Esther 8:16

Paleo Hebrew Niqqud

RBT Hebrew Interlinear:

ליהודים לַיְּהוּדִ֕ים

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ל

lə

Definition

to, for

Root

A primitive particle; a prefix

Exhaustive

(lamed) — to / toward / for

Core value: orientation, directionality, belonging
ל is often mistranslated as purpose (“in order to”), but that smuggles in future-time. In reality, ל marks:
- movement toward,
- dedication unto,
- reference with respect to.
Aonically, ל is vectorial, not teleological.
not “for the sake of a future outcome”
but “oriented toward a locus or pole.”
This is why possession (“belongs to”) and motion (“toward”) use the same preposition: both indicate relational alignment, not time.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

יהודי

Yᵉhûwdîy

Definition

a Jehudite (i.e. Judaite or Jew), or descendant of Jehudah (i.e. Judah)

Root

patronymically from H3063 (יהודה);

Exhaustive

patronymically from יהודה; a Jehudite (i.e. Judaite or Jew), or descendant of Jehudah (i.e. Judah); Jew.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H3064

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

יְהוּדִי

gent. m. • Strongs / High • Page 589

A member of the kingdom of Judah, a Judahite. In the post-exile sense, a Jew, one who professes Judaism.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

יְהוּדִי

gentile noun / adjective • Root יהודה • Page 275

A Jew or Jewess, one belonging to the tribe of Judah; a citizen of the kingdom of Judah; or after the captivity, an Israelite or Hebrew generally.

Preposition -For/Into Art, Noun gentilic masculine plural absolute

LXX: ιουδαίουσ ιουδαῖοι ιουδαίοισ ιουδαίων ---

LXX Usage Statistics

H3064:

ιουδαίουσ 14× (15.6%)

ιουδαῖοι 13× (13.7%)

ιουδαίοισ 12× (13.0%)

ιουδαίων 9× (9.8%)

--- 8× (10.5%)

'' 7× (7.8%)

ιουδαίων 4× (4.5%)

αὐτούσ 2× (2.6%)

ιουδα 2× (2.6%)

ιουδαῖοσ 2× (2.4%)

היתה הָיְתָה

she has become

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

היה

hâyâh

Definition

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

Root

a primitive root (compare H1933 (הוא));

Exhaustive

a primitive root (compare הוא); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary); beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H1961

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

הָיָה

verb • Root היה • Strongs / High • Page 397

To be, to exist, to live, to become. A substantive verb used to unite a subject and predicate. It can also mean to happen, to arise, or to belong to. Used in a wide variety of grammatical constructions.

הָיָה

verb • Root היה • Strongs / High • Page 591

To be, to become, to exist. The common Hebrew verb for 'to be', considered the root of the divine name.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

הַיָּה

noun feminine • Page 185

Keri הַוָּה suffering, calamity. Job 6: 2; 30: 13.

הָיָה

verb • Page 184

1. To be (Ex. 20:3, Num. 10:31, etc.); 2. to become (Ex. 4:4, Hos. 3:3, etc.); 3. to happen (Is. 19:15).

Verb Qal perfect third person feminine singular

LXX: ἔσται ἐγένετο ἦν ἐγενήθη ἔσονται

LXX Usage Statistics

H1961:

ἔσται 827× (22.9%)

ἐγένετο 634× (16.8%)

ἦν 280× (7.9%)

ἐγενήθη 215× (5.8%)

ἔσονται 160× (4.5%)

ἦσαν 134× (3.8%)

ἐγένοντο 83× (2.3%)

'' 74× (1.9%)

--- 73× (2.2%)

εἶναι 67× (1.7%)

אורה אוֹרָה

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

אורה

ʼôwrâh

Definition

luminousness, i.e. (figuratively) prosperity; also a plant (as being bright)

Root

feminine of H216 (אור);

Exhaustive

feminine of אור; luminousness, i.e. (figuratively) prosperity; also a plant (as being bright); herb, light.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H219

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

אוֹרָה

noun feminine • Root אור • Strongs_Numbers • Page 83

a green, blooming plant, a sprout, verdure. Used of fresh verdure, gathering herbs, and (giving) dew of herbs.

אוֹרָה

noun feminine • Strongs_Numbers • Page 85

1. light; 2. figuratively prosperity, welfare

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

אוֹרָה

noun feminine • Root אור • Page 34

Light (Ps. 139:12). Figuratively used for happiness (Est. 8:16). In plural form (אוֹרוֹת), it refers to herbs or vegetables (2 K. 4:39).

Noun common feminine singular absolute

LXX:

LXX Usage Statistics

H0219a:

No stats available

ושמחה וְשִׂמְחָה

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ו

wə

Definition

and

Root

From H8505; a prefix

Exhaustive

The conjunctive ו is not merely a fixed coordinator with a stable semantic value (“and/but/or/then”). Its core function is linkage, not meaning. It binds units into a single discourse field—phrases, clauses, or whole scenes—while leaving the logical relation to be inferred from aspect, word order, genre, and context.

So the variability in translation (“and / but / or / even / then”) is not polyvalence in the particle; it is underspecification by design. The language expects the reader/hearer to perceive the relation rather than have it encoded.

Crucially, conjunctive ו does not imply temporal sequence. It implies continuity of attention. Think of it as:
- “this belongs with what precedes,”
- “remain within the same frame,”
“do not reset the discourse.”
This is why Hebrew can chain dozens of clauses with ו without subordination or explicit logic markers. The text advances by accumulation, not by branching syntactic trees. Meaning arises from the interaction:
- Aspect (qatal / yiqtol / participle),
- Position (fronted elements, resumptive nouns),
- Genre (law, narrative, oracle),
- Context (who speaks, to whom).
The ו simply keeps the circuit closed so these cues can operate together. Remove tense assumptions, and the system becomes coherent.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

שמחה

simchâh

Definition

blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival)

Root

from H8056 (שמח);

Exhaustive

from שמח; blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival); [idiom] exceeding(-ly), gladness, joy(-fulness), mirth, pleasure, rejoice(-ing).

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H8057

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

שִׂמְחָה

noun feminine • Strongs / High • Page 1446

1. joy, gladness. Also shouts of rejoicing, songs, or praise aloud with joy. 2. festivity, festive banquet. 3. the name of a musical instrument.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

שִׂמְחָה

f. verbal • Root שמח • Page 641

1. joy, rejoicing. 1 K. 1: 40. 2. festivity, mirth. Prov. 21: 17. 3. a loud shout, a joyful acclamation. Neh. 12: 43. Gen. 31: 27.

Conjunction, Noun common feminine singular absolute

LXX: εὐφροσύνη εὐφροσύνησ εὐφροσύνῃ εὐφροσύνην μετ'

LXX Usage Statistics

H8057:

εὐφροσύνη 20× (21.3%)

εὐφροσύνησ 16× (16.6%)

εὐφροσύνῃ 15× (14.4%)

εὐφροσύνην 12× (12.9%)

μετ' 3× (3.5%)

χαρὰ 2× (2.3%)

χαρὰν 2× (2.1%)

ἀγαλλίαμα 2× (2.0%)

וששן וְשָׂשֹׂן

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ו

wə

Definition

and

Root

From H8505; a prefix

Exhaustive

The conjunctive ו is not merely a fixed coordinator with a stable semantic value (“and/but/or/then”). Its core function is linkage, not meaning. It binds units into a single discourse field—phrases, clauses, or whole scenes—while leaving the logical relation to be inferred from aspect, word order, genre, and context.

So the variability in translation (“and / but / or / even / then”) is not polyvalence in the particle; it is underspecification by design. The language expects the reader/hearer to perceive the relation rather than have it encoded.

Crucially, conjunctive ו does not imply temporal sequence. It implies continuity of attention. Think of it as:
- “this belongs with what precedes,”
- “remain within the same frame,”
“do not reset the discourse.”
This is why Hebrew can chain dozens of clauses with ו without subordination or explicit logic markers. The text advances by accumulation, not by branching syntactic trees. Meaning arises from the interaction:
- Aspect (qatal / yiqtol / participle),
- Position (fronted elements, resumptive nouns),
- Genre (law, narrative, oracle),
- Context (who speaks, to whom).
The ו simply keeps the circuit closed so these cues can operate together. Remove tense assumptions, and the system becomes coherent.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

ששון

sâsôwn

Definition

cheerfulness; specifically, welcome

Root

or ששן; from H7797 (שוש);

Exhaustive

or ששן; from שוש; cheerfulness; specifically, welcome; gladness, joy, mirth, rejoicing.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H8342

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

שָׂשׂוֹן

noun masculine • Root שוש • Strongs / High • Page 1489

joy; coupled with gladness; oil of joy used for anointing at festive banquets.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

שָׂשׂוֹן

m. const. שְׂשׂוֹן • Root שוש • Page 646

joy, gladness, usually joined with שִׂמְחָה. (Is. 22: 13. 35: 10. 51: 3, 11; Ps. 45: 8. Is. 61: 3).

Conjunction, Noun common both singular absolute

LXX: εὐφροσύνην εὐφροσύνησ χαρᾶσ χαρὰν ἀγαλλίασιν

LXX Usage Statistics

H8342:

εὐφροσύνην 4× (17.3%)

εὐφροσύνησ 3× (13.5%)

χαρᾶσ 2× (9.0%)

χαρὰν 2× (8.3%)

ἀγαλλίασιν 2× (8.3%)

ἀγαλλίαμα 2× (7.7%)

εὐφροσύνη 2× (7.7%)

αἴνεσισ 2× (7.0%)

ויקר וִיקָר׃

and value/honor

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ו

wə

Definition

and

Root

From H8505; a prefix

Exhaustive

The conjunctive ו is not merely a fixed coordinator with a stable semantic value (“and/but/or/then”). Its core function is linkage, not meaning. It binds units into a single discourse field—phrases, clauses, or whole scenes—while leaving the logical relation to be inferred from aspect, word order, genre, and context.

So the variability in translation (“and / but / or / even / then”) is not polyvalence in the particle; it is underspecification by design. The language expects the reader/hearer to perceive the relation rather than have it encoded.

Crucially, conjunctive ו does not imply temporal sequence. It implies continuity of attention. Think of it as:
- “this belongs with what precedes,”
- “remain within the same frame,”
“do not reset the discourse.”
This is why Hebrew can chain dozens of clauses with ו without subordination or explicit logic markers. The text advances by accumulation, not by branching syntactic trees. Meaning arises from the interaction:
- Aspect (qatal / yiqtol / participle),
- Position (fronted elements, resumptive nouns),
- Genre (law, narrative, oracle),
- Context (who speaks, to whom).
The ו simply keeps the circuit closed so these cues can operate together. Remove tense assumptions, and the system becomes coherent.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

יקר

yᵉqâr

Definition

value, i.e. (concretely) wealth; abstractly, costliness, dignity

Root

from H3365 (יקר);

Exhaustive

from יקר; value, i.e. (concretely) wealth; abstractly, costliness, dignity; honour, precious (things), price.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H3366

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

יְקָר

noun • Root יקר • Strongs / High • Page 640

A derivative of יָקַר. dear, splendid, shining, distinguished, honourable, composed, meek, mild.

יְקָר

noun masculine • Root יקר • Strongs / High • Page 641

Preciousness, treasure, dignity, honour, splendour, costliness, high position, riches.

יְקָר

verb intransitive • Root יקר • Strongs / High • Page 641

Aramaic intransitive verb, equivalent to the Hebrew verb יָקַר.

יְקָר

noun masculine • Root יקר • Strongs / High • Page 641

Aramaic: riches, treasures, dignity, authority.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

יְקָר

m. chald. • Page 295

1. costly things (Dan. 2:6). 2. honour, majesty (Dan. 2:37; 4:27, 33).

Conjunction, Noun common both singular absolute

LXX: δοξάσαι ἀγαπᾷ --- '' τιμῇ

LXX Usage Statistics

H3366:

δοξάσαι 4× (18.3%)

ἀγαπᾷ 2× (9.1%)

--- 2× (9.1%)

'' 2× (7.8%)

τιμῇ 2× (7.8%)

δόξαν 2× (7.8%)

RBT Translation:

No verse found

RBT Paraphrase:
No verse found

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
There was to the Jews light and gladness and joy and honor. 17And in every province and province, and in every city and city, the place where the word of the king and his edict coming, gladness and joy to the Jews, a drinking and a good day. And many peoples of the land becoming Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

LITV Translation:
For the Jews it was light and gladness and joy and honor.

Brenton Septuagint Translation:
And the Jews had light and gladness,