Hebrew word · H1055

בִּיתָן

bitan

palace

Palace or pavilion. Probably borrowed from Akkadian bītānu, meaning an inner palace building or pavilion. Found only in Esther 1:5; 7:7, 8.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

house, palace

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Esther 7:8

Range of meaning

Palace or pavilion. Probably borrowed from Akkadian bītānu, meaning an inner palace building or pavilion. Found only in Esther 1:5; 7:7, 8.

Against the English

English versions render it as 'palace garden'. 'Pavilion' or 'inner palace' may be closer.

Used elsewhere in the period

Akkadian bītānu is used for inner structures in royal and temple complexes, and Persian royal residences such as Susa had large walled gardens and pavilions.

Where it appears

Esther · 3

  1. Esther 1:5 בִּיתַ֖ן [the] palace of

    At the end of this time, in the garden court of the royal palace, the king held a seven-day feast for all the people in the citadel of Susa, from the least to the greatest.

  2. Esther 7:7 הַבִּיתָ֑ן the palace

    In his fury, the king arose from drinking his wine and went to the palace garden, while Haman stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life, for he realized that the king was planning a terrible fate for him.

    Here: A rare word, found only in Esther (1:5; 7:7, 8). It probably names the inner royal palace or pavilion complex. The garden of the bitan is the same setting as the great feast of chapter 1, so the story comes back to where it started.

  3. Esther 7:8 הַבִּיתָ֜ן the palace

    Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace?” As soon as the words had left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

    Here: A rare loanword, found only in Esther (1:5; 7:7, 8). It names the inner palace or pavilion complex and gives the scene a genuinely Persian-court feel.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.