Esther 2:16 kjv
So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
Esther 2:16 nkjv
So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
Esther 2:16 niv
She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
Esther 2:16 esv
And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign,
Esther 2:16 nlt
Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter of the seventh year of his reign.
Esther 2 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Esth 1:3 | In the third year of his reign he gave a feast... | Previous events, Ahasuerus's reign began earlier. |
| Esth 1:19 | And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. | Direct reason for Esther's candidacy. |
| Esth 2:1 | After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided... | Context for the search for a new queen. |
| Gen 50:20 | You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good... | God's unseen hand working through human actions. |
| Ex 2:2-3 | She hid him for three months... placed him in a basket... | Similar, seemingly ordinary circumstances for destiny. |
| Psa 75:6-7 | Exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west... God is the Judge... | God raises up and casts down leaders. |
| Prov 16:9 | The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. | God's sovereign control over human plans. |
| Prov 19:21 | Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. | Human intentions yield to divine purpose. |
| Prov 21:1 | The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD... | God's influence over powerful rulers. |
| Eccl 3:1 | For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. | Divine order and timing of events. |
| Isa 60:22 | At the proper time I, the LORD, will hasten it. | God's control over opportune moments. |
| Dan 2:21 | He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings... | God's sovereignty over earthly powers and chronology. |
| Ruth 2:3 | So she went and gleaned... and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz... | Seemingly coincidental events divinely guided. |
| Neh 1:1 | In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year... | Biblical precision in dating historical events. |
| Ezr 7:7-9 | And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. | Specific royal reign years for major events. |
| Luke 1:1-4 | ...to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus... | Importance of historical accuracy and context. |
| Acts 1:7 | It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. | Divine sovereignty over appointed times. |
| Gal 4:4 | But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son... | God's precise timing for ultimate salvation plan. |
| Rom 13:1 | Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God... | God permits and uses earthly authorities. |
| Heb 11:3 | By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God... | God's creative power and ordering of existence. |
Esther 2 verses
Esther 2 16 Meaning
Esther chapter 2, verse 16 states that Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, during the seventh year of his reign. This verse marks the exact moment in time when Esther was brought before the king as a candidate to become queen, following the removal of Queen Vashti. It precisely dates a pivotal event in Esther's story, highlighting the king's continued process of seeking a new queen and setting the stage for Esther's elevation and her future role in saving her people.
Esther 2 16 Context
This verse falls within the broader narrative of Esther's rise to queenship. After King Ahasuerus dismissed Queen Vashti for her defiance, he eventually, spurred by his attendants (Esther 2:2-4), initiated a vast search for a new queen. Beautiful young virgins were gathered from across his vast empire to the citadel of Susa, to be prepared through a rigorous twelve-month beautification process under the care of Hegai, the king's eunuch. Esther, under the guidance of her cousin Mordecai, was among these young women. Verse 16 specifies the exact date when Esther was presented to the king, placing it approximately four years after Vashti's dismissal (Esther 1:3 indicates the third year of Ahasuerus's reign for Vashti's feast, and Esther 2:16 specifies the seventh year). This passage underscores the elapsed time and the meticulous, almost systematic, nature of the queen selection process in the Persian court. Historically, King Ahasuerus is commonly identified with Xerxes I, who ruled the vast Persian Empire (c. 486–465 BC), providing a backdrop of immense royal power and pagan customs.
Esther 2 16 Word analysis
- "So Esther was taken...": This highlights Esther's lack of agency in her initial entry into the palace system. She did not choose to come; she was brought, much like the other young women. This foreshadows God's unseen hand placing her in a strategic position.
- "to King Ahasuerus": Refers to the reigning monarch of the Persian Empire, also known as Xerxes I. His immense power and often capricious nature are central to the book.
- "into his royal palace": Denotes the inner sanctum of power and the grand imperial residence in Susa. This signifies Esther's entry into the highest echelon of secular authority.
- "in the tenth month": In Hebrew: עָשִׂירִי (ʿăśîrî), signifying "tenth." This numerical detail, along with the specific month name, anchors the event firmly in a chronological sequence, emphasizing the historicity of the narrative.
- "which is the month Tebeth": In Hebrew: טֵבֵת (Ṭēḇeṯ). This is a post-exilic Babylonian name for a Hebrew calendar month (corresponding to late December or early January). Its mention specifies the exact time, crucial for understanding the overall timeline of events in the book, especially the four-year gap between Vashti's removal and Esther's selection.
- "in the seventh year of his reign": This specific temporal marker places Esther's introduction to the king four years after Vashti’s public disgrace in the king's third year (Esther 1:3). This time lapse signifies either the king's unhurried approach to finding a queen or a period during which he may have been preoccupied with other imperial matters, possibly military campaigns before returning to this domestic concern. This delay also allowed for the completion of the intensive year-long beautification treatments.
- Words-group Analysis:
- "So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into his royal palace": This phrase details Esther's physical relocation and destination. It emphasizes the royal setting and the structured process by which the women were brought before the king, signifying a critical step in Esther's preordained path. It also hints at the non-consensual nature of these selections for the young women.
- "in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign": This clause provides an exceptionally precise historical timestamp. The exact month and regnal year give the event a firm historical anchoring and highlight the meticulous record-keeping of the Persian Empire. This precision subtly reflects the careful divine orchestration of events, even when God's name is not explicitly mentioned in the book.
Esther 2 16 Bonus section
The precise dating in Esther, such as "tenth month, which is Tebeth, in the seventh year," reflects a typical pattern in ancient Near Eastern historiography, lending credibility to the narrative. Scholars note the consistency of dating across Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah, highlighting how events within the Persian Empire directly impacted the Jewish people during the post-exilic period. This verse also implicitly contrasts the swiftness of King Ahasuerus's anger against Vashti with the prolonged, almost leisurely process of selecting her replacement, emphasizing the unpredictability and whims of absolute rulers against the steady, though unseen, hand of divine timing. While seemingly a secular administrative detail, it provides the precise window of opportunity through which God's purposes would unfold.
Esther 2 16 Commentary
Esther 2:16 is a precise temporal marker in a book known for its attention to dates and detail, serving to authenticate the narrative and emphasize the careful, if humanly arbitrary, processes within the Persian court. The delay of four years between Vashti's dismissal and Esther's presentation (Esther 1:3 to 2:16) underscores the king's perhaps unhurried pace or prior engagement, allowing divine providence to unfold the preparatory steps (like Esther's selection as a virgin, her preparations). This verse sets the immediate scene for Esther's decisive encounter with Ahasuerus, a moment that will elevate her to the throne, not merely due to her beauty, but as part of God's hidden plan to preserve His people. Though Esther appears to be a mere pawn in a king's scheme, the specificity of time hints that all is unfolding according to a divinely ordained schedule.