Bible Strands
Esther 5:6
And as they drank their wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The king addresses Esther while drinking wine at the banquet she has prepared, immediately after summoning Haman to join them. This exchange occurs during the first of two banquets Esther hosts.
The words — The Hebrew שְׁאֵלָתֵךְ (she'elatekh) literally means "your petition," paired with the passive verb וְיִנָּתֵן (ve-yi.na.ten), "it may be given," which grammatically frames the grant as already secured.
The thread — The king repeats this identical offer at the second banquet in Esther 7:2, while earlier promising a similar grant in Esther 5:3 and later inquiring again in Esther 9:12.
Why it lands — The text records a royal guarantee extended before any request is made, requiring the reader to observe how a promise operates when the petition remains unspoken.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.
Cross-references
- Esther 7:2 and as they drank their wine on that second day, the king asked once more, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
- Esther 5:3 “What is it, Queen Esther?” the king inquired. “What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given to you.”
- Esther 9:12 who said to Queen Esther, “In the citadel of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given to you. And what further do you request? It will be fulfilled.”