Esther 5:3

3 Then the king said to her, "What is it, Queen Esther? What do you want? I'll give you anything—even 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 Three days later, Esther put on royal clothes and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace, facing the palace itself. At that moment the king was inside sitting on his royal throne and facing the palace doorway.

2 When the king noticed Queen Esther standing in the entry court, he was pleased. The king held out to Esther the gold scepter in his hand, and she came forward and touched the scepter's tip.

3 Then the king said to her, "What is it, Queen Esther? What do you want? I'll give you anything—even half the kingdom."

4 Esther answered, "If the king wishes, please come today with Haman for the feast that I have prepared for him."

5 "Hurry, get Haman," the king ordered, "so we can do what Esther says." So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared.