Esther 1:20
in Esther 1The edict the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom—and so all women, from the least to the greatest, will honor their husbands.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And 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.
KJV
And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.
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This verse in Esther 1
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
So if it pleases the king
on Esther 1:19-20
Memucan's remedy is written into "the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed". Vashti loses her place, and "her royal position shall be given to a woman better than she". Keil notes a law made unchangeable returns at 8:8, where a sealed decree cannot be revoked.
This site's exposition
The edict the king issues
Matthew Henry read the edict as sound policy. A kingdom, he wrote, has an interest in good order in private families. Clarke judged that the law did nothing, for every wife already owed that honour, and its parade served only to strip Vashti of her crown.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
It is the interest of states and kingdoms to provide that good order be kept in private families. The edict that passed according to this proposal, signifying that the queen was divorced for contumacy, according to the law, and that, if other wives were in like manner undutiful to their husbands, they must expect to be in like manner disgraced (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — 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.
And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire,....
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְנִשְׁמַע֩ | venishma' | and it will be heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| פִּתְגָ֨ם | pitgam | [the] decree of | H6599 → | |
| הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אֲשֶֽׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יַעֲשֶׂה֙ | yaaseh | he will make | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| בְּכָל־ | bekhol | in all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מַלְכוּת֔וֹ | malkhuto | kingdom his | H4438 → | 91 times |
| כִּ֥י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| רַבָּ֖ה | rabah | [is] great | H7227 → | 454 times |
| הִ֑יא | hi' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַנָּשִׁ֗ים | hanashim | the women | H802 → | 781 times |
| יִתְּנ֤וּ | yitenu | they will give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| יְקָר֙ | yekar | honor | H3366 → | 17 times |
| לְבַעְלֵיהֶ֔ן | leva'leihen | to husbands their | H1167 → | |
| לְמִגָּד֖וֹל | lemigadol | <to> from great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| וְעַד־ | vead- | and unto | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| קָטָֽן׃ | katan | insignificant | H6996 → |
וְנִשְׁמַע֩and it will be heard
venishma'H8085 →1159 times
פִּתְגָ֨ם[the] decree of
pitgamH6599 →
הַמֶּ֤לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
אֲשֶֽׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
יַעֲשֶׂה֙he will make
yaasehH6213 →2628 times
בְּכָל־in all
bekholH3605 →5413 times
מַלְכוּת֔וֹkingdom his
malkhutoH4438 →91 times
כִּ֥יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
רַבָּ֖ה[is] great
rabahH7227 →454 times
הִ֑יאit
hi'H1931 →1879 times
וְכָל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
הַנָּשִׁ֗יםthe women
hanashimH802 →781 times
יִתְּנ֤וּthey will give
yitenuH5414 →2011 times
יְקָר֙honor
yekarH3366 →17 times
לְבַעְלֵיהֶ֔ןto husbands their
leva'leihenH1167 →
לְמִגָּד֖וֹל<to> from great
lemigadolH1419 →526 times
וְעַד־and unto
vead-H5704 →1261 times
קָטָֽן׃insignificant
katanH6996 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 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
Ephesians 5:22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 3:1–6
Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your husbands, so that even if they refuse to believe the word, they will be won over without words by the behavior of their wives
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Colossians 3:18
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
- Genesis 3:16
To the woman He said: “I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Titus 2:5
to be self-controlled, pure, managers of their households, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be discredited.
- 1 Peter 3:1–6
Through
Colossians 3:18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
it leads to
- Ephesians 5:22
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Titus 2:4–5
In this way they can train the young women to love their husbands and children,
- 1 Corinthians 11:3
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
- Ephesians 5:22
Through
Ephesians 5:33Nevertheless, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 3:2–7
when they see your pure and reverent demeanor.
- 1 Peter 3:2–7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
On this chapter
About Esther
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the 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 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.