What Does Esther 2:4 Mean in the King James?

And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.

Esther 2:4 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

THE KEY

The same root marks both the maiden as pleasing in the king’s eyes and the proposal as pleasing to him, making his judgment the hinge between her selection and her appointment.

THE MEANING

The maiden who is pleasing in the king’s eyes is chosen to take Vashti’s place. The proposal is pleasing to him too, and he acts on that approval. The choice and its outcome remain under the king’s authority.

THE ROOT

תִּיטַב

tîṭab

GROWS FROM

יטב

y-t-b

To be good or pleasing; in another form, to do good or make good.

“pleaseth” in this verse is tîṭab. The verse uses this root first for the maiden who is pleasing in the king’s eyes, then for the proposal that is pleasing to him. That repetition links his judgment of her with his approval of the arrangement, while the root also carries the broader sense of what is good.

ALSO GROWS

tîṭab: She is good or pleasing.

תִּיטַב

This form describes the maiden by how she appears in the king’s eyes.

hêṭîb: To do good or make good.

הֵיטִיב

This form shows the root extending from what seems good to the act of making or doing good.

hêṭēv: Well or thoroughly.

הֵיטֵב

This form carries the root’s sense of goodness into the manner in which something is done.

THE PATTERN

A judgment of what is good becomes consequential when it is followed by action.

And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:

Esther 1:21 · KJVThe king’s approval is followed directly by his carrying out the proposal.

And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

Genesis 41:37 · KJVWhat is judged good in Pharaoh’s eyes becomes the basis for the appointment that follows.

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Luke 12:32 · KJVThe Father’s pleasure takes shape as the act of giving.

THE THREAD

And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:

Esther 1:21 · KJV

The same Hebrew root for what is pleasing appears in both verses. Esther 1:21 makes the sequence explicit: what pleases the king becomes what he does, a pattern repeated in the choice made here.

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