Esther 1:15
in Esther 1“According to law,” he asked, “what should be done with Queen Vashti, since she refused to obey the command of King Xerxes delivered by the eunuchs?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not done the bidding of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?
KJV
What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?
⋯
This verse in Esther 1
Commentary
8 notes on this verseThe advice which King Ahasuerus asks of his seven sages who were, according to royal custom always by his side, concerning the insolent Vashti—as well as the sentence he orders them to pass concerning her—undoubtedly signifies the sentence our Savior passes against the arrogance of …
This site's exposition
wise men, which knew the times
on Esther 1:13-15
The king turns to legal machinery rather than his own anger: wise men who knew the times, seven princes of Persia and Media who saw the king’s face and sat first in the kingdom, the same formal apparatus that will later cast lots and seal decrees. Wesley notes the court’s habit of referring even a domestic offense to men learned in law and judgment, a habit that recurs when Esther’s own case comes before the throne. Memucan is named last among the seven, and the chapter is about to give him the floor.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
But let us hear what Scripture has to say about the stubbornness of Vashti, that most foolish of queens: "So the king was angered, and enflamed by his excessive rage he questioned his wise men, who were always at his side according to royal custom; …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
): What shall we do to the queen Vashti according to the law? Observe, (1.) Though it was the queen that was guilty, the law must have its course. (2.) Though the king was very angry, yet he would do nothing but what he was advised was according to law.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
8 And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel: for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure. 9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus. Which of the kings of Persia this Ahasuerus was the learned are not agreed.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:88%@v8-10
How does this Heathen prince shame many, that are called Christians, who think they do not make their friends welcome, unless they make them drunk, and under pretense of sending the health round, send the sin round, and death with it! Women - While the king entertained the men. For this was the common custom of the Persians, that men and women did not feast together.
What shall we do unto the Queen Vashti, according to law,....
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The combined wisdom of all, it seems, was enlisted to consult with the king what course should be taken after so unprecedented an occurrence as Vashti's disobedience of the royal summons. It is scarcely possible for us to imagine the astonishment produced by such a refusal in a country and a court where the will of the sovereign was absolute.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Concerning the proper procedure to follow. This refers back to “The king consulted the sages.” 28 Above, v.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Most intimately associated with him. To present his affairs before them were the following: Carshena, Shesar, etc.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 1 further source is cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כְּדָת֙ | kedat | according to [the] law | H1881 → | 22 times |
| מַֽה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| לַּעֲשׂ֔וֹת | laasot | [is] to do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| בַּמַּלְכָּ֖ה | bamalkah | with the queen | H4436 → | 35 times |
| וַשְׁתִּ֑י | vashti | Vashti | H2060 → | 10 times |
| עַ֣ל׀ | ʾal | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| עָשְׂתָ֗ה | ʾasetah | she did | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אֶֽת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מַאֲמַר֙ | maamar | [the] command of | H3982 → | 3 times |
| הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ | ʾachashveroosh | Ahasuerus | H325 → | 31 times |
| בְּיַ֖ד | beyad | by [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| הַסָּרִיסִֽים׃ ס | hasarisim | the eunuchs | H5631 → | 42 times |
כְּדָת֙according to [the] law
kedatH1881 →22 times
מַֽה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
לַּעֲשׂ֔וֹת[is] to do
laasotH6213 →2628 times
בַּמַּלְכָּ֖הwith the queen
bamalkahH4436 →35 times
וַשְׁתִּ֑יVashti
vashtiH2060 →10 times
עַ֣ל׀on
ʾalH5921 →5755 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רthat
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
עָשְׂתָ֗הshe did
ʾasetahH6213 →2628 times
אֶֽת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מַאֲמַר֙[the] command of
maamarH3982 →3 times
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁAhasuerus
ʾachashverooshH325 →31 times
בְּיַ֖דby [the] hand of
beyadH3027 →1618 times
הַסָּרִיסִֽים׃ סthe eunuchs
hasarisimH5631 →42 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Esther 6:6Haman entered, and the king asked him, “What should be done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king be delighted to honor…
it leads to
- Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
- Obadiah 1:3
The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
- Proverbs 18:12
Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.
- Isaiah 42:1
“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
- Esther 6:9
Let the robe and the horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them array the man the king wants to honor and parade him on the horse through the…
- Proverbs 16:18
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
On this chapter
About Esther
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil, The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Rabanus Maurus, EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 2 and Rabanus Maurus, Commentary on Esther.