Esther 9:8 — Word Study
WLCוְאֵ֧ת׀ פּוֹרָ֛תָא וְאֵ֥ת׀ אֲדַלְיָ֖א וְאֵ֥ת׀ אֲרִידָֽתָא׃
BSAPorathaPôwrâthâʼ△ [son of Haman] AdaliaʼĂdalyâʼ△ [I shall be drawn up of Jah] AridathaʼĂrîydâthâʼ△ [the lion of the decree]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְאֵ֧ת׀ | and the object marker | Conjunction, particle |
| פּוֹרָ֛תָא | Poratha | Noun proper masculine |
| וְאֵ֥ת׀ | and the object marker | Conjunction, particle |
| אֲדַלְיָ֖א | Adalia | Noun proper masculine |
| וְאֵ֥ת׀ | and the object marker | Conjunction, particle |
| אֲרִידָֽתָא׃ | Aridatha | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, |
| KJV | And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, |
| ASV | and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, |
| YLT | and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, |
| WEB | Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, |
| BBE | Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, |
Where they part company is in the rendering of the names — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence consists of a main clause listing the names, with each name presented as a separate noun phrase.
5 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
3 of 6 occur nowhere else in the Old Testament — words chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Esther 9:8
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Execution of Haman's Sonsgenerated
Esther 9:8 recounts the names of Haman's sons who were executed following the decree that allowed the Jews to defend themselves against their enemies. This event marks a significant turning point in the story, as the Jews gain victory over those who sought to destroy them. The context highlights the theme of justice and retribution in the narrative of Esther.
Cross References
The Key Word — פּוֹרָתָא, po.Ra.ta'generated
The name פּוֹרָתָא (Po.Ra.ta') refers to one of Haman's sons. It is a proper noun with one occurrence in the text, indicating a specific individual in the narrative. The name may suggest meanings related to fruitfulness or frustration, reflecting the complexities of Haman's legacy.
As a son of Haman, Poratha represents the consequences of Haman's actions against the Jews, illustrating the theme of divine justice that runs throughout the Book of Esther.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of the verse is straightforward, with a series of noun phrases governed by the conjunction וְ (ve'), which serves as an object marker. The finite verb is implied in the context, as the sentence lists the names of Haman's sons.
The Hebrew word order emphasizes the names of the sons, presenting them in a clear and direct manner, which reflects the narrative style of the Book of Esther.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the names are rendered as φαρδαθα (Phardatha), βαρεα (Barea), and σαρβαξα (Sarvaxa). This choice of words indicates a transliteration of the Hebrew names, preserving their identity while adapting them for a Greek-speaking audience.
The Septuagint's word choice does not alter the meaning of the names but provides a Greek equivalent that would be recognizable to its readers.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Esther 9:8 lists the names of three sons of Haman: Poratha, Adalia, and Aridatha. These names are part of the account of the Jews' victory over their enemies, showing the consequences for Haman's family.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The verse mentions Poratha, Adalia, and Aridatha, who were executed along with their brothers as part of the retribution against Haman's lineage.
Poratha may mean 'fruitfulness' or 'frustration', reflecting the complex legacy of Haman.
This verse highlights the theme of justice as the Jewish people defend themselves and execute the sons of their enemy, Haman.
All translations on this page agree on the names listed, presenting them uniformly without variation.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What do the names of Haman's sons tell us about the consequences of his actions?
- How does the theme of justice in Esther resonate with other stories in the Bible?
- In what ways can we see the impact of one's legacy on future generations?
- How does this passage encourage us to reflect on our own actions and their potential consequences?
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Esther 9:8 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men. No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Esther 9 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsEsther 9:7 And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, Ver. 7-9. And Parshandatha, and Dalphon … and Vajezatha] This Vajezatha was the youngest, but most malicious of them all against the Jews, as their doctors guess and gather from the little Zain and great Vau found in his name.
Read John Trapp on Esther 9 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(7-9) The names of the ten sons of Haman are, except Adalia, all readily traceable to old Persian roots. It may be noted that in a Hebrew Bible the ten names are written vertically, one under the other, in a column; and the Targum or Chaldee paraphrase says that the ten sons were hanged one above the other at fixed distances.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Esther 9 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and CollegesChap. Esther 9:1-10. Overthrow of the Jews’ enemies The story, omitting the intermediate months of preparation, now passes to the date fixed by the decree for the Jews’ overthrow.
Read Cambridge on Esther 9 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible7-9. Parshandatha… Vajezatha — These names of Haman’s ten sons are written in Hebrew MSS. in perpendicular columns, and it is said that the reader in the synagogue is required to pronounce them all at one breath.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Esther 9 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
Tyndale line
And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
Strictly literal
and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
And Poratha, and Adalya, and Aridatha,
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
From the Latin
And Phoratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
Simplified
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the names listed in this verse, with the Septuagint providing a direct correspondence to the Hebrew names. There are no variations in the names themselves, indicating a consistent transmission of this part of the text.
וְאֵ֧ת׀ פּוֹרָ֛תָא וְאֵ֥ת׀ אֲדַלְיָ֖א וְאֵ֥ת׀ אֲרִידָֽתָא׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Esther 9:8
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HC/To — Conjunction · particleHC/To
פּוֹרָתָא (Powratha') refers to Poratha, a man mentioned in the context of the Book of Esther. He is identified as one of the ten sons of Haman, the antagonist of Mordecai and Esther. The name may mean 'fruitfulness' or 'frustration.' Poratha is noted specifically in Est. 9:8.
פּוֹרָתָא n.pr.m. son of Haman Est 9:8
ref
H6334 פּוֹרָתָא
6334 Powratha' po-raw-thaw'
of Persian origin; Poratha, a son of Haman:--Poratha.
פּוֹרָתָא (po.ra.ta) — Poratha.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Est.9.8;
son of: Haman (H2001);
brother of: Parshandatha (H6577), Dalphon (H1813), Aspatha (H0630), Adalia (H0118), Aridatha (H0743), Parmashta (H6534), Arisai (H0747), Aridai (H0742) and Vaizatha (H2055)
§ Poratha = "fruitfulness" or "frustration"
one of the ten sons of Haman, the enemy of Mordecai and Esther
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
po-ra'-tha, por'-a-tha (pora-tha'): One of the sons of Haman (Es 9:8). The etymology is uncertain; perhaps from the Persian purdata, "given by fate."
one of the ten sons of Haman slain by the Jews in Shushan the palace. (Esther 9:8)
fruitful
→ Son of Haman Es 9:8
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HC/To — Conjunction · particleHC/To
אֲדַלְיָא (Adalya) is a Hebrew name of Persian origin, referring to a man mentioned in the context of the Exile and Return, specifically as the fifth son of Haman in the book of Esther (Est. 9:8). The name is interpreted to mean "I shall be drawn up of Jah."
אֲדַלְיָא n.pr.m. 5th son of Haman Est 9:8 (Pers.?).
done
H118 אֲדַלְיָא
118 'Adalya' ad-al-yaw'
of Persian derivation; Adalja, a son of Haman:--Adalia.
אֲדַלְיָא (a.dal.ya) — Adalia.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Est.9.8;
son of: Haman (H2001);
brother of: Parshandatha (H6577), Dalphon (H1813), Aspatha (H0630), Poratha (H6334), Aridatha (H0743), Parmashta (H6534), Arisai (H0747), Aridai (H0742) and Vaizatha (H2055)
§ Adalia = "I shall be drawn up of Jah"
fifth son of Haman, executed at same time
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
a-da-li'-a ('adhalya', probably a Persian name, meaning unknown): One of the ten sons of Haman who were put to death by the Jews (Es 9:8).
(a fire-god), the fifth son of Haman. (Esther 9:8)
→ Son of Haman Es 9:8
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HC/To — Conjunction · particleHC/To
אֲרִידָ֑תָא (Ariydatha) is a name of Persian origin, referring to a son of Haman, mentioned in Esther 9:8. He is noted to have several brothers, all sons of Haman. The name is interpreted as meaning 'the lion of the decree.'
אֲרִידָ֑תָא n.pr.m. a son of Haman Est 9:8
ref
H743 אֲרִידָ֑תָא
743 'Ariydatha' ar-ee-daw-thaw'
of Persian origin; Aridatha, a son of Haman:--Aridatha.
אֲרִידָ֑תָא (a.ri.da.ta) — Aridatha.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Est.9.8;
son of: Haman (H2001);
brother of: Parshandatha (H6577), Dalphon (H1813), Aspatha (H0630), Poratha (H6334), Adalia (H0118), Parmashta (H6534), Arisai (H0747), Aridai (H0742) and Vaizatha (H2055)
§ Aridatha = "the lion of the decree"
a son of Haman
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
ar-i-da'-tha, a-rid'-a-tha ('aridhatha'): A son of Haman (Es 9:8). It may be related to the Persian Hari-data, "given by Hari." The Septuagint reads Pharadatha.
sixth son of Haman. (Esther 9:8)
→ Son of Haman Es 9:8