Bible Strands
Esther 9:11
On that day the number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator reports the casualty count to King Ahasuerus immediately following the Jews' defense in Susa. This administrative update occurs before Queen Esther receives the king’s second petition request.
The words — The Hebrew phrase מִסְפַּר הֲרוּגִים (mis.par ha.ru.gim) literally renders as “the number of those killed.” This technical term for a casualty count grounds the narrative in administrative record-keeping.
The thread — This verse continues the chapter’s focus on documenting the scale of the Jews’ defensive warfare in the royal provinces. The pattern of tallying the dead and noting the absence of plunder appears in the surrounding verses of Esther 9.
Why it lands — The text demands attention to the precise accounting of violence rather than emotional reaction. It asks the reader to recognize how royal bureaucracy processes the aftermath of communal defense.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king.