Esther 5:3

3 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!”

Esther 5:3 Meaning and Commentary

Esther 5:3

Then said the king unto her, what wilt thou, Queen Esther?
&c.] He supposed she had some business with him, some suit to make to him, by her coming in this manner:

and what is thy request?
signifying he was ready to grant it, be it what it would:

it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom;
as it was usual with the Persian kings to give their wives cities for certain purposes, (See Gill on Esther 2:18), here Ahasuerus, out of his great affection to Esther, offers half of his dominions, his one hundred and twenty seven provinces; meaning that he would grant her anything, and everything that was reasonable, and even magnificent; it is an hyperbolical and courtly way of speaking, and which has been used in later times, and in other countries; see ( Mark 6:23 ) .

Esther 5:3 In-Context

1 On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance.

2 When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.

3 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!”

4 And Esther replied, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.”

5 The king turned to his attendants and said, “Tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet, as Esther has requested.” So the king and Haman went to Esther’s banquet.