In those days King Xerxes sat on his royal throne in the citadel of Susa.
Parallel translations
- WEB in those days, when the King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace,
- KJV That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace,
- NKJV in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel,
- NASB in those days as King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne which was at the citadel in Susa,
- NLT At that time Xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Ahasuerus reigns from his throne in the fortress-capital of Susa (Shushan). The setting establishes the seat of imperial power where the drama unfolds.
Overview
Susa was one of the principal royal cities of the Persian empire, a center of wealth and authority. By placing the action at the throne itself, the narrator signals that great matters of state will turn on events here. Behind the visible splendor of human kingship, the book quietly prepares to display the unseen rule of God, who directs the affairs of kings to protect His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Neh 1:1These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,
- 2 Sam 7:1After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,
- Dan 8:2And in the vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal.
- 1 Kgs 1:46Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.
- Esth 3:15The couriers left, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was in confusion.
- Esth 4:16“Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day, and I and my maidens will fast as you do. After that, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish!”
- Dan 4:4I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace.
- Esth 9:12–15who said to Queen Esther, “In the citadel of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given to you. And what further do you request? It will be fulfilled.”
- Esth 2:3and let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom to assemble all the beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, and let them be given beauty treatments.
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Christ at the center
Though God is never named, his hidden hand preserves the people from whom the Messiah will come — a deliverance 'for such a time as this' that anticipates the open deliverance of Christ.
How Esther 1:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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