Esther 5:3

it shall be given thee even to the half of the kingdom The order of the words in the Heb. indicates the eagerness belonging to a rapid and authoritative declaration: to the half of the kingdom, yea, it shall be given thee. Cp. Herod's promise to the daughter of Herodias (Mark 6:23). In Herod. ix. 109 we find Xerxes undertaking beforehand to grant whatever should be asked by his consort Amestris in return for a beautifully worked mantle which she had presented to him. He further tells us (Herod. ix. 110, 111) that on a certain day in the year a guest at the king's table might make any request and that the king was bound to grant it.