuming he still enjoys royal favor, but he is walking into the scene of his undoing. Esther’s role as queen is not ornamental; she exercises wisdom in hospitality and timing, securing a hearing from the king. Though God is not named in this book, the convergence of persons and events suggests providence at work, arranging the arena where truth will be spoken.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.
KJV
King James Version · 1611So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949So the king and Haman came to take wine with Esther the queen.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862And the king cometh in, and Haman, to drink with Esther the queen,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752So the king and Aman went in, to drink with the queen.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And the king and Haman came to drink with Esther the queen.
Context
Chapter 7 opens immediately after the rising tensions of chapter 6, where Mordecai was honored and Haman humiliated. Now the narrative moves from preparation to confrontation. This second banquet answers the suspense created when Esther delayed her petition at the first feast. The next verse records the king’s repeated promise to grant her request, indicating that the time for her appeal has arrived. A reader should watch for how a private banquet becomes the courtroom where guilt is revealed and judgment set in motion.
v.1This passage
v.2And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Esther 3:15
The posts went forth in haste by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was perplexed.
- Esther 5:8
If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to-morrow as the king hath said.