What Does Esther 5:2 Mean in the King James?
And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.
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 sceptre turns favor from a judgment in the king’s gaze into an opening Esther can physically approach.
THE MEANING
Favor is more than being seen kindly: it can become an opening that lets you draw near. The verse holds welcome and approach together, so nearness appears as something made possible and then physically received.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that favor can remain only a private judgment. Here it becomes an outward gesture that changes whether Esther can come near.
THE ROOT
חֵן
ḥēn
GROWS FROM
חנן
ḥ-n-n
Show favor; act graciously.
“favour” in this verse is ḥēn. The root family links favor with the act of showing favor and the quality of being gracious. In this verse, favor takes visible form in the king’s gesture, opening a way for Esther to draw near.
ALSO GROWS
ḥānan: Show favor; act graciously.
חָנַן
This verb gives the noun “favor” an action-shaped sibling: favor is something shown, not only an abstract status.
ḥannûn: Gracious; characterized by favor.
חַנּוּן
This word describes one who shows favor, echoing how the king’s regard becomes a gesture of welcome.
וַתִּקְרַב
wattiqrav
GROWS FROM
קרב
q-r-b
Approach; come near.
“drew near” in this verse is wattiqrav. The same root describes nearness and the act of approaching. Esther does not remain a favorable sight at a distance: the offered sign makes her movement toward the king possible.
ALSO GROWS
qorbān: A drawing-near offering.
קָרְבָּן
This word for an offering comes from the same root, placing Esther’s approach within a word family built around coming near.
qārōv: Near; close, including a close relative.
קָרוֹב
This branch names closeness itself, showing how the root moves between being near and moving toward nearness.
THE PATTERN
Access opens when a gesture of welcome makes nearness possible.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.THE THREAD
But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.Esther’s word for drawing near belongs to קרב (q-r-b), meaning to approach or come near; the Psalm uses the same root for drawing near to God. Esther approaches a sceptre extended in welcome, while the Psalm calls nearness to God good, opening the court scene into a wider language of closeness.
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