Esther 5:6
in Esther 5And as they drank their wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.
KJV
And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.
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This verse in Esther 5
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The banquet of wine - After the meats were removed, it was customary in Persia to continue the banquet for a considerable time with fruits and wine. During this part of the feast, the king renewed his offer.
This site's exposition
And as they drank their wine
on Esther 5:6-8
The king repeats his offer, and Esther defers a second time. It is sound statecraft, giving her time to judge Haman's temper and the king's mood. It also makes room for the story, since this postponement leaves the king with unfinished business on the very night that follows.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
Notice how the will of the inviting queen and the order of the commanding king agree. But woe to the one who comes to the banquet of the Lord with an evil mind! Even though such a person has his heart defiled by hatred and …
This postponement of the petition is not due to a fault of laziness but must be attributed to the virtue of patience, clearly indicating that the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the sinners are reserved for the future. "Tomorrow," in fact, must …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), a proverbial expression, by which he assured her that he would deny her nothing in reason. That then Esther thought fit to ask no more than a promise that he would please to accept of another treat, the next day, in her apartment, and Haman with him (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine,.... For such it seems the banquet was she prepared; it was not properly a meal, neither dinner nor supper, but a drinking bout; or, however, it was at that part of the banquet in which wine was drank that the king accosted Esther, when he began to be cheerful with it.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The banquet of wine - At that part of the banquet when the wine was introduced.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֨אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| לְאֶסְתֵּר֙ | leester | to Esther | H635 → | 55 times |
| בְּמִשְׁתֵּ֣ה | bemishteh | at [the] feast of | H4960 → | 46 times |
| הַיַּ֔יִן | haiyayin | <the> wine | H3196 → | 141 times |
| מַה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| שְּׁאֵלָתֵ֖ךְ | sheelatekh | [is] petition your | H7596 → | 14 times |
| וְיִנָּ֣תֵֽן | veyinaten | sp it may be given | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לָ֑ךְ | lakh | to you | ||
| וּמַה־ | umah- | and what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| בַּקָּשָׁתֵ֛ךְ | bakashatekh | [is] request your | H1246 → | 8 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | up to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| חֲצִ֥י | chatzi | <the> half of | H2677 → | 125 times |
| הַמַּלְכ֖וּת | hamalkhut | the kingdom | H4438 → | 91 times |
| וְתֵעָֽשׂ׃ | veteas | and it may be done | H6213 → | 2628 times |
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
הַמֶּ֤לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
לְאֶסְתֵּר֙to Esther
leesterH635 →55 times
בְּמִשְׁתֵּ֣הat [the] feast of
bemishtehH4960 →46 times
הַיַּ֔יִן<the> wine
haiyayinH3196 →141 times
מַה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
שְּׁאֵלָתֵ֖ךְ[is] petition your
sheelatekhH7596 →14 times
וְיִנָּ֣תֵֽןsp it may be given
veyinatenH5414 →2011 times
לָ֑ךְto you
lakh
וּמַה־and what?
umah-H4100 →752 times
בַּקָּשָׁתֵ֛ךְ[is] request your
bakashatekhH1246 →8 times
עַד־up to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
חֲצִ֥י<the> half of
chatziH2677 →125 times
הַמַּלְכ֖וּתthe kingdom
hamalkhutH4438 →91 times
וְתֵעָֽשׂ׃and it may be done
veteasH6213 →2628 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
7 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 5:3“What is it, Queen Esther?” the king inquired. “What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given to you.”
it leads to
- Esther 7:2
and as they drank their wine on that second day, the king asked once more, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Esther 9:12
who said to Queen Esther, “In the citadel of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces?…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Mark 6:23
And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!”
- 1 Kings 3:5
One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”
- Matthew 20:20–22
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him.
- Esther 7:2
Through
Esther 7:2and as they drank their wine on that second day, the king asked once more, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to…
it leads to
- John 16:24
Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
- Esther 5:3
“What is it, Queen Esther?” the king inquired. “What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given to you.”
- John 16:24
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Esther
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); 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 8 and W. F. Adeney, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther (Expositor's Bible).