Translations
Modern
She would go there in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he delighted in her and summoned her by name.
Traditional
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, which kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name.
Literal
In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second house of the women, into the hand of Shaashgaz the eunuch of the king, keeper of the concubines. She would not come in again to the king, except if the king delighted in her and called for her by name.
Latin
Et quæ intraverat vespere, egrediebatur mane, atque inde in secundas ædes deducebatur, quæ sub manu Susagazi eunuchi erant, qui concubinis regis præsidebat: nec habebat potestatem ad regem ultra redeundi, nisi voluisset rex, et eam venire jussisset ex nomine.
Original
Hebrew
English
She would go there in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he delighted in her and summoned her by name.
Notes
a second harem: Each woman spent one night with the king in his bedroom. After that, she lived like a widow unless the king remembered her name and called for her. The women in the second harem lived comfortably in a luxurious setting under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch.
Theme notes and profiles
People
Shaashgaz: Eunuch in charge of King Ahasuerus' concubines
Glossary
Book of Esther Chamberlain Concubinage, Concubines Family Life and Relations Shaashgaz
Topics
Chamberlain: An officer of a King Lasciviousness: Persian Kings Marriage: Wives Taken by Edict Shaashgaz: A Chamberlain of Ahasuerus