Esther: A Handbook on the Hebrew Text

by John Screnock, Robert D. Holmstedt

Overview

This handbook in the Baylor Handbook on the Hebrew Bible series provides students of Hebrew with the translation of Esther paired with an exhaustive word by word morphological analysis of the text. Through careful syntactic and textual investigation, Holmstedt and Screnock bring to life one of the most loved biblical books. Esther enables a linguistic understanding of the Old Testament Hebrew text through solid contextual interpretation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781602586789
Publisher:	Baylor University Press
Publication date:	10/01/2015
Series:	Baylor Handbook on the Hebrew Bible
Edition description:	Bilingual
Pages:	303
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John Screnock is the Kennicott Fellow in Hebrew at the University of Oxford.

Robert D. Holmstedt is Associate Professor of Ancient Hebrew and Northwest Semitics at the University of Toronto.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction 1

Part I Esther Becomes Queen of Persia (1:1-2:23)

Episode 1 Vasbti's Downfall (1:1-22) 34

§1 The King's Banquet (1:1-9) 34

§2 Vashti's Removal (1:10-22) 52

Episode 2 Esther is Chosen as Queen (2:1-23) 72

§1 Ahashverosh Seeks a Replacement for Vashti (2.1-4) 72

§2 Esther Wins the King's Favor (2:5-20) 78

§3 Mordecai Saves the King (2:21-23) 106

Part II Haman and Mordecai in Conflict (3:1-7:10)

Episode 1 The Rise of Haman (3:1-15) 111

§1 Hamans Rage against Mordecai and the Jews (3:1-7) 111

§2 Hamans Plot (3:8-15) 122

Episode 2 Mordecai's Response (4:1-17) 137

§ 1 Mordecai and the Jews Lament Haman's Plot (4:1 -3) 137

§ 2 Mordecai Convinces Esther to Intercede (4:4-17) 141

Episode 3 Esthers Plan (5:1-8) 159

§1 Esther Invites the King and Haman to a Banquet (5.1-4) 159

§2 Esther Issues a Second Invitation (5:5-8) 165

Episode 4 Haman's Plan Implodes (5:9-6:14) 168

§1 Haman's Hubris (5:9-14) 168

§2 Mordecai's Fortunes Reversed (6:1-10) 175

§3 The Rise of Mordecai (6:11-14) 187

Episode 5 The End of Haman (7:1-10) 192

§1 Esther's Banquet (7:1-8) 192

§2 Haman's Death (7:9-10) 204

Part III The Jews and the Peoples in Conflict (8:1-9:32)

Episode 1 A Plan to Save the Jews (8:1-17) 207

§1 The King Empowers Mordecai and Esther (8:1-8) 207

§2 The Conter-edict Is Issued (8:9-17) 217

Episode 2 The Jews Prevail (9:1-19) 226

§1 The First Day of Fighting (9:1-10) 226

§2 The Second Day of Fighting (9:1149) 234

Episode 3 The Jews' Victory Commemorated and Reprised (9:20-32) 242

§1 Mordecai Establishes the Festival (9:20-25) 243

§2 The Festival and Lots (Purim) (9:26-28) 248

§3 Esther and Mordecai Confirm the Festival (9:29-32) 251

Part IV Epilogue (10:1-3)

Appendix A Numeral Syntax in Esther 259

Appendix B Bergey's Features for Diachronic Analysis 265

Appendix C Glossary of Linguistic Issues 270

Bibliography 281

Index of Linguistic Issues 293

What People are Saying About This

Screnock and Holmstedt’s thorough analysis of the Hebrew text offers readers an astute study of the linguistic trees that does not lose sight of the textual forest. Students and scholars alike will benefit from their informed comments on the forms and use of the language, and from the connections they make to Esther’s context, composition, and stylistic features.

L. Daniel Hawk

Screnock and Holmstedt’s thorough analysis of the Hebrew text offers readers an astute study of the linguistic trees that does not lose sight of the textual forest. Students and scholars alike will benefit from their informed comments on the forms and use of the language, and from the connections they make to Esther’s context, composition, and stylistic features.

Editorial Reviews

The authors bring the latest linguistic research on diachronic study of the Hebrew Bible, valency, and the relative clause, to name just a few, to an accessible format that serves the novice as well as the expert.

Review of Biblical Literature - Ethan C. Jones

[ Esther] is a helpful guide through the Hebrew text of the book of Esther. Dividing the narrative into four parts, each with its own set of episodes, Screnock and Holmstedt carefully pick their way through the grammar, morphology, and syntax of nearly every clause and phrase of the book.

Expository Times - Kurtis Peters

As an aid to understanding how the Hebrew in the book of Esther functions, and how the linguistic structures contribute to the book’s meaning, this compact volume is worth its weight in gold.

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament - D.W. Rooke

This handy volume, part of the Baylor Handbook on the Hebrew Bible series, offers students of Biblical Hebrew a translation and exhaustive word-by-word morphological analysis of the MT of Esther.

Bulletin for Biblical Research - Gerald A. Klingbeil