Esther 1:4

JPS Old Testament

when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty, many days, even a hundred and fourscore days.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He displayed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness for a total of 180 days.

Hebrew Names Version
when he shown the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even one hundred eighty days.

King James Version
When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.

English Standard Version
while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days.

New Century Version
The banquet lasted one hundred eighty days. All during that time King Xerxes was showing off the great wealth of his kingdom and his own great riches and glory.

New English Translation
He displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his majestic greatness for a lengthy period of time—a hundred and eighty days, to be exact!

Amplified Bible
And he displayed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days in all.

New American Standard Bible
At that time he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.

World English Bible
when he shown the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even one hundred eighty days.

Geneva Bible (1587)
That he might shewe the riches & glorie of his kingdome, and the honour of his great maiestie many dayes, euen an hundreth and foure score dayes.

Legacy Standard Bible
while he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.

Berean Standard Bible
And for a full 180 days he displayed the glorious riches of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness.

Contemporary English Version
For one hundred eighty days he showed off his wealth and spent a lot of money to impress his guests with the greatness of his kingdom.

Complete Jewish Bible
He displayed the dazzling wealth of his kingdom and his great splendor for a long time, 180 days.

Darby Translation
when he shewed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the splendid magnificence of his grandeur many days, a hundred and eighty days.

Easy-to-Read Version
The party continued for 180 days. All during this time, King Xerxes was showing the great wealth of his kingdom and the majestic beauty and wealth of his palace.

George Lamsa Translation
Then he showed them the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hundred and eighty days.

Good News Translation
For six whole months he made a show of the riches of the imperial court with all its splendor and majesty.

Lexham English Bible
as he displayed the wealth of the glory of his kingdom and the glorious splendor of his greatness for many days, one hundred and eighty days.

Literal Translation
when he made known the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the honor of his excellent greatness many days, even a hundred and eighty days.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that he mighte shewe the noble riches of his kingdome, and the glorious worshippe of his greatnesse, many dayes longe, euen an hundreth and foure score dayes.

American Standard Version
when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hundred and fourscore days.

Bible in Basic English
And for a long time, even a hundred and eighty days, he let them see all the wealth and the glory of his kingdom and the great power and honour which were his.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he shewed the richesse and glorie of his kingdome, and the glorious worship of his greatnesse many dayes long, [euen] an hundred and fourescore dayes.

King James Version (1611)
When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdome, and the honour of his excellent maiestie, many dayes, euen an hundred and fourescore dayes.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And after this, after he had shewn to them the wealth of his kingdom, and the abundant glory of his wealth during a hundred and eighty days,

English Revised Version
when he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days. t

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
to schewe the richessis of the glorie of his rewme, and the gretnesse, and boost of his power in myche tyme, that is, an hundrid and `foure scoor daies.

Update Bible Version
when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even 180 days.

Webster's Bible Translation
When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, [even] a hundred and eighty days.

New King James Version
when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.

New Living Translation
The celebration lasted 180 days—a tremendous display of the opulent wealth of his empire and the pomp and splendor of his majesty.

New Life Bible
For 180 days he showed the great riches and honor and power that were his as king of the nation.

New Revised Standard
while he displayed the great wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many days, one hundred eighty days in all.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
when he showed the riches of the glory of his kingdom, and the splendour of his excellent majesty, many days, a hundred and eighty days;

Douay-Rheims Bible
That he might shew the riches of the glory of his kingdom, and the greatness, and boasting of his power, for a long time, to wit, for a hundred and fourscore days.

Revised Standard Version
while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many days, a hundred and eighty days.

Young's Literal Translation
in his shewing the wealth of the honour of his kingdom, and the glory of the beauty of his greatness, many days -- eighty and a hundred days.

THE MESSAGE
For six months he put on exhibit the huge wealth of his empire and its stunningly beautiful royal splendors. At the conclusion of the exhibit, the king threw a weeklong party for everyone living in Susa, the capital—important and unimportant alike. The party was in the garden courtyard of the king's summer house. The courtyard was elaborately decorated with white and blue cotton curtains tied with linen and purple cords to silver rings on marble columns. Silver and gold couches were arranged on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and colored stones. Drinks were served in gold chalices, each chalice one-of-a-kind. The royal wine flowed freely—a generous king!

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.

Contextual Overview

¹ Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus--this is Ahasuerus who reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces-- ² that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the castle, ³ in the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the army of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him; ⁴ when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty, many days, even a hundred and fourscore days. ⁵ And when these days were fulfilled, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the castle, both great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace; ⁶ there were hangings of white, fine cotton, and blue, bordered with cords of fine linen and purple, upon silver rods and pillars of marble; the couches were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of green, and white, and shell, and onyx marble. ⁷ And they gave them drink in vessels of gold--the vessels being diverse one from another--and royal wine in abundance, according to the bounty of the king. ⁸ And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel; for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure. ⁹ Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

When he: Isaiah 39:2, Ezekiel 28:5, Daniel 4:30

the riches: Psalms 76:1-4, Psalms 145:5, Psalms 145:12, Psalms 145:13, Daniel 2:37-44, Daniel 7:9-14, Matthew 4:8, Matthew 6:13, Romans 9:23, Ephesians 1:18, Colossians 1:27, Revelation 4:11

excellent: 1 Chronicles 29:11, 1 Chronicles 29:12, 1 Chronicles 29:25, Job 40:10, Psalms 21:5, Psalms 45:3, Psalms 93:1, Daniel 4:36, Daniel 5:18, 2 Peter 1:16, 2 Peter 1:17

Reciprocal: Esther 5:11 - the glory Acts 25:23 - with 1 Thessalonians 2:6 - of men

Cross-References

Genesis 1:10
And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:12
And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:18
and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

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 1:31
And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Ecclesiastes 2:13
Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

Ecclesiastes 11:7
And the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom,.... Xerxes was the fourth king of the Persian monarchy, and was "far richer than all" that went before him, all their riches coming into his hands,

Daniel 11:2, and now that prophecy began to be fulfilled, "that by his strength, through his riches, he should stir up all against the realm of Grecia"; which he began to do in the third year of his reign, and for which these his nobles might be called together, as to have their advice, so to animate them to come in the more readily into the expedition, by showing them the riches he was possessed of; for to none of the kings of Persia does this largeness of riches better belong than to Xerxes:

and the honour of his excellent majesty; the grandeur he lived in, the pomp and splendour of his court; he was the most grand and magnificent of all the kings of the Medes and Persians i:

and this he did many days, even an hundred and fourscore days; to which seven more being added, as in the following verse, it made one hundred and eighty seven, the space of full six months; though some think the feast did not last so long, only seven days, and that the one hundred and eighty days were spent in preparing for it; but the Persian feasts were very long, large, and sumptuous. Dr. Frye k says, this custom of keeping an annual feast one hundred and eighty days still continues in Persia. Cheus l, a Chinese emperor, used frequently to make a feast which lasted one hundred and twenty days; though it cannot be well thought that the same individual persons here were feasted so long, but, when one company was sufficiently treated, they removed and made way for another; and so it continued successively such a number of days as here related, which was six months, or half a year; a year then in use consisting of three hundred and sixty days, as was common with the Jews, and other nations, and so the Persians m.

i Pausan. Laconica, sive, l. 3. p. 165. k Travels, p. 348. apud Patrick in loc. l In Martin. Sinic. Hist. l. 3. p. 78. m Prideaux's Connect. par. 1. p. 197.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Esther 1:4. The riches of his glorious kingdom — Luxury was the characteristic of the Eastern monarchs, and particularly of the Persians. In their feasts, which were superb and of long continuance, they made a general exhibition of their wealth, grandeur, c., and received the highest encomiums from their poets and flatterers. Their ostentation on such occasions passed into a proverb: hence Horace: -

Persicos odi, puer, apparatus:

Displicent nexae philyra coronae

Mitte sectari, rosa quo locorum

Sera moretur.

I tell thee, boy, that I detest

The grandeur of a Persian feast;

Nor for me the linden's rind

Shall the flowery chaplet bind.

Then search not where the curious rose

Beyond his season loitering grows.

FRANCIS.