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Esther 2:14

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Esther 2:14 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king`s chamberlain, who kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and she were called by name.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king`s chamberlain, who kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and she were called by name.
Esther 2:14 — American Standard Version

Context — Esther 2

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
11And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women`s house, to know how Esther did, and what would become of her.
12Now when the turn of every maiden was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that it had been done to her according to the law for the women twelve months (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, [to wit], six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odors and with the things for the purifying of the women),
13then in this wise came the maiden unto the king: whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king`s house.
14In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king`s chamberlain, who kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and she were called by name.
15Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king`s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her.
16So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, etc.] Or the other apartment of the house of the women, where were kept those the king had made his concubines or secondary wives. Aben Ezra interprets it the second time, and so the Targum by “again”: to the custody of Shaashgaz the king’s chamberlain, which kept the concubines; of which the kings of Persia had a great number; Darius, whom Alexander conquered, had three hundred and sixty f89: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she was called by name; but remained shut up in the house, and might not lie with, nor be married to, another man.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The second house of the women - i. e. Esther returned to the “house of the women,” but not to the same part of it. She became an inmate of the “second house,” or “house of the concubines,” under the superintendence of a distinct officer, Shaashgaz. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“2:14 the second harem: Each woman would spend one night with the king in his bedroom and then live essentially as a widow the rest of her life unless the king remembered her name and called for her. The women in the second harem lived an easy life in a luxurious setting under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“delighted: Est 4:11; Gen 34:19; Deu 21:14; Isa 62:4, Isa 62:5 she were called: Isa 43:1, Isa 45:4 Esther 2:15”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification