Esther 1:4
in Esther 1And for a full 180 days he displayed the glorious riches of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hundred and fourscore days.
KJV
When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.
⋯
This verse in Esther 1
Commentary
9 notes on this verseThe riches of his glorious kingdom - Luxury was the characteristic of the Eastern monarchs, and particularly of the Persians. In their feasts, which were superb and of long continuance, they made a general exhibition of their wealth, grandeur, etc., and received the highest encomiums from their poets and flatterers. Their ostentation on such occasions passed into a proverb: hence Horace: - Persicos odi, puer, apparatus: Displicent nexae philyra coronae; Mitte sectari, rosa quo locorum Sera moretur.
This site's exposition
who reigned over 127 provinces
on Esther 1:1-4
Xerxes reigned over "127 provinces from India to Cush," and his display of wealth ran "for a full 180 days". Keil set the gathering beside Herodotus, who records a council Xerxes held before his war on Greece, a match the evidence supports without settling.
This site's exposition
And for a full 180
Henry calls the display of riches vain glory, since nobody questioned the king's riches or his splendor. Clarke notes that the display of wealth at the long feasts of Persia passed into a proverb, as a line of Horace shows. Rabanus Maurus saw Christ's spiritual riches in the feast.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church3 voices
Even though from the historical point of view it simply appears to show the abundance of riches and the luxury of delights of a powerful king, … according to the holier mystery of our most powerful king, namely, Our Lord Christ, this preparation of a …
Though these preparations for so rich a feast seem intended to portray in concrete terms the parade of wealth and the abundance of delights possessed by a powerful king, it is actually a very sanctified allegory which symbolizes the magnitude of spiritual riches, and the …
"So in the third year of his rule, King Ahasuerus held a grand feast for all his officials and young men, the famous heroes of Persia and Media, and the chiefs of the provinces in his presence, so that he could show off the wealth …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The Chaldee paraphrast (who is very bold in his additions to the story of this book) says that there had been a rebellion among his subjects and that this feast was kept for joy of the quashing of it.
This was vain glory, an affection of pomp to no purpose at all; for none questioned the riches of his kingdom, nor offered to vie with him for honour. If he had shown the riches of his kingdom and the honour of his majesty, as some of his successors did, in contributing largely towards the building of the temple and the maintaining of the temple service ( Ezra vi.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
1 more voice on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom,....
The words behind it
14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בְּהַרְאֹת֗וֹ | beharoto | when showed he | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עֹ֙שֶׁר֙ | ʾosher | [the] wealth of | H6239 → | |
| כְּב֣וֹד | kevod | [the] splendor of | H3519 → | |
| מַלְכוּת֔וֹ | malkhuto | kingdom his | H4438 → | 91 times |
| וְאֶ֨ת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְקָ֔ר | yekar | [the] honor of | H3366 → | 17 times |
| תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת | tiferet | [the] glory of | H8597 → | |
| גְּדוּלָּת֑וֹ | gedulato | greatness his | H1420 → | 12 times |
| יָמִ֣ים | yamim | days | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| רַבִּ֔ים | rabim | many | H7227 → | 454 times |
| שְׁמוֹנִ֥ים | shemonim | eighty | H8084 → | |
| וּמְאַ֖ת | umeat | and one hundred | H3967 → | 581 times |
| יֽוֹם׃ | yom | day[s] | H3117 → | 2304 times |
בְּהַרְאֹת֗וֹwhen showed he
beharotoH7200 →1300 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
עֹ֙שֶׁר֙[the] wealth of
ʾosherH6239 →
כְּב֣וֹד[the] splendor of
kevodH3519 →
מַלְכוּת֔וֹkingdom his
malkhutoH4438 →91 times
וְאֶ֨ת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
יְקָ֔ר[the] honor of
yekarH3366 →17 times
תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת[the] glory of
tiferetH8597 →
גְּדוּלָּת֑וֹgreatness his
gedulatoH1420 →12 times
יָמִ֣יםdays
yamimH3117 →2304 times
רַבִּ֔יםmany
rabimH7227 →454 times
שְׁמוֹנִ֥יםeighty
shemonimH8084 →
וּמְאַ֖תand one hundred
umeatH3967 →581 times
יֽוֹם׃day[s]
yomH3117 →2304 times
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
Colossians 1:27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
it leads to
- John 14:20
On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.
- Romans 8:10
But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
- Ephesians 3:16–17
I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,
- 1 John 4:4
You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
- Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved…
- John 14:20
Through
Matthew 6:13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will…
- John 17:15
I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.
- Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
On this verse
About Esther
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Rabanus Maurus, EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 1 and Rabanus Maurus, Commentary on Esther.