The Meaning of Esther 2:7 Explained

Esther 2:7

KJV: And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.

YLT: and he is supporting Hadassah -- she is Esther -- daughter of his uncle, for she hath neither father nor mother, and the young woman is of fair form, and of good appearance, and at the death of her father and her mother hath Mordecai taken her to him for a daughter.

Darby: And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter; for she had neither father nor mother and the maiden was fair and beautiful and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.

ASV: And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he brought up  Hadassah,  that [is], Esther,  his uncle's  daughter:  for she had neither father  nor mother,  and the maid  [was] fair  and beautiful;  whom Mordecai,  when her father  and mother  were dead,  took  for his own daughter. 

What does Esther 2:7 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 2:7 mean?

And [Mordecai] had brought up - Hadassah that [is] Esther daughter of his uncle for no she had father nor mother and the young woman [was] was beautiful lovely and beautiful and when died her father and mother took her Mordecai as his own daughter
וַיְהִ֨י אֹמֵ֜ן אֶת־ הֲדַסָּ֗ה הִ֤יא אֶסְתֵּר֙ בַּת־ דֹּד֔וֹ כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין לָ֖הּ אָ֣ב וָאֵ֑ם וְהַנַּעֲרָ֤ה יְפַת־ תֹּ֙אַר֙ וְטוֹבַ֣ת מַרְאֶ֔ה וּבְמ֤וֹת אָבִ֙יהָ֙ וְאִמָּ֔הּ לְקָחָ֧הּ מָרְדֳּכַ֛י ל֖וֹ לְבַֽת

וַיְהִ֨י  And  [Mordecai] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
אֹמֵ֜ן  had  brought  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אָמַן 
Sense: to support, confirm, be faithful.
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.
הֲדַסָּ֗ה  Hadassah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: הֲדַסָּה  
Sense: queen Esther’s Jewish name.
הִ֤יא  that  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person feminine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
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.
בַּת־  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
דֹּד֔וֹ  of  his  uncle 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: דֹּוד  
Sense: beloved, love, uncle.
אֵ֥ין  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
לָ֖הּ  she  had 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
אָ֣ב  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וָאֵ֑ם  nor  mother 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֵם  
Sense: mother.
וְהַנַּעֲרָ֤ה  and  the  young  woman  [was] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: נַעֲרָה  
Sense: girl, damsel, female servant.
יְפַת־  was  beautiful 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular construct
Root: יָפֶה  
Sense: fair, beautiful, handsome.
תֹּ֙אַר֙  lovely 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: תֹּאַר  
Sense: shape, form, outline, figure, appearance.
מַרְאֶ֔ה  beautiful 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַרְאֶה  
Sense: sight, appearance, vision.
וּבְמ֤וֹת  and  when  died 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
אָבִ֙יהָ֙  her  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וְאִמָּ֔הּ  and  mother 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: אֵם  
Sense: mother.
לְקָחָ֧הּ  took  her 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
מָרְדֳּכַ֛י  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.
ל֖וֹ  as  his  own 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
לְבַֽת  daughter 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.