And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!”
Parallel translations
- WEB Then the king asked her, “What would you like, queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you even to the half of the kingdom.”
- KJV Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.
- BSB “What is it, Queen Esther?” the king inquired. “What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given to you.”
- ESV And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.”
- NASB Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request? Up to half of the kingdom it shall be given to you.”
- NLT Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
The king asks Esther her wish, offering up to half his kingdom. His extravagant favor opens the door for her plea.
Overview
The king's lavish offer, a stock expression of royal generosity, signals that Esther stands in remarkable favor. Yet she will proceed with care rather than blurting out her request. The moment shows providence opening a path for the deliverance of God's people through patient wisdom.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Mark 6:23He swore to her, “Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”
- Esth 7:2The king said again to Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, “What is your petition, queen Esther? It shall be granted you. What is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.”
- Esth 9:12The king said to Esther the queen, “The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in the citadel of Susa, including the ten sons of Haman; what then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! Now what is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your further request? It shall be done.”
- Esth 5:6The king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.”
- Matt 20:20–22Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling and asking a certain thing of him.
- 1 Kgs 3:5In Gibeon, Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask for what I should give you.”
- Luke 18:41“What do you want me to do?” He said, “Lord, that I may see again.”
- 1 Kgs 2:20Then she said, “I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny you.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 5:3 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.