Esther 8:16
in Esther 8For the Jews it was a time of light and gladness, of joy and honor.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor.
KJV
The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
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This verse in Esther 8
Commentary
6 notes on this verseAnd the Jews had light,.... Prosperity, as opposed to the darkness of adversity in which they had been, see Isa 8:22, or lightsomeness and cheerfulness of spirit, as explained by the two next words: and gladness and joy; at the good news of their deliverance, so unexpected by them; thus light is explained by gladness, Psa 97:11 and honour: among men; from their neighbours, who before were held in contempt, as a people doomed to destruction.
This site's exposition
a time of light and gladness
on Esther 8:16-17
For the Jews it was "a time of light and gladness, of joy and honor". Verse 17 ends, "many of the people of the land themselves became Jews, because the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them". Some readers hold these were true converts, and others see prudence.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
The glory of the holy teachers is exalted because it is through their doctrine and exhortation that the faithful defeat the cruelty of their most evil enemy with the help and strength of their heavenly king. And their reward remains with them in the heavenly …
A commentator
BonaventureCollations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 13 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
In the tropological sense, the sun has four faces. The first is the grace of the Holy Spirit, as in Esther: "The light and the sun rose up: and the humble were exalted," that is, when God lives in us through grace. Hence, as the …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
It was but lately that we had Esther and Mordecai in tears and in fears, but fasting and praying; now let us see how to them there arose light in darkness. Haman was hanged as a traitor, therefore his estate was forfeited to the crown, and the king gave it all to Esther, in recompence for the fright that wicked man had put her into and the vexation he had created her,
They were like those that dream; then was their mouth filled with laughter, Ps. cxxvi. One good effect of this deliverance was that many of the people of the land, that were considerate, sober, and well inclined, became Jews, were proselyted to the Jewish religion, renounced idolatry, and worshipped the true God only.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
And a cloak of linen. A wrap of linen, a shawl in which to enwrap oneself.
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. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לַיְּהוּדִ֕ים | laiyehudim | to the Jews | H3064 → | 75 times |
| הָֽיְתָ֥ה | hayetah | it belonged | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| אוֹרָ֖ה | ʾorah | light | H219 → | |
| וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה | vesimchah | and gladness | H8057 → | 94 times |
| וְשָׂשֹׂ֖ן | vesason | and joy | H8342 → | |
| וִיקָֽר׃ | vikar | and honor | H3366 → | 17 times |
לַיְּהוּדִ֕יםto the Jews
laiyehudimH3064 →75 times
הָֽיְתָ֥הit belonged
hayetahH1961 →3559 times
אוֹרָ֖הlight
ʾorahH219 →
וְשִׂמְחָ֑הand gladness
vesimchahH8057 →94 times
וְשָׂשֹׂ֖ןand joy
vesasonH8342 →
וִיקָֽר׃and honor
vikarH3366 →17 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
Psalms 97:11Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright in heart.
it leads to
- James 5:7–11
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
- John 12:46
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.
- Proverbs 4:18
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
- Isaiah 60:1–2
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
- James 5:7–11
Through
Psalms 18:28For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 22:29
For You, O LORD, are my lamp; the LORD lights up my darkness.
- Job 29:3
when His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through the darkness,
- Isaiah 42:16
I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These…
- Matthew 4:16
the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”
- 2 Samuel 22:29
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Esther
This page draws on Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 13; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Rabanus Maurus, EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 12 and W. F. Adeney, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther (Expositor's Bible).