Esther 2 21

Esther 2:21 kjv

In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus.

Esther 2:21 nkjv

In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king's gate, two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

Esther 2:21 niv

During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

Esther 2:21 esv

In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

Esther 2:21 nlt

One day as Mordecai was on duty at the king's gate, two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthana and Teresh ? who were guards at the door of the king's private quarters ? became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him.

Esther 2 verses

Esther 2 21 Meaning

Esther 2:21 describes a critical event: while Mordecai regularly positioned himself at the king's gate, he overheard two palace eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, who guarded the king's private chambers, plotting to assassinate King Ahasuerus. Their motivation is described only as "anger."

Esther 2 21 Context

Esther chapter 2 focuses on King Ahasuerus's search for a new queen after Vashti's dismissal. This search culminates in Esther's selection (v. 17). During this time, Mordecai, Esther's cousin and guardian, faithfully serves as a Jewish official or courtier, taking up his post daily at "the king's gate" (v. 19), a strategic administrative and public gathering place. Verse 21 describes an event that happens "in those days" – while Esther is becoming settled in her new role and Mordecai maintains his watch. This specific incident shifts the narrative's focus from the selection of the queen to the unseen political machinations and dangers within the Persian court. It highlights Mordecai's active role in protecting the king, a seemingly minor detail at the time but one that proves crucial for later events in the book.

Esther 2 21 Word analysis

• In those days:
  • Meaning: This phrase indicates the general period, specifying no precise timing other than the period following Esther's ascension to queen, and possibly concurrent with other maidens still being brought into the harem.
  • Significance: It suggests Mordecai's continued presence and vigilance as a daily routine during a significant transition in the palace.
• as Mordecai was sitting:
  • Word: Hebrew: יֹשֵׁב (yoshev), "sitting."
  • Meaning: Implies a regular habit or routine presence, rather than a one-time visit. He was not just passing through, but positioned there.
  • Significance: Mordecai's consistent, unassuming presence at a critical juncture provided him with access to vital information, underscoring God's precise positioning.
• at the king's gate:
  • Word: Hebrew: שַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ (sha'ar hammelekh), "gate of the king."
  • Meaning: In ancient Near Eastern cities, the "gate" was a central public square, an administrative, legal, and commercial hub. It was where officials convened, justice was administered, and royal decrees were often announced.
  • Significance: This location places Mordecai at the nexus of power and information. It's the place where palace personnel, including the eunuchs, would regularly pass. His being there naturally led him to overhear things.
• Bigthan and Teresh:
  • Meaning: These are specific, named individuals, adding authenticity and historical realism to the account. Their names are likely of Persian or Median origin.
  • Significance: Naming them individualizes the threat, making the plot tangible, not a vague danger.
• two of the king's eunuchs:
  • Word: Hebrew: סָרִיסִים (sarisim), "eunuchs," but also used for high-ranking court officials who might or might not have been castrated.
  • Meaning: Eunuchs often held positions of great trust and responsibility within ancient Persian and other Eastern royal courts, particularly concerning the king's private life and inner palace security. They could be chamberlains, bodyguards, or guardians of the harem.
  • Significance: Their high-ranking, intimate positions near the king make their betrayal especially treacherous and dangerous, as they had direct access.
• who guarded the threshold:
  • Word: Hebrew: שֹׁמְרֵי הַסַּף (shomrei has-sap), "keepers of the threshold/door." Sap (סַף) can refer to a door-frame or a critical entry point.
  • Meaning: This specifies their particular duty as elite palace guards or chamberlains whose duty involved protecting the access points to the king's private chambers or the inner parts of the palace.
  • Significance: Their close proximity and specific security role highlights the severity and potential success of their plot if undiscovered.
• became angry:
  • Word: Hebrew: קָצַף (qatsaph), "to be wroth," "to rage," "to be indignant."
  • Meaning: Their motivation for the plot. The text does not provide the specific reason for their anger (e.g., perceived insult, desire for more power, disgruntlement over some policy).
  • Significance: The unspecified nature of their anger emphasizes the unpredictability of human motives and contrasts with the divine providence that uncovers their plot. Their inner rage fuels a destructive intention.
• sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus:
  • Word: Hebrew: בִּקְשׁוּ לִשְׁלֹחַ יָד (biqshu lishloach yad), literally "sought to send/put forth a hand," an idiom for violent assault or assassination.
  • Meaning: This indicates a deliberate plan to physically harm or kill the king.
  • Significance: This is an act of high treason. The seriousness of the conspiracy underscores the immediate danger to the monarchy and the eventual significance of Mordecai's action in uncovering it.

Esther 2 21 Bonus section

• The detail of the event being recorded in the royal chronicles (as highlighted later in Esth 6:1) is crucial. This act of bureaucratic record-keeping directly sets the stage for Mordecai's belated recognition and provides the mechanism for God's divine timing in raising him to honor and positioning him to foil Haman's plot.
• The absence of God's name in Esther, including in this verse, prompts readers to discern His unseen hand orchestrating events through natural occurrences and human actions. Mordecai's eavesdropping is not a miraculous divine revelation but an act of natural vigilance facilitated by his position and character, yet ultimately serving God's providential purpose.
• The incident highlights the precarious nature of life within autocratic courts, where even the most trusted servants could harbor resentments leading to assassination attempts.
• This verse illustrates that seemingly random events or details (like an overheard conversation, or an official keeping watch at a gate) can be intricately woven into God's larger tapestry of salvation and protection for His people.

Esther 2 21 Commentary

Esther 2:21 is a pivotal verse that subtly introduces the element of divine providence, though God's name is conspicuously absent in the book of Esther. Mordecai's habitual presence at the "king's gate" – a strategic location for observing palace dynamics and accessing information – positions him to overhear the whispered conspiracy of two of the king's inner-circle eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh. These eunuchs, typically seen as loyal and trusted guards of the threshold, harbor an unexplained "anger" leading to a direct assassination plot against King Ahasuerus. The lack of an explicit motive for their anger serves to emphasize the unexpected nature of their treason, highlighting that God's intervention through Mordecai is not contingent on specific, known causes of human malevolence, but rather His overarching plan. This seemingly isolated incident of vigilant observation and timely intervention, recorded in the king's chronicles (Esth 6:1), becomes the crucial lynchpin for Mordecai's later elevation and the subsequent deliverance of the Jewish people. It teaches that faithfulness in seemingly small, mundane duties can be a vital component of God's greater plan.