Esther — Bible person

The queen of Ahasuerus, and heroine of the book that bears her name. She was a Jewess named Hadas’sah (the myrtle), but when she entered the royal harem she received the name by which she henceforth became known (Esther 2:7). It is a Syro-Arabian modification of the Persian word satarah, which means a star. She was the daughter of Abihail, a Benjamite. Her family did not avail themselves of the permission granted by Cyrus to the exiles to return to Jerusalem; and she resided with her cousin Mordecai, who held some office in the household of the Persian king at “Shushan in the palace.” Ahasuerus having divorced Vashti, chose Esther to be his wife. Soon after this he gave Haman the Agagite, his prime minister, power and authority to kill and extirpate all the Jews throughout the Persian empire. By the interposition of Esther this terrible catastrophe was averted. Haman was hanged on the gallows he had intended for Mordecai (Esther 7); and the Jews established an annual feast, the feast of Purim (q.v.), in memory of their wonderful deliverance. This took place about fifty-two years after the Return, the year of the great battles of Plataea and Mycale (B.C. 479).

Esther appears in the Bible as a “woman of deep piety, faith, courage, patriotism, and caution, combined with resolution; a dutiful daughter to her adopted father, docile and obedient to his counsels, and anxious to share the king’s favour with him for the good of the Jewish people. There must have been a singular grace and charm in her aspect and manners, since ‘she obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her’ (Esther 2:15). That she was raised up as an instrument in the hand of God to avert the destruction of the Jewish people, and to afford them protection and forward their wealth and peace in their captivity, is also manifest from the Scripture account.”

People and places

Selected passages

Show passage in OET: EST 2:5-9

OET-RV EST 2:5

5 At that time, there was a Jewish man named Mordekai living in the capital city of Shushan. (He was from the tribe of Benyamin: his father was Yair, his grandfather was Shimei, and his great-grandfather was Kish

OET-RV EST 2:6

6 who’d been taken away from Yerushalem (Jerusalem) and led to Bavel (Babylon) when King Nevukadnetsar (Nebuchadnezzar) of Bavel had exiled Yekaneyah, the king of Yehudah (Judah), along with many of his people.)

OET-RV EST 2:7

7 ⇔Now Mordekai was taking care of his cousin, who was an orphan. When her father and mother had died, Mordekai had adopted her as his own daughter. Her Hebrew name was Hadasah, and her Persian name was Ester. Ester was now a young woman and she was exceptionally attractive.

OET-RV EST 2:8

8 So when the king’s command and decree became known, many young women were being brought into the capital city of Shushan and placed under Hegay’s charge, and this is what happened to Ester. (Hegay was the overseer of the women.)

OET-RV EST 2:9

9 Hegay was very impressed with Ester, and he treated her favourably. He quickly arranged for Ester to receive her beauty treatments and her allotment of food, as well as choosing seven female servants from the king’s palace and assigning them to be her personal attendants. He also moved Ester and her attendants to the best rooms in the harem for virgins.

OET-LV EST 2:5

5 A _man a _Jew he _was in_Shūshan the_citadel and_his/its_name was_Mordəkay the _son _of Yāʼīr/(Jair) the _son _of Shimˊī the _son _of Qīsh a _man a _Jaminite.

OET-LV EST 2:6

6 Who he _had _been _taken _into _exile from_Yərūshālaim/(Jerusalem) with the_exile[s] which it _had _been _taken _into _exile with Yəkon^yāh/(Jeconiah) the _king _of Yəhūdāh/(Judah) whom Nebuchadnezzar the _king _of Bāⱱel he _had _taken _into _exile.

OET-LV EST 2:7

7 And_he/it _was acting _as _guardian DOM Hₐdaşşāh that is_ʼEştēr the _daughter _of his _uncle _of_his if/because there_was_not to/for_her/it a _father and_a _mother and_the _young_woman was_beautiful _of form and_good _of appearance and_at_the _death _of her _father _of_her and_mother _of_her he_took _her Mordəkay to_him/it to_a _daughter.

OET-LV EST 2:8

8 And_he/it _was when_ the _edict _of the_king and_orders _of_his _were _heard and_when_ young _women many _were _gathered to Shūshan the_citadel into the _hand _of Hegai and_ ʼEştēr _she _was _taken to the _house _of the_king into the _hand _of Hegai the _one _who_kept _of the_women.

OET-LV EST 2:9

9 And_ the _young_woman _she _was _good in_eyes _of_his and_she _bore favour before_him and_he _hastened DOM cleansings _of_her and_DOM portions _of_her to_give to/for_her/it and_DOM seven the _servant_girls (the)_chosen to_give to/for_her/it from_the _house _of the_king and_he_moved _her and_DOM girls _of_her _servant to_the _good_place_of the _house _of the _women.

Show passage in OET: EST 4:10-17

OET-RV EST 4:10

10 and Ester told him to go back to Mordekai with this message:

OET-RV EST 4:11

11 “There’s a law about going to the king that applies to everyone in the kingdom, both men and women. If anyone goes into the inner courtyard of the palace, where the king can see them, and the king has not summoned them, that person will be executed. Only if the king holds out his golden scepter to them, then they will live. (Everyone in the whole empire knows this law.) The king hasn’t called for me in over a month, and if I go in without being summoned, I could be put to death.”

OET-RV EST 4:12

12 So Hatak went back to Mordekai and told him what the queen had said.

OET-RV EST 4:13

13 Mordekai told Hatak to tell this to Ester: “Don’t imagine that just because you live there in the king’s palace that you’ll be safe when they kill all the other Yehudim.

OET-RV EST 4:14

14 If you say nothing at all now, someone from some other place will rescue the Yehudim, but you and your relatives will not survive. Who knows, perhaps it was for a time just like this that God allowed you to become queen?”

OET-RV EST 4:15

15 Then Ester sent this reply to Mordekai:

OET-RV EST 4:16

16 “Go and assemble all the Yehudim who live here in Shushan (Susa), and tell them to fast and pray for my sake—tell them to not eat or drink anything for three days and three nights. My female attendants and I will also fast in the same way. At the end of the three days, I will go in to talk to the king even though it’s against the law. I will do that even if it costs me my life.”

OET-RV EST 4:17