Esther 5:3
Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.
Cross-references
Esther 5:6 repeats the king's offer of up to half the kingdom — a direct parallel within the same banquet scene.
In Esther 7:2, the king repeats the exact offer of 'half my kingdom' at a second banquet, continuing the same royal promise.
In Esther 9:12, the king again asks for Esther's petition, echoing the earlier pattern of granting her requests though the half‑kingdom phrase is absent.
In Mark 6:23, Herod promises Herodias’s daughter 'up to half my kingdom,' directly quoting the same hyperbolic offer.
In Matthew 14:7, Herod vows with an oath to give the girl 'whatever she asked' (up to half his kingdom), exactly paralleling the offer here.
In Matthew 20:20‑22, Jesus rebukes a mother’s ambitious request, contrasting with the king’s unconditional offer here.
In 1 Kings 2:20, Solomon promises his mother Bathsheba he will not refuse her request, mirroring the king’s generous offer here.
In 1 Kings 3:5, God tells Solomon 'Ask what I shall give you,' a similar open‑ended grant, but from a divine rather than human king.
In Nehemiah 2:4, the king asks Nehemiah 'What is your request?'—a similar royal inquiry, but no half‑kingdom offer is made.