And Esther said, My petition and my request is this: If I have found favor with the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition and to fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to a dinner that I will give them tomorrow, and then I will do as the king has said, demonstrating Esther's response to the king's offer with another request for a future dinner rather than a revelation of her actual petition. This deferral of her true request to another dinner suggests that Esther is either buying time for some purpose or is building toward a more dramatic revelation that will be more effective if delayed. The repetition of her request for another dinner creates suspense and demonstrates that Esther is exercising strategic control over the timing and manner of her revelation.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

Publish a note on this verse