The Meaning of Esther 2:15 Explained

Esther 2:15

KJV: Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.

YLT: And in the drawing nigh of the turn of Esther -- daughter of Abihail, uncle of Mordecai, whom he had taken to him for a daughter -- to come in unto the king, she hath not sought a thing except that which Hegai eunuch of the king, keeper of the women, saith, and Esther is receiving grace in the eyes of all seeing her.

Darby: And when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, came to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained grace in the sight of all them that saw her.

ASV: Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now when the turn  of Esther,  the daughter  of Abihail  the uncle  of Mordecai,  who had taken  her for his daughter,  was come  to go in  unto the king,  she required  nothing  but what Hegai  the king's  chamberlain,  the keeper  of the women,  appointed.  And Esther  obtained  favour  in the sight  of all them that looked  upon her. 

What does Esther 2:15 Mean?

Context Summary

Esther 2:1-23 - The Service Of A Foreigner
Esther's Hebrew name meant Myrtle. It could not have been easy for her to retain her sweet simplicity amid the corruptions of her time, but her Persian name means "a star," as though she were a garden enclosed, encircled by the atmosphere of the divine purity and protection. We must not judge Esther by our own standards, but by the custom of her time. Each of these young girls was considered to be married to the king, was kept under his roof, and was his wife of a lower rank. How great is the influence of Christianity in raising our standards and pervading the world with a loftier morality! She was not bidden to deny her parentage, but only advised not to proclaim it, Esther 2:10. When, afterwards, she was raised to power, she showed no flinching from identification with her race. So she attained the highest position in the world to which a woman could aspire. God lifted her there to serve a high and noble purpose. Her relative, Mordecai, discovered a plot against the king, and told it to his ward, the queen, and she to her royal spouse. The deed was unrewarded; in this, however, the faithful doorkeeper felt no disappointment. He acted not for reward, but from a sense of duty. But the act was registered both in heaven and on earth, and it bore fruit. It is enough for us to do our duty, and please God. [source]

Chapter Summary: Esther 2

1  Out of the choice of virgins a queen is to be chosen
5  Mordecai the nursing father of Esther
8  Esther preferred before the rest
12  The manner of purification, and going in to the king
15  Esther, best pleasing the king, is made queen
21  Mordecai, discovering a treason, is recorded in the chronicles

What do the individual words in Esther 2:15 mean?

And when came the turn for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter to go in to the king nothing she requested nothing for but - what advised Hegai eunuch of the king the custodian of the women and Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her
וּבְהַגִּ֣יעַ תֹּר־ אֶסְתֵּ֣ר בַּת־ אֲבִיחַ֣יִל דֹּ֣ד מָרְדֳּכַ֡י אֲשֶׁר֩ לָקַֽח־ ל֨וֹ לְבַ֜ת לָב֣וֹא אֶל־ הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ לֹ֤א בִקְשָׁה֙ דָּבָ֔ר כִּ֠י אִ֣ם אֶת־ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֹאמַ֛ר הֵגַ֥י סְרִיס־ הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ שֹׁמֵ֣ר הַנָּשִׁ֑ים וַתְּהִ֤י אֶסְתֵּר֙ נֹשֵׂ֣את חֵ֔ן בְּעֵינֵ֖י כָּל־ רֹאֶֽיהָ

וּבְהַגִּ֣יעַ  And  when  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: נָגַע  
Sense: to touch, reach, strike.
תֹּר־  the  turn  for 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: תֹּור  
Sense: circlet, plait, turn (of hair or gold).
אֶסְתֵּ֣ר  Esther 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶסְתֵּר  
Sense: the queen of Persia, heroine of the book of Esther—daughter of Abihail, cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai, of the tribe of Benjamin, made queen by king Ahasuerus to replace divorced queen, Vashti.
בַּת־  the  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
אֲבִיחַ֣יִל  of  Abihail 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִיהַיִל 
Sense: a Levite in Moses’s time.
דֹּ֣ד  the  uncle 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דֹּוד  
Sense: beloved, love, uncle.
מָרְדֳּכַ֡י  of  Mordecai 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָרְדֳּכַי  
Sense: cousin and adoptive father of queen Esther; son of Jair of the tribe of Benjamin; deliverer under Divine providence of the children of Israel from the destruction plotted by Haman the chief minister of Ahasuerus; institutor of the feast of Purim.
לָקַֽח־  had  taken 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
ל֨וֹ  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
לְבַ֜ת  as  his  daughter 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
לָב֣וֹא  to  go  in 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
לֹ֤א  nothing 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
בִקְשָׁה֙  she  requested 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
דָּבָ֔ר  nothing 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יֹאמַ֛ר  advised 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הֵגַ֥י  Hegai 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: הֵגֵא 
Sense: one of the eunuchs of the court of Ahasuerus.
סְרִיס־  eunuch 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: סָרִיס  
Sense: official, eunuch.
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
שֹׁמֵ֣ר  the  custodian 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַר  
Sense: to keep, guard, observe, give heed.
הַנָּשִׁ֑ים  of  the  women 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
אֶסְתֵּר֙  Esther 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶסְתֵּר  
Sense: the queen of Persia, heroine of the book of Esther—daughter of Abihail, cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai, of the tribe of Benjamin, made queen by king Ahasuerus to replace divorced queen, Vashti.
נֹשֵׂ֣את  obtained 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular construct
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
חֵ֔ן  favor 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵן  
Sense: favour, grace, charm.
בְּעֵינֵ֖י  in  the  sight 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, cdc
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
כָּל־  of  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
רֹאֶֽיהָ  who  saw  her 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.