1tnHeb “to drink”; NASB “to drink wine.” The expression is a metaphor for lavish feasting, cf. NRSV “to feast”; KJV “to banquet.”
2tnHeb “If I have found grace in your eyes” (so also in 8:5); TEV “If it please Your Majesty.”
3sn The passive verb (“have been sold”) is noncommittal and nonaccusatory with regard to the king’s role in the decision to annihilate the Jews.
4tc The second occurrence of the Hebrew verb וַיּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”) in the MT should probably be disregarded. The repetition is unnecessary in the context and may be the result of dittography in the MT.
5tnHeb “has so filled his heart”; NAB “who has dared to do this.”
6sn There is great irony here in that the man who set out to destroy all the Jews now finds himself begging for his own life from a Jew.
7tnHeb “for he saw that calamity was determined for him from the king”; NAB “the king had decided on his doom”; NRSV “the king had determined to destroy him.”
8tnHeb “falling”; NAB, NRSV “had (+ just TEV) thrown himself (+ down TEV).”
9tn Heb “where Esther was” (so KJV, NASB). The term “lying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “was reclining.”
10sn Cf. 1:10, where Harbona is one of the seven eunuchs sent by the king to summon Queen Vashti to his banquet.
11tnHeb “fiftycubits.” See the note on this expression in Esth 5:14.