1 Samuel 15:28

Hebrew Bible

26 Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you, for you have rejected the Lord’s orders, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel!” 27 When Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed the edge of his robe and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to one of your colleagues who is better than you! 29 The Preeminent One of Israel does not go back on his word or change his mind, for he is not a human being who changes his mind.” 30 Saul again replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel. Go back with me so I may worship the Lord your God.”

Esther 1:19

Hebrew Bible

17 For the matter concerning the queen will spread to all the women, leading them to treat their husbands with contempt, saying, ‘When King Ahasuerus gave orders to bring Queen Vashti into his presence, she would not come.’ 18 And this very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media who have heard the matter concerning the queen will respond in the same way to all the royal officials, and there will be more than enough contempt and anger. 19 If the king is so inclined, let a royal edict go forth from him, and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media that cannot be repealed that Vashti may not come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king convey her royalty to another who is more deserving than she. 20 And let the king’s decision that he will enact be disseminated throughout all his kingdom, vast though it is. Then all the women will give honor to their husbands, from the most prominent to the lowly.” 21 The matter seemed appropriate to the king and the officials. So the king acted on the advice of Memucan.

 Notes and References

"... 'Tov' appears more frequently than other adjectives with min of comparison (“better than”), so that two options are given for choice. The decision itself is not emphasized, to the extent that it involves assessment (Genesis 29:19; Judges 15:2; 1 Samuel 9:2; 1 Kings 21:2), promise (Isaiah 56:5), or wish (1 Kings 1:47). Decisions on the basis of prior deliberation are apparent, however, already in Judges 8:2 (the gleaning of Ephraim); 11:25 (the self-assessment of the Ammonites); 1 Kings 19:4 (Elijah’s suitability for office); Esther 1:19 (compare with 1 Samuel 15:28). This element becomes especially clear in questions (Judges 9:2; 18:19; 2 Kings 5:12) or in dubious assessments (Jonah 4:3, 8; Lamentations 4:9) ..."

Jenni, Ernst, and Claus Westermann Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament (p. 645) Hendrickson Publishers, 1997

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