Esther 2:4

4 Then let the girl who best pleases the king be made queen in place of Vashti." The king liked this advice and took it.

Esther 2:4 Meaning and Commentary

Esther 2:4

And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead
of Vashti
Have the royal estate, that was taken from Vashti, given to her, the crown royal set on her head and the thing pleased the king, and he did so;
appointed officers in all his provinces to seek out the most beautiful virgins, and bring them to his palace; so with the Chinese now, the king never marries with any of his kindred, though ever so remote; but there is sought throughout his kingdom a damsel of twelve or fourteen years, of perfect beauty, good natural parts, and well inclined to virtue; whence, for the most part, the queen is the daughter of some artisan; and in their history F5, mention is made of one that was the daughter of a mason.


FOOTNOTES:

F5 Semedo's History of China, part 1. ch. 23.

Esther 2:4 In-Context

2 the king's young attendants stepped in and got the ball rolling: "Let's begin a search for beautiful young virgins for the king.
3 Let the king appoint officials in every province of his kingdom to bring every beautiful young virgin to the palace complex of Susa and to the harem run by Hegai, the king's eunuch who oversees the women; he will put them through their beauty treatments.
4 Then let the girl who best pleases the king be made queen in place of Vashti." The king liked this advice and took it.
5 Now there was a Jew who lived in the palace complex in Susa. His name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish - a Benjaminite.
6 His ancestors had been taken from Jerusalem with the exiles and carried off with King Jehoiachin of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon into exile.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.