Esther 1:4

Douay-Rheims Bible

That he might shew the riches of the glory of his kingdom, and the greatness, and boasting of his power, for a long time, to wit, for a hundred and fourscore days.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He displayed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness for a total of 180 days.

Hebrew Names Version
when he shown the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even one hundred eighty days.

King James Version
When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.

English Standard Version
while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days.

New Century Version
The banquet lasted one hundred eighty days. All during that time King Xerxes was showing off the great wealth of his kingdom and his own great riches and glory.

New English Translation
He displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his majestic greatness for a lengthy period of time—a hundred and eighty days, to be exact!

Amplified Bible
And he displayed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days in all.

New American Standard Bible
At that time he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.

World English Bible
when he shown the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even one hundred eighty days.

Geneva Bible (1587)
That he might shewe the riches & glorie of his kingdome, and the honour of his great maiestie many dayes, euen an hundreth and foure score dayes.

Legacy Standard Bible
while he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.

Berean Standard Bible
And for a full 180 days he displayed the glorious riches of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness.

Contemporary English Version
For one hundred eighty days he showed off his wealth and spent a lot of money to impress his guests with the greatness of his kingdom.

Complete Jewish Bible
He displayed the dazzling wealth of his kingdom and his great splendor for a long time, 180 days.

Darby Translation
when he shewed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the splendid magnificence of his grandeur many days, a hundred and eighty days.

Easy-to-Read Version
The party continued for 180 days. All during this time, King Xerxes was showing the great wealth of his kingdom and the majestic beauty and wealth of his palace.

George Lamsa Translation
Then he showed them the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hundred and eighty days.

Good News Translation
For six whole months he made a show of the riches of the imperial court with all its splendor and majesty.

Lexham English Bible
as he displayed the wealth of the glory of his kingdom and the glorious splendor of his greatness for many days, one hundred and eighty days.

Literal Translation
when he made known the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the honor of his excellent greatness many days, even a hundred and eighty days.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that he mighte shewe the noble riches of his kingdome, and the glorious worshippe of his greatnesse, many dayes longe, euen an hundreth and foure score dayes.

American Standard Version
when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hundred and fourscore days.

Bible in Basic English
And for a long time, even a hundred and eighty days, he let them see all the wealth and the glory of his kingdom and the great power and honour which were his.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he shewed the richesse and glorie of his kingdome, and the glorious worship of his greatnesse many dayes long, [euen] an hundred and fourescore dayes.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty, many days, even a hundred and fourscore days.

King James Version (1611)
When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdome, and the honour of his excellent maiestie, many dayes, euen an hundred and fourescore dayes.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And after this, after he had shewn to them the wealth of his kingdom, and the abundant glory of his wealth during a hundred and eighty days,

English Revised Version
when he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days. t

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
to schewe the richessis of the glorie of his rewme, and the gretnesse, and boost of his power in myche tyme, that is, an hundrid and `foure scoor daies.

Update Bible Version
when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even 180 days.

Webster's Bible Translation
When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, [even] a hundred and eighty days.

New King James Version
when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.

New Living Translation
The celebration lasted 180 days—a tremendous display of the opulent wealth of his empire and the pomp and splendor of his majesty.

New Life Bible
For 180 days he showed the great riches and honor and power that were his as king of the nation.

New Revised Standard
while he displayed the great wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many days, one hundred eighty days in all.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
when he showed the riches of the glory of his kingdom, and the splendour of his excellent majesty, many days, a hundred and eighty days;

Revised Standard Version
while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many days, a hundred and eighty days.

Young's Literal Translation
in his shewing the wealth of the honour of his kingdom, and the glory of the beauty of his greatness, many days -- eighty and a hundred days.

THE MESSAGE
For six months he put on exhibit the huge wealth of his empire and its stunningly beautiful royal splendors. At the conclusion of the exhibit, the king threw a weeklong party for everyone living in Susa, the capital—important and unimportant alike. The party was in the garden courtyard of the king's summer house. The courtyard was elaborately decorated with white and blue cotton curtains tied with linen and purple cords to silver rings on marble columns. Silver and gold couches were arranged on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and colored stones. Drinks were served in gold chalices, each chalice one-of-a-kind. The royal wine flowed freely—a generous king!

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.

Contextual Overview

¹ In the days of Assuerus, who reigned from India to Ethiopia over a hundred and twenty seven provinces: ² When he sat on the throne of his kingdom, the city Susan was the capital of his kingdom. ³ Now in the third year of his reign he made a great feast for all the princes, and for his servants, for the most mighty of the Persians, and the nobles of the Medes, and the governors of the provinces in his sight, ⁴ That he might shew the riches of the glory of his kingdom, and the greatness, and boasting of his power, for a long time, to wit, for a hundred and fourscore days. ⁵ And when the days of the feast were expired, he invited all the people that were found in Susan, from the greatest to the least: and commanded a feast to be made seven days in the court of the garden, and of the wood, which was planted by the care and the hand of the king. ⁶ And there were hung up on every side sky coloured, and green, and violet hangings, fastened with cords of silk, and of purple, which were put into rings of ivory, and were held up with marble pillars. The beds also were of gold and silver, placed in order upon a floor paved with porphyry and white marble: which was embellished with painting of wonderful variety. ⁷ And they that were invited, drank in golden cups, and the meats were brought in divers vessels one after another. Wine also in abundance and of the best was presented, as was worthy of a king’s magnificence. ⁸ Neither was there any one to compel them to drink that were not willing, but as the king had appointed, who set over every table one of his nobles, that every man might take what he would. ⁹ Also Vasthi the queen made a feast for the women in the palace, where king Assuerus was used to dwell.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

When he: Isaiah 39:2, Ezekiel 28:5, Daniel 4:30

the riches: Psalms 76:1-4, Psalms 145:5, Psalms 145:12, Psalms 145:13, Daniel 2:37-44, Daniel 7:9-14, Matthew 4:8, Matthew 6:13, Romans 9:23, Ephesians 1:18, Colossians 1:27, Revelation 4:11

excellent: 1 Chronicles 29:11, 1 Chronicles 29:12, 1 Chronicles 29:25, Job 40:10, Psalms 21:5, Psalms 45:3, Psalms 93:1, Daniel 4:36, Daniel 5:18, 2 Peter 1:16, 2 Peter 1:17

Reciprocal: Esther 5:11 - the glory Acts 25:23 - with 1 Thessalonians 2:6 - of men

Cross-References

Genesis 1:10
And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:12
And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:18
And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:25
And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creepeth on the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:31
And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.

Ecclesiastes 2:13
And I saw that wisdom excelled folly, as much as light differeth from darkness.

Ecclesiastes 11:7
The light is sweet, and it is delightful for the eyes to see the sun.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom,.... Xerxes was the fourth king of the Persian monarchy, and was "far richer than all" that went before him, all their riches coming into his hands,

Daniel 11:2, and now that prophecy began to be fulfilled, "that by his strength, through his riches, he should stir up all against the realm of Grecia"; which he began to do in the third year of his reign, and for which these his nobles might be called together, as to have their advice, so to animate them to come in the more readily into the expedition, by showing them the riches he was possessed of; for to none of the kings of Persia does this largeness of riches better belong than to Xerxes:

and the honour of his excellent majesty; the grandeur he lived in, the pomp and splendour of his court; he was the most grand and magnificent of all the kings of the Medes and Persians i:

and this he did many days, even an hundred and fourscore days; to which seven more being added, as in the following verse, it made one hundred and eighty seven, the space of full six months; though some think the feast did not last so long, only seven days, and that the one hundred and eighty days were spent in preparing for it; but the Persian feasts were very long, large, and sumptuous. Dr. Frye k says, this custom of keeping an annual feast one hundred and eighty days still continues in Persia. Cheus l, a Chinese emperor, used frequently to make a feast which lasted one hundred and twenty days; though it cannot be well thought that the same individual persons here were feasted so long, but, when one company was sufficiently treated, they removed and made way for another; and so it continued successively such a number of days as here related, which was six months, or half a year; a year then in use consisting of three hundred and sixty days, as was common with the Jews, and other nations, and so the Persians m.

i Pausan. Laconica, sive, l. 3. p. 165. k Travels, p. 348. apud Patrick in loc. l In Martin. Sinic. Hist. l. 3. p. 78. m Prideaux's Connect. par. 1. p. 197.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Esther 1:4. The riches of his glorious kingdom — Luxury was the characteristic of the Eastern monarchs, and particularly of the Persians. In their feasts, which were superb and of long continuance, they made a general exhibition of their wealth, grandeur, c., and received the highest encomiums from their poets and flatterers. Their ostentation on such occasions passed into a proverb: hence Horace: -

Persicos odi, puer, apparatus:

Displicent nexae philyra coronae

Mitte sectari, rosa quo locorum

Sera moretur.

I tell thee, boy, that I detest

The grandeur of a Persian feast;

Nor for me the linden's rind

Shall the flowery chaplet bind.

Then search not where the curious rose

Beyond his season loitering grows.

FRANCIS.