ya.had denotes people identifying themselves as Jews in the setting of fear of the Jews.

The attested use describes people of the land identifying themselves as Jews when fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.

1. Identifying oneself as a Jew · dominant

   In Esther 8:17, the Hithpael masculine plural participle occurs of “many of the peoples of the land” in the clause that follows the fear of the Jews; the APB renders the verse, “many of the peoples of the land professed themselves Jews.”

   Esther 8:17

In the Anselm Project Bible: In Esther 8:17, the APB presents the clause as “many of the peoples of the land professed themselves Jews.” This wording confirms the clause's overall presentation rather than isolating each element of the Hebrew form.