In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, which kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name.

ESTHER 2:14KJV
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Esther 2:14 (KJV)

What does Esther 2:14 mean?

Esther 2:14 describes how each young woman who went to see King Ahasuerus in the evening would return the next morning to a different part of the palace, under the care of Shaashgaz, who was responsible for the king’s concubines. After this visit, a woman would not see the king again unless he especially remembered her and asked for her by name.

This verse is part of the story where many young women are brought before the king as he searches for a new queen. The verse explains the process and rules for these women: after their night with the king, they moved from the main group of women to a separate house for concubines, showing a clear distinction in their status. Only if the king took special pleasure in one of them would she be called back again.

The Hebrew behind Esther 2:14

  • שֵׁנִי (sheniy, "second"): This word refers to the "second house of the women," making it clear there was a separate, secondary place for those who had already seen the king. This highlights the structured and hierarchical nature of the king’s household.
  • שַׁעַשְׁגַּז (Shaashgaz): The name of the official in charge of the concubines. Mentioning him by name shows the importance and organization of the royal court.
  • פִּילֶגֶשׁ (pilegesh, "concubines"): This term means women who were not wives but still had a recognized relationship with the king. It clarifies that after their visit, these women were no longer considered potential queens but were instead moved to a different status.
  • קָרָא (qara, "called") and שֵׁם (shem, "name"): The verse says a woman would only return to the king if he "called her by name," emphasizing that only the king’s personal choice could bring her back, not her own wishes or status.

Why Esther 2:14 matters

  • Esther 2:14 clarifies the strict and impersonal process by which women were brought before the king, showing how little control they had over their own futures.
  • The verse highlights the separation between those who were still candidates to be queen and those who became concubines, which helps explain the stakes and risks for Esther herself.
  • Understanding this process gives more depth to Esther’s unique situation and the courage it took for her to approach the king later in the story, since most women would never see him again unless specifically summoned.

Where else these words appear

“concubines” Hebrew H6370 · used in 35 verses

  • Genesis 22:24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.
  • Judges 19:27 And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.
  • 2 Samuel 20:3 And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

“chamberlain” Hebrew H5631 · used in 42 verses

  • Genesis 37:36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.
  • 1 Chronicles 28:1 And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem.
  • Isaiah 56:3 Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.

“delighted” Hebrew H2654 · used in 71 verses

  • Genesis 34:19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.
  • Job 21:14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
  • Song of Solomon 2:7 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

“evening” Hebrew H6153 · used in 130 verses

  • Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
  • Leviticus 15:18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.
  • 1 Kings 10:15 Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.