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 people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.
Read it in contextQueen Vashti Deposed
Start reading at Esther 1:13 (Esther 1:13 to Esther 1:22).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The change of queen and Mordecai's discovery of a plot establish circumstances important to the later reversal.
1:13Then the king said to the wise men, which knew the times, (for so was the king's manner toward all that knew law and judgment:
1:14And the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, which saw the king's face, and which sat the first in the kingdom;)
1:15What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?
1:16And 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 people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.
1:17For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.
1:18Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king's princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath.
1:19If it please the king, let there go 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 let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.
1:20And 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.
1:21And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:
1:22For he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and that it should be published according to the language of every people.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? The final author is unknown. Mordecai is a traditional proposal and wrote letters establishing Purim, but that does not prove he composed the whole book. Biblical references: Esther 9:20; Esther 9:29. book background
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Esther 1:1–1:22): Ahasuerus, Vashti, royal officials, and banquet guests are the participants in the royal feast and the dispute over the queen. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? Jewish communities in the Persian Empire and their descendants, especially those commemorating their deliverance at Purim. Biblical references: Esther 9:20; Esther 9:28. stated in the text
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? Queen Vashti Deposed. Read Esther 1:13 through Esther 1:22 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The change of queen and Mordecai's discovery of a plot establish circumstances important to the later reversal. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The narrative dates events by the reign of Ahasuerus, including the threatened destruction and the days later commemorated as Purim. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? Shushan's palace and the Persian provinces form the setting; court scenes and provincial events should be distinguished. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in Queen Vashti Deposed (Esther 1:13 to Esther 1:22).
Start reading at Esther 1:13. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? The preservation of the Jewish people belongs to the wider history in which the New Testament places Jesus' birth. The book itself does not name Jesus, and detailed typological identifications require argument. See Esther 9:1, Matthew 1:1, Matthew 1:17. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Consider courage, timely advocacy, and responsibility toward endangered neighbors. A reading of providence is an interpretation of the story's arrangement, rather than an explicit mention of God's name in its verses. interpretation
Cited: Esther 1:13, Esther 1:22, Esther 9:1, Matthew 1:1, Matthew 1:17
Who wrote it, and how we know
Uncertain; traditionally MordecaiFrom early tradition
What Scripture saysThe book does not name its author. It records that Mordecai wrote these things. Esther 9:20
Early traditionJewish tradition has suggested Mordecai.
What is debatedAuthorship is genuinely unknown. The book never names God directly.
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Esther 1
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Esther is set in the Persian court and provinces during Ahasuerus' reign. The text does not name its author. God's name is not explicitly used in the Hebrew-book narrative as represented here in the KJV; claims about providence are interpretive conclusions from the story. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The change of queen and Mordecai's discovery of a plot establish circumstances important to the later reversal.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The change of queen and Mordecai's discovery of a plot establish circumstances important to the later reversal.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Esther
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Esther is set in the Persian court and provinces during Ahasuerus' reign. The text does not name its author. God's name is not explicitly used in the Hebrew-book narrative as represented here in the KJV; claims about providence are interpretive conclusions from the story.