chapter 8 The Chapter and Section Divisions in Esther

The purpose of this study is to examine how the content of a biblical book is divided with different types of divisions. We chose the little book of Esther for this purpose because of its small size (10 chapters), focusing on the subjec- tive aspects of these divisions. No ancient fragments of Esther have been found among the texts in the Judean Desert or elsewhere, and as a result the discus- sion focuses on the medieval manuscripts, some modern editions, and some commentaries.

1 Chapter Divisions

The chapter division of the Bible derives from the Middle Ages,1 and since it was applied first to the Vulgate and only secondarily to Hebrew sources, its logic is detached from the traditional Jewish section division. In order to present the chapter divisions, we start the analysis with the lucid presentation of the content of the book in a modern commentary, viz., that by Omanson–Noss.2 Like most other scholars, Omanson–Noss reckon with a larger number of units than the ten traditional chapters. Adapted to the traditional chapter structure, the topics of the chapters would be as follows according to Omanson–Noss. Focusing on the logic of the chapter division in Esther, we consider it gen- erally to be meaningful, consisting of a number of units in each chapter, as elsewhere in Scripture. The chapter divisions in Tables 1 and 2 are unprob- lematic in most instances, the only questionable aspect being the transition between chapters 6 and 7. Omanson–Noss transferred the last verse of chapter

1 The division into chapters was established around 1204–1205 by Archbishop Stephen Langton from Canterbury, England (who also lectured at the University of Paris), probably on the basis of divisions accredited to an earlier Archbishop, Lanfranc (died 1089). The earliest manuscript containing the division of Bishop Langton is the Paris manuscript of the Vulgate from the thirteenth century. From the Vulgate, this division was transferred to the manuscripts and editions of the Hebrew Bible. See J.H.A. van Banning, s.j., “Reflections upon the Chapter Divisions of Stephan Langton,” in Method in Unit Delimitation (ed. M.J. Korpel et al.; Pericope 6; Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2007), 141–161. 2 R.L. Omanson & P.A. Noss, A Handbook on the Book of Esther, The Hebrew and Greek Texts (ubs Handbook Series, New York: American Bible Society, 1997).

© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2015 | doi: 10.1163/9789004285569_009 the chapter and section divisions in esther 103 table 1 Meaningful units in Esther according to Omanson–Noss

Chapters Omanson–Noss

1 Vashti’s disobedience and the result 2 Esther becomes queen 3 Mordecai brings down Haman’s anger upon himself and his people 4 Mordecai asks for Esther’s help 5:1–8 Esther’s first banquet invitation 5:9–14 Haman plots to kill Mordecai 6:1–13 Mordecai is honored; Haman is humiliated 6:14–7:10 Esther’s second banquet invitation 8:1–2 The king promotes Mordecai 8:3–17 Esther and Mordecai arrange for the Jews to be saved 9:1–10 The first victory of the Jews over their enemies 9:11–19 The second victory of the Jews over their enemies 9:20–28 Mordecai established the festival of Purim 9:29–32 Esther’s regulation for the festival of Purim 10:1–3 The greatness of Xerxes and Mordecai.

6 (6:14 “While they were still speaking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurriedly brought Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.”) to the next chapter, so that their “chapter 7” starts with 6:14. What is at stake is whether the hurried bringing of Haman to the banquet in this verse was meant to heighten the tension and the suspense as a continuation of the last episode of chapter 6 describing Haman’s chances to overcome Mordecai, or whether this verse is meant to introduce the story of chapter 7. In a way, this verse serves both purposes, and the continuous text, as in the manuscripts, best represents the story as intended by the author. The first verse of chapter 7 (“So the king and Haman came to feast with Queen Esther.”) is based on 6:14, so that the sugges- tion of Omanson–Noss may be preferable to the chapter division. On the other hand, the pronominal suffix in the phrase “While they were still speaking with him” (beginning of 6:14), should not be detached from the persons to whom the phrase referred to in the preceding verses in chapter 6. In that case the tradi- tional chapter division should be preferred to the perception of Omanson–Noss based on the nab and tev.3 In short, there is no clear-cut solution regarding the dividing line between chapters 6 and 7 (see further below).

3 nab; Good News Bible, The Bible in Today’s English Version (New York: American Bible Society,