Lectionary Calendar
Friday, December 19th, 2025
the Third Week of Advent
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Esther 8:16

It was a time of happiness, joy, gladness, and honor for the Jewish people.

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.
English Standard Version
The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor.
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 Mordecai left the king's presence wearing royal clothes of blue and white and a large gold crown. He also had a purple robe made of the best linen. And the people of Susa shouted for joy. 16 It was a time of happiness, joy, gladness, and honor for the Jewish people. 17 As the king's order went to every state and city, there was joy and gladness among the Jewish people. In every state and city to which the king's order went, they were having feasts and celebrating. And many people through all the empire became Jews, because they were afraid of the Jewish people.

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, "I have seen that you are the best person among the people of this time, so you and your family can go into the boat.
Genesis 7:7
He and his wife and his sons and their wives went into the boat to escape the waters of the flood.
Genesis 7:13
On that same day Noah and his wife, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives went into the boat.
Genesis 8:16
"You and your wife, your sons, and their wives should go out of the boat.
Genesis 8:18
So Noah went out with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives.
Joshua 3:17
The priests carried the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord to the middle of the river and stood there on dry ground. They waited there while all the people of Israel walked across the Jordan River on dry land.
Joshua 4:10
The priests carrying the Ark continued standing in the middle of the river until everything was done that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people, just as Moses had told Joshua. The people hurried across the river.
Psalms 91:11
He has put his angels in charge of you to watch over you wherever you go.
Psalms 121:8
The Lord will guard you as you come and go, both now and forever.
Zechariah 9:11
As for you, because of the blood of the agreement 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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