Esther 7:4

KJV1611 – Modern English

For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to perish. But if we had been sold as slaves, I would have remained silent, although the enemy could not compensate for the king's loss.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

כִּ֤י נִמְכַּ֙רְנוּ֙ אֲנִ֣י וְעַמִּ֔י לְהַשְׁמִ֖יד לַהֲר֣וֹג וּלְאַבֵּ֑ד וְ֠אִלּוּ לַעֲבָדִ֨ים וְלִשְׁפָח֤וֹת נִמְכַּ֙רְנוּ֙ הֶחֱרַ֔שְׁתִּי כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין הַצָּ֛ר שֹׁוֶ֖ה בְּנֵ֥זֶק הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

Transliteration

For nimkarnû I and my ʿammî to lᵊhašmîd to lahărôg and to lᵊʾabbēd; and wᵊʾillû to laʿăḇādîm and to lišpāḥôt nimkarnû I would have heḥĕraštî, for ʾên the ṣār šôweh in bᵊnēzeq the melek.

Grammar Details

• *nimkarnû*: niphal perfect 1st common plural - we have been sold
• *ʿammî*: noun, masculine singular construct + 1st common singular suffix - my people
• *lᵊhašmîd*: preposition + hiphil infinitive construct - to destroy/exterminate
• *lahărôg*: preposition + qal infinitive construct - to kill/slay
• *lᵊʾabbēd*: preposition + piel infinitive construct - to annihilate/destroy
• *wᵊʾillû*: conjunction + conditional particle - but if
• *laʿăḇādîm*: preposition + noun masculine plural - to slaves/servants
• *lišpāḥôt*: preposition + noun feminine plural - to female slaves/servants
• *heḥĕraštî*: hiphil perfect 1st common singular - I would have kept silent
• *ʾên*: particle of negation - there is not
• *ṣār*: noun, masculine singular with definite article - the adversary/enemy
• *šôweh*: qal participle masculine singular - equaling/compensating
• *bᵊnēzeq*: preposition + noun masculine singular construct - in damage to
• *melek*: noun, masculine singular with definite article - the king

Word Meanings

• *lᵊhašmîd*: to destroy/exterminate/annihilate
• *lahărôg*: to kill/slay/murder
• *lᵊʾabbēd*: to destroy/annihilate/cause to perish
• *wᵊʾillû*: but if/yet if/even if
• *ṣār*: enemy/adversary/oppressor
• *šôweh*: equal to/worth/compensating for
• *bᵊnēzeq*: in damage/loss/injury to

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  For my people and I have been sold to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I would have remained silent, because no harm to the king would justify disturbing him in this way."

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  For we are sold, I and my people, to be dtroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's damage.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  for we are solde to be destroyed, to be slayne, and to perishe. And wolde God we were solde to be bondmen and bondwemen, then wolde I holde my tonge, so shulde not the enemye be so hye to the kynges harme.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  For we are solde, I, & my people, to be destroyed, to be slayne and to perish: but if we were solde for seruants, and for handmaides, I woulde haue helde my tongue: although the aduersarie could not recompense the Kings losse.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  For we are solde I and my people to be destroyed, to be slaine, and to perishe: And would God that we were solde to be bondmen and bondwomen, then would I holde my tongue: although the enemie coulde not recompence the kinges losse.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondservants and bondmaids, I had held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's damage.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  for we have been sold, I and my people, to cut off, to slay, and to destroy; and if for men-servants and for maid-servants we had been sold I had kept silent -- but the adversity is not equal to the loss of the king.'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's damage.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's damage.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  For we are given up, I and my people, to destruction and death and to be cut off. If we had been taken as men-servants and women-servants for a price, I would have said nothing, for our trouble is little in comparison with the king's loss.

• World English Bible (2000)

  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondservants and bondmaids, I would have held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's loss."

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  For we have been sold– both I and my people– to destruction and to slaughter and to annihilation! If we had simply been sold as male and female slaves, I would have remained silent, for such distress would not have been sufficient for troubling the king.”

Referenced Verses

• Esth 3:9 : 9 If it pleases the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries.
• Esth 3:13 : 13 And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them as a prey.
• Deut 28:68 : 68 And the LORD shall bring you into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spoke unto you, You shall see it no more again: and there you shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
• Esth 8:11 : 11 By these letters, the king granted the Jews in every city the right to gather and protect themselves, to destroy, to slay, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, along with their little ones and women, and to plunder their possessions.
• Ps 44:22-23 : 22 Yes, for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. 23 Awake, why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise, cast us not off forever.
• Joel 3:6 : 6 The children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem you have sold to the Greeks, that you might remove them far from their border.
• Amos 2:6 : 6 Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes:
• Gen 37:26-28 : 26 And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is it if we kill our brother, and conceal his blood? 27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brothers were content. 28 Then Midianite merchants passed by; and they drew and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
• Josh 9:23 : 23 Now therefore you are cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being servants, woodcutters, and water carriers for the house of my God.
• 1 Sam 22:23 : 23 Stay with me, fear not: for he that seeks my life seeks your life: but with me you shall be safe.
• Neh 5:5 : 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and indeed, we bring into bondage our sons and daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are already in bondage; nor is it in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.
• Esth 4:7-8 : 7 And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and of the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them. 8 Also he gave him a copy of the written decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to show it to Esther and explain it to her, and to charge her to go to the king, to plead with him and make a request before him for her people.
• Esth 7:6 : 6 And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.