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Sunday, July 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

English Standard Version

Esther 8:16

The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Joy;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Light;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Esther;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Garments;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Light;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Circumcision;   Esther, Apocryphal Book of;   Habdalah;   Light;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for June 26;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and the Jews celebrated with gladness, joy, and honor.
Hebrew Names Version
The Yehudim had light and gladness, and joy and honor.
King James Version
The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
New Century Version
It was a time of happiness, joy, gladness, and honor for the Jewish people.
New English Translation
For the Jews there was radiant happiness and joyous honor.
Amplified Bible
For [at this time] the Jews had light [a dawn of new hope] and gladness and joy and honor.
New American Standard Bible
For the Jews there was light, joy, jubilation, and honor.
World English Bible
The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And vnto the Iewes was come light and ioy and gladnes, and honour.
Legacy Standard Bible
For the Jews there was light and gladness and joy and honor.
Berean Standard Bible
For the Jews it was a time of light and gladness, of joy and honor.
Contemporary English Version
and the Jews were no longer afraid. In fact, they were very happy and felt that they had won a victory.
Complete Jewish Bible
For the Jews, all was light, gladness, joy and honor.
Darby Translation
The Jews had light, and joy, and gladness, and honour.
Easy-to-Read Version
It was an especially happy day for the Jews, a day of great joy and happiness.
George Lamsa Translation
The Jews had light and gladness and honor and joy.
Good News Translation
For the Jews there was joy and relief, happiness and a sense of victory.
Lexham English Bible
For the Jews, there was light and gladness, joy and honor.
Literal Translation
For the Jews it was light and gladness and joy and honor.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
but vnto the Iewes there was come light and gladnesse, & ioye & worshippe.
American Standard Version
The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor.
Bible in Basic English
And the Jews had light and joy and honour.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And vnto the Iewes there was come light and gladnesse, ioy and worship.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honour.
King James Version (1611)
The Iewes had light and gladnesse, and ioy and honour.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Jews had light and gladness,
English Revised Version
The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honour.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe a newe liyt semede to rise to the Jewis,
Update Bible Version
The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor.
Webster's Bible Translation
The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honor.
New King James Version
The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor.
New Living Translation
The Jews were filled with joy and gladness and were honored everywhere.
New Life Bible
For the Jews it was a time of joy and happiness and honor.
New Revised Standard
For the Jews there was light and gladness, joy and honor.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
To the Jews, had come light, and joy, - and gladness and honour.
Douay-Rheims Bible
But to the Jews, a new light seemed to rise, joy, honour, and dancing.
Revised Standard Version
The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor.
Young's Literal Translation
to the Jews hath been light, and gladness, and joy, and honour,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For the Jews there was light and gladness and joy and honor.

Contextual Overview

15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 16 The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. 17 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Jews: Esther 4:1-3, Esther 4:16, Psalms 30:5-11

had light: That is, prosperity and hope. The dark cloud which had so long hung over them was dispelled; and again the sunshine of prosperity beamed upon them. Esther 9:17, Psalms 18:28, Psalms 97:11, Proverbs 4:18, Proverbs 4:19, Proverbs 11:10, Isaiah 30:29, Isaiah 30:30, Isaiah 35:10

Reciprocal: Psalms 34:5 - and were Psalms 118:27 - showed Jeremiah 2:23 - thou art a swift Acts 9:31 - were multiplied

Cross-References

Genesis 7:1
Then the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.
Genesis 7:7
And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.
Genesis 7:13
On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark,
Genesis 8:16
"Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you.
Genesis 8:18
So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him.
Joshua 3:17
Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
Joshua 4:10
For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people passed over in haste.
Psalms 91:11
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Psalms 121:8
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
Zechariah 9:11
As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Jews had light,.... Prosperity, as opposed to the darkness of adversity in which they had been, see Isaiah 8:22, or lightsomeness and cheerfulness of spirit, as explained by the two next words:

and gladness and joy; at the good news of their deliverance, so unexpected by them; thus light is explained by gladness, Psalms 97:11

and honour: among men; from their neighbours, who before were held in contempt, as a people doomed to destruction.


 
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