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JPS Old Testament

Esther 1:20

And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom, great though it be, all the wives will give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.'

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Divorce;   Family;   Husband;   Memucan;   Persia;   Queen;   Vashti;   Wife;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Duty;   Home;   Social Duties;   Wives' Duty;   Women;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Chamberlain;   Shushan;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Esther;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Prince, Princess;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Vashti;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Acrostic;   Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for June 4;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The decree the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom, so all women will honor their husbands, from the greatest to the least.”
Hebrew Names Version
When the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small.
King James Version
And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.
English Standard Version
So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike."
New Century Version
And let the king's order be announced everywhere in his enormous kingdom. Then all the women will respect their husbands, from the greatest to the least."
New English Translation
And let the king's decision which he will enact be disseminated throughout all his kingdom, vast though it is. Then all the women will give honor to their husbands, from the most prominent to the lowly."
Amplified Bible
"So when the king's great decree is proclaimed throughout his [extensive] kingdom, all women will give honor to their husbands, from the great to the insignificant."
New American Standard Bible
"When the king's edict which he will make is heard throughout his kingdom, great as it is, then all women will give honor to their husbands, great and small."
World English Bible
When the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when the decree of the King which shalbe made, shalbe published throughout all his kingdome (though it be great) all the women shall giue their husbands honour, both great and small.
Legacy Standard Bible
And the king's sentence, which he will make, will be heard throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, and all women will give respect to their husbands, great and small."
Berean Standard Bible
The edict the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom-and so all women, from the least to the greatest, will honor their husbands."
Contemporary English Version
When the women in your great kingdom hear about this new law, they will respect their husbands, no matter if they are rich or poor.
Complete Jewish Bible
When the edict made by the king is proclaimed throughout the length and breadth of the kingdom, then all wives will honor their husbands, whether great or small."
Darby Translation
and when the king's edict which he shall make shall be heard throughout his realm—for it is great—all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, from the greatest to the least.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then when the king's command is announced in all parts of his large kingdom, all the women will respect their husbands. From the most important to the least important, all the women will respect their husbands."
George Lamsa Translation
And the kings decree shall be proclaimed and published throughout all his empire (for it is great), that all wives shall give honor to their husbands, both great and small.
Good News Translation
When your proclamation is made known all over this huge empire, every woman will treat her husband with proper respect, whether he's rich or poor."
Lexham English Bible
And let the king's decree that he will make be proclaimed in all his kingdom, because it is vast and all the women will honor their husbands, great and small."
Literal Translation
And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, for it is great, all the wives shall give their husbands honor, both the small and the great.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And yt this wrytinge of the kynge which shalbe made, be published thorow out all his empyre (which is greate) that all wyues maye holde their hu?bandes in honoure, both amonge greate and smal.
American Standard Version
And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small.
Bible in Basic English
And when this order, given by the king, is made public through all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give honour to their husbands, great as well as small.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when this commaundement of the king which shalbe made, is published throughout all his empire whiche is great, all women shall holde their husbandes in honour both among great and small.
King James Version (1611)
And when the kings decree, which he shal make, shalbe published throughout all his empire, (for it is great:) all the wiues shall giue to their husbands honour, both to great and small.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And let the law of the king which he shall have made, be widely proclaimed, in his kingdom: and so shall all the women give honour to their husbands, from the poor even to the rich.
English Revised Version
And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And be this puplischid in to al the empire of thi prouynces, which is ful large, that alle wyues, both of grettere men and of lesse, yyue onour to her hosebondis.
Update Bible Version
And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small.
Webster's Bible Translation
And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small.
New King James Version
When the king's decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small."
New Living Translation
When this decree is published throughout the king's vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives!"
New Life Bible
Then the king's word will be heard through all his great nation, and all women will give honor to their husbands, from the greatest to the least."
New Revised Standard
So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, vast as it is, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When the edict of the king which he shall make, is published throughout all his kingdom, for, great, it is, then, all wives, will give honour unto their lords, both great and small.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And let this be published through all the provinces of thy empire, (which is very wide,) and let all wives, as well of the greater as of the lesser, give honour to their husbands.
Revised Standard Version
So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, vast as it is, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low."
Young's Literal Translation
and the sentence of the king that he maketh hath been heard in all his kingdom -- for it [is] great -- and all the wives give honour to their husbands, from great even unto small.'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"When the king's edict which he will make is heard throughout all his kingdom, great as it is, then all women will give honor to their husbands, great and small."

Contextual Overview

10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Bizzetha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that ministered in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, 11 to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty; for she was fair to look on. 12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by the chamberlains; therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him. 13 Then the king said to the wise men, who knew the times--for so was the king's manner toward all that knew law and judgment; 14 and the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and sat the first in the kingdom: 15 'What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, forasmuch as she hath not done the bidding of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?' 16 And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: 'Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the peoples, that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. 17 For this deed of the queen will come abroad unto all women, to make their husbands contemptible in their eyes, when it will be said: The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not. 18 And this day will the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard of the deed of the queen say the like unto all the king's princes. So will there arise enough contempt and wrath. 19 If it please the king, let there go forth a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, that Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus, and that the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

throughout: Deuteronomy 17:13, Deuteronomy 21:21

all the wives: Ephesians 5:33, Colossians 3:18, 1 Peter 3:1-7

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:16 - rule Ephesians 5:22 - submit 1 Timothy 2:11 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 1:7
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.
Genesis 1:14
And God said: 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;
Genesis 1:22
And God blessed them, saying: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.'
Genesis 1:24
And God said: 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.' And it was so.
Genesis 1:25
And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:30
and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, [I have given] every green herb for food.' And it was so.
Genesis 2:19
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them; and whatsoever the man would call every living creature, that was to be the name thereof.
Genesis 8:17
Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both fowl, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may swarm in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.'
1 Kings 4:33
span data-lang="eng" data-trans="jps" data-ref="1ki.4.1" class="versetxt"> And king Solomon was king over all Israel. And these were the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister and the king's friend; and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the levy. And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and his household: each man had to make provision for a month in the year. And these are their names: The son of Hur, in the hill-country of Ephraim; the son of Deker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; the son of Hesed, in Arubboth; to him pertained Socoh, and all the land of Hepher; the son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife; Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam; the son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him pertained the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; even to him pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brazen bars; Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife; Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and one officer that was [over all the officers] in the land. Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry.
Psalms 148:10
Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and winged fowl;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire,.... As it was proper it should, since the report of the queen's deed would be made everywhere:

for it is great; the empire consisting of one hundred and twenty seven provinces, Esther 1:1, Aben Ezra and Abendana interpret it, "though" it is great, yet the decree should be published throughout; the latter observes, that this may respect the king's decree; and so the Targum is,

"for his decree is great;''

it respecting a matter of great importance, and relating to a great personage, and would have great effect on the minds of persons, when it was observed that one so great was treated in this manner: and therefore

all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small; speaking respectfully to them, yielding a ready and cheerful obedience to all their commands; which would be done to princes and peasants, to high and low, to every rank of men.


 
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