1055. bithan

Lexical Summary

bithan: Bithan

Original Word: בִּיתָן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: biythan
Pronunciation: bee-thawn'
Phonetic Spelling: (bee-thawn')
KJV: palace
NASB: palace
Word Origin: [probably from H1004 (בַּיִת - house)]

1. a palace (i.e. large house)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

palace

Probably from bayith; a palace (i.e. Large house) -- palace.

see HEBREW bayith

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
probably from bayith
Definition
house, palace
NASB Translation
palace (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

בִּיתָן noun [masculine] house, palace — absolute הַבִּיתָן Esther 7:7,8 (׳גִּנַּת הב); construct בִּיתַן Esther 1:5 (הַמֶּלֶךְ ׳גִּנַּת ב), all garden of ׳בּ; according to Dieulafoy^{RŠJ 1888, cclxxvii.} throne-room, synonym of apadâna in meaning, but compare אַמֶּדֶן.

בֵּית

preposition between, see [בַּיִן] below בין.

Topical Lexicon

Definition and General Sense

Bîtan denotes the specially prepared “garden-court” or “palace courtyard” adjoining a royal residence. It is not a natural park open to the public but a protected, cultivated enclosure where the monarch held private or semi-public functions.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Esther 1:5 – the opening seven-day banquet ending the 180-day display of imperial splendor is held “in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.”
2. Esther 7:7 – upon hearing Esther’s accusation, “the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden.”
3. Esther 7:8 – returning from the same garden, the king finds Haman prostrate on Esther’s couch and pronounces judgment.

All three occurrences are in Esther, framing the narrative’s turning points.

Historical and Cultural Background

Persian kings, especially those of the Achaemenid line, were famed for terraced gardens irrigated by canal systems. Greek historians transliterated the Old Persian term for such an enclosure as paradeisos, the root of “paradise.” Excavations at Susa confirm the presence of walled gardens adjacent to throne rooms, decorated with exotic plants, stone reliefs, and precious metals—precisely the setting the book of Esther describes.

The bîtan functioned as:
• A venue for royal hospitality (banquets, public audiences).
• A place for private deliberation (Esther 7:7).
• A symbolic extension of the throne room, displaying the king’s control of nature and empire alike.

Literary Role in Esther

1. Atmosphere of Majesty: The lavish décor (Esther 1:6–7) magnifies the excesses of Xerxes, setting the stage for the humbling of the proud.
2. Stage of Reversal: The same garden that showcases the king’s power becomes the backdrop for Haman’s downfall. God’s providence turns the very symbol of imperial glory into a place of judgment.
3. Boundary Marker: Movement in and out of the bîtan signals shifts in authority—from Vashti’s dismissal (1:12) to Haman’s condemnation (7:8). The garden-court is where royal decisions crystallize.

Theological Significance

• Sovereign Providence: Human opulence cannot thwart God’s hidden governance. The garden is the king’s domain, yet divine purpose overruns it.
• Echo of Eden: A cultivated garden recalls the original sanctuary meeting place between God and humanity. In Esther the garden becomes the arena where justice and mercy intersect, prefiguring ultimate restoration in the greater “paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).
• Judgment and Salvation: Haman seeks to destroy, but in the garden-court the tables are turned. This anticipates the cross, where apparent defeat becomes salvation.

Practical Ministry Reflections

1. Hospitality and Witness: The Persian feast contrasts with gospel hospitality. Believers host others not for self-exaltation but for service (Romans 12:13).
2. Leadership Accountability: Xerxes’ garden reminds leaders that public image cannot replace righteous decision-making. Hidden conversations still fall under divine scrutiny (Luke 12:2).
3. Trusting Providence: Like Mordecai and Esther, God’s people may find themselves under intimidating worldly splendor. Confidence rests not in visible power structures but in the unseen hand that directs them (Proverbs 21:1).

Typological Insight

The garden-court, though royal, was accessible only through strict protocol. Christ, the true King, opens an even greater garden—“boldly enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19). The exclusivity of the Persian bîtan heightens gratitude for the gospel’s open invitation.

Related Terms and Themes

• Paradeisos (Septuagint usage for garden enclosures).
• Courts and gates—a common biblical motif for places of judgment (Psalm 100:4; Revelation 22:14).
• Feasting imagery—divine banquets of Isaiah 25:6 and Luke 14:15–24.

Summary

Bîtan in Esther embodies earthly grandeur, yet its narrative function is to showcase the supremacy of God’s providence over human kingdoms. The garden-court serves as a microcosm of redemptive history: humanity’s pride meets divine reversal, pointing forward to the ultimate garden where the Risen King welcomes His redeemed.

Forms and Transliterations

בִּיתַ֖ן ביתן הַבִּיתָ֑ן הַבִּיתָ֜ן הביתן bî·ṯan biTan bîṯan hab·bî·ṯān habbiTan habbîṯān

Englishman's Concordance

Esther 1:5
HEB: בַּחֲצַ֕ר גִּנַּ֥ת בִּיתַ֖ן הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃
NAS: of the garden of the king's palace.
KJV: of the garden of the king's palace;
INT: the court of the garden palace of the king's

Esther 7:7
HEB: אֶל־ גִּנַּ֖ת הַבִּיתָ֑ן וְהָמָ֣ן עָמַ֗ד
NAS: wine [and went] into the palace garden;
KJV: in his wrath [went] into the palace garden:
INT: against garden the palace Haman stayed

Esther 7:8
HEB: שָׁב֩ מִגִּנַּ֨ת הַבִּיתָ֜ן אֶל־ בֵּ֣ית ׀
NAS: returned from the palace garden
KJV: returned out of the palace garden
INT: returned garden the palace into the place

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1055
3 Occurrences

bî·ṯan — 1 Occ.
hab·bî·ṯān — 2 Occ.