Esther 1 17

Esther 1:17 kjv

For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.

Esther 1:17 nkjv

For the queen's behavior will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come.'

Esther 1:17 niv

For the queen's conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, 'King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.'

Esther 1:17 esv

For the queen's behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.'

Esther 1:17 nlt

Women everywhere will begin to despise their husbands when they learn that Queen Vashti has refused to appear before the king.

Esther 1 verses

Esther 1 17 Meaning

Esther 1:17 declares that Queen Vashti's refusal to obey King Ahasuerus's command would become widely known among all women throughout the empire. This awareness, the royal counselors feared, would lead women to view their own husbands with contempt and diminish their authority, using Vashti's public disobedience as a precedent and excuse. The underlying concern was the potential breakdown of male-dominated social order, starting with the household.

Esther 1 17 Context

Esther chapter 1 sets the grand, opulent, and highly patriarchal scene of King Ahasuerus's reign in Persia. After a lavish 180-day display of wealth for his nobles and officials, followed by a seven-day banquet for all in Susa, King Ahasuerus, in a drunken state, commands Queen Vashti to appear before him, adorned with her royal crown, to display her beauty to the assembled guests. This unprecedented demand for the queen to parade before common revelers was met with her definitive refusal. Verse 17 comes directly from Memucan, one of the seven princes of Persia and Media, offering his legal counsel to the enraged king. His warning articulates the core concern: Vashti's individual act of defiance would be widely broadcast, establishing a dangerous precedent that would empower other women across the empire to likewise defy their husbands, leading to widespread disrespect and chaos within households, ultimately undermining the social fabric as understood by the Persian court. The historical context underscores the absolute authority of the Persian king, where a royal decree was unchangeable, and the deeply entrenched patriarchal societal structure.

Esther 1 17 Word analysis

• For this deed (davar - דָּבָר): This Hebrew term implies more than a mere act; it refers to a word, a matter, or an affair. It signifies something spoken, commanded, or an event that carries weight and has widespread implications. Here, it denotes Vashti's significant, public refusal, which was a "matter" that demanded immediate attention and consequence due to its potential ripple effect.

• of the queen: Emphasizes Vashti's high status. An act of disobedience from the queen, the highest female figure, was seen as supremely threatening because it came from the pinnacle of womanhood within the kingdom. Her actions, good or ill, would naturally be seen as influential.

• will become known (yetse - יֵצֵא): Literally, "will go out" or "will be brought forth." This strong verb suggests not merely that the news will circulate, but that it will actively spread forth from the palace into every province and among every level of society. It conveys the certainty of wide public dissemination.

• to all women: Signifies the universal scope of the perceived threat. The counselors feared the incident's impact would not be isolated but would generalize across the entire female population of the vast empire.

• causing them to despise (levazzot - לְבַזּוֹת): This word carries the meaning "to dishonor, to hold in contempt, to scorn." It indicates a strong negative emotion of disrespect and a rejection of authority. It's not just mild disapproval, but profound disrespect.

• their husbands: (ba'alehem - בַּעֲלֵיהֶן): The term "ba'al" literally means "owner" or "master." In a marital context, it highlights the husband's position of authority and dominion over his wife in the ancient Near East. The fear was the subversion of this deeply ingrained master-servant dynamic.

• in their eyes (be'eyneyhen - בְּעֵינֵיהֶן): This idiom means "in their estimation" or "in their perception." The contempt would arise internally within the women's minds, affecting how they viewed their own husbands' standing and authority. It is an internal state that would lead to outward actions.

• when they report: This phrase suggests an active telling and spreading of the story by women to other women, implying a chain reaction of encouragement to defy male authority based on Vashti's example.

• King Ahasuerus commanded: This emphasizes the absolute and unquestionable nature of the command that Vashti defied. A direct order from the supreme ruler made the act of refusal particularly grave from the court's perspective.

• Queen Vashti to be brought before him: The specificity of the command highlights the clarity and directness of the king's will, further demonstrating Vashti's clear, willful act of disobedience.

• but she did not come: A simple, stark statement of defiance. It is the core act that ignited the crisis, representing a complete negation of the king's absolute command.

• "this deed... causing them to despise...": This phrase groups the immediate event with its feared widespread effect. The counselors project a direct causal link from one highly public royal act to a national shift in female subservience, indicating their patriarchal anxieties and the perceived fragility of male authority.

• "...despise their husbands in their eyes...": This combination specifies where the contempt originates and targets: the internal perception of a wife towards her own husband. It's not just a societal issue but an undermining of the very structure of the home.

• "...when they report, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she did not come.'": This phrase-group reveals the mechanism of dissemination and the core message. Women themselves would spread the precise details of Vashti's defiance, thereby validating and legitimizing similar defiance in their own households. It signifies that the memory and report of the event itself would be the instigator of disrespect.

Esther 1 17 Bonus section

The immutability of the "laws of the Medes and Persians" (mentioned in Esther 1:19 and other places like Daniel 6:8, 12, 15) provides critical context. Once Ahasuerus made a decree, like the one against Vashti, it could not be altered. This shows the gravity and far-reaching consequence of his advisors' counsel, reinforcing the finality of Vashti's removal and highlighting the fixed nature of decrees in this empire. This chapter, beginning with extravagant feasts and concluding with Vashti's dramatic removal, acts as a providential catalyst. The void created by Vashti's banishment is necessary for Esther, a young Jewish woman, to eventually rise to queen, setting in motion the very events through which God's people would be delivered. Therefore, Vashti's "disobedience," while culturally scandalous, became an unforeseen, indirect pathway for God's greater plan.

Esther 1 17 Commentary

Esther 1:17 unveils the extreme sensitivity of the Persian court to any challenge to male authority and the prevailing social hierarchy. The panic expressed by Memucan reflects a deep-seated fear that the queen's solitary act of defiance could dismantle the patriarchal foundations of their society, viewing the family unit as a microcosm of the kingdom's order. The exaggerated response, culminating in a royal decree to depose Vashti and set an example, underscores the cultural imperative of obedience, particularly from women. This perspective, though self-serving and arising from pagan impetuousness rather than divine wisdom, nonetheless highlights the human instinct for order, even if wrongly motivated. From a broader biblical viewpoint, while Vashti's direct act is portrayed as disobedient within its historical context, the king's demanding actions also reflect a lack of respect and a culture driven by pride. This contrast sets the stage for God's redemptive work through Esther, demonstrating how even in the midst of human failings and a volatile foreign court, His divine providence can redirect events for His people's good.