OET interlinear EST 3:7

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: translate-ordinal

בַּ⁠חֹ֤דֶשׁ הָ⁠רִאשׁוֹן֙

in/on/at/with,month the,first

Alternate translation: “In month one”

Note 2 topic: translate-hebrewmonths

הוּא־חֹ֣דֶשׁ נִיסָ֔ן

he/it month Nisan

Nisan is the name of the first month of the Hebrew calendar.

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

חֹ֣דֶשׁ נִיסָ֔ן

month Nisan

As in 2:16, you could convert the Hebrew month into an approximate time on the calendar that your culture uses. However, the Jews used a lunar calendar, so if you use a solar calendar, the dates will be different every year and the translation will not be quite accurate. So you may just want to give the Hebrew month.

Note 4 topic: translate-ordinal

בִּ⁠שְׁנַת֙ שְׁתֵּ֣ים עֶשְׂרֵ֔ה לַ⁠מֶּ֖לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֑וֹשׁ

in=year two/dual teen to/for=the_king ʼAḩashəvērōshz

Alternate translations: “during the twelfth year of the reign of Ahasuerus as king of Persia” or “when King Ahasuerus had reigned for about twelve years”

Note 5 topic: translate-names

הִפִּ֣יל פּוּר֩ ה֨וּא הַ⁠גּוֹרָ֜ל

throw pur he/it the,lot

The storyteller is giving both the Persian and the Hebrew name because this is the story behind the Festival of Purim, which takes its name from “Pur.” So this is not repetition for emphasis. You can put in the Persian name and the word for “lot” in your own language to show that the storyteller is doing this.

Note 6 topic: translate-unknown

הַ⁠גּוֹרָ֜ל

the,lot

A lot was an object with different markings on various sides that was used, most likely by dropping it on the ground, to select a specific time for doing something. The belief was that God or the gods would control which way the object fell, thus guiding the selection process and granting favor to the action if it were done on the date chosen.

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

הִפִּ֣יל פּוּר֩

throw pur

You can say this with an active form, and you can say who did the action. You can say, for example, “Haman had his servants cast a Pur.”

Note 8 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

הִפִּ֣יל פּוּר֩

throw pur

If it would be helpful in your language, you could put this information first because it explains the rest of what happens in this verse.

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

לִ⁠פְנֵ֣י הָמָ֗ן

to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before Haman

Here, face represents the presence of a person. In this context, the phrase means that Haman was physically present when the lot was cast. Alternate translation: “as Haman watched”

מִ⁠יּ֧וֹם ׀ לְ⁠י֛וֹם וּ⁠מֵ⁠חֹ֛דֶשׁ לְ⁠חֹ֥דֶשׁ

for,day for,day and,on,month of,month

This expression means that the lot was cast to select a particular day of the month and a particular month of the year.

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

מִ⁠יּ֧וֹם ׀ לְ⁠י֛וֹם וּ⁠מֵ⁠חֹ֛דֶשׁ לְ⁠חֹ֥דֶשׁ

for,day for,day and,on,month of,month

Haman was casting the lot to determine the best day and the best month to kill the Jews. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: “to determine the best day and the best month to kill the Jews”

Note 11 topic: translate-hebrewmonths

שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֖ר הוּא־חֹ֥דֶשׁ אֲדָֽר

two ten he/it month Adar

Adar is the name of the twelfth and last month of the Hebrew calendar. This name occurs several times in the story. Be sure to translate it consistently.

שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֖ר הוּא־חֹ֥דֶשׁ אֲדָֽר

two ten he/it month Adar

See how you decided in 2:16 and the first part of this verse to represent the dates that are given in the Hebrew calendar in the book of Esther. Be consistent.

Note 12 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֖ר הוּא־חֹ֥דֶשׁ אֲדָֽר

two ten he/it month Adar

This means that the lot indicated the twelfth month of that year as the time for Haman to carry out his plan. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this explicitly. (The day that was chosen is reported in verse 13.) Alternate translation: “the lot indicated the twelfth month, the month of Adar, as the best month to kill the Jews”

Note 13 topic: translate-ordinal

שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֖ר

two ten

Alternative translation: “month twelve” or “the twelfth month”