The king said to Queen Esther, "The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman at the citadel in Susa. What then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces! Now what is your petition? It shall even be granted you. And what is your further request? It shall also be done."It may just be me, but this feels a little bit whiny in my mental ear. It sounds like he's almost bemoaning how aggressive the Jews have been. They've killed hundreds in his capitol, so how bad has it been elsewhere in the kingdom? This is a terrible loss of life! How could they be so harsh?
Then he goes on to ask Esther what else she wants. In combination, it's almost like she asking what more it would take to please her. She's had thousands killed. What's next? More needless death and suffering? Or is her bloodlust satisfied?
In reality, I doubt this was the feeling the king had. More likely, he was satisfied that the enemies of his wife's people were dealt with, and that a potential hostility and rift in his kingdom had been decisively dealt with. What more would be needed to make her people safe?
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