Who was Esther in the Bible?

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TL;DR:

Esther was a Jewish young woman who became queen of Persia. Her bravery and wisdom saved the Jews from annihilation.

from the old testament

  • The book of Esther begins with a description of a banquet that King Xerxes threw for 180 days and then another banquet for seven days, full of drinking and of revealing his riches and glory (Esther 1:1–8).
  • At the banquet of seven days, King Xerxes commanded the eunuchs to bring his wife, Queen Vashti, so he could show off her beauty in front of the guests (Esther 1:10–11). Many think this was a request to appear before the guests naked. She refused, and after consulting his counsel, Xerxes exiled Vashti. King Xerxes then ordered a search of the entire kingdom for a beautiful virgin to become his next bride (Esther 2:2–4).
  • Many young women, including Esther, were taken into the king's palace where they received twelve months of beauty treatments prior to appearing before the king (Esther 2:12–13).
  • Esther is described as a beautiful Jewish young woman who was raised by her cousin: “He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter” (Esther 2:7).
  • Esther gained favor with Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the women, who provided her with “cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king's palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem” (Esther 2:9).
  • Ultimately Esther was chosen as the new queen for “the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti” (Esther 2:17).
  • Esther did not tell the king of her Jewish heritage, just as Mordecai had told her (Esther 2:10, 20).
  • After Esther was made queen, Mordecai uncovered a plot to assassinate the king and told Esther, who was able to alert the king (Esther 2:19–23). The men involved in the plot were hanged, and the event was recorded in the king's chronicles.
  • At some point later, a man named Haman the Agagite was promoted as the king's top official and the king commanded that the other officials bow down to Haman (Esther 3:1–2). Mordecai would not bow before anyone except God and revealed that he was a Jew. Haman responded in fury not only at Mordecai but at all Jews (Esther 3:5–6). When Haman plotted to have all the Jews killed, King Xerxes agreed and gave his signet ring to Haman to prepare the edict. The people of Persia were instructed "to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods" (Esther 3:13). Confusion came upon Susa and mourning came upon the Jews (Esther 3:15; 4:1–3).
  • The young women and eunuchs informed Esther of the situation, and Esther summoned Mordecai (Esther 4:4–7). When Mordecai told Esther of the plight of the Jews, he provided her with a copy of the edict and commanded her to “to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people” (Esther 4:8). This would have been dangerous because if anyone, even the queen, showed up before the king without being summoned, she could be put to death (Esther 4:11).
  • Mordecai urged Esther that she needed to risk her life to save the Jewish people. He said, "Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For it you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:13–14). Esther agreed and said, "Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16).
  • Esther fasted for three days with her maidens while Mordecai had the Jews do the same before she went before the king (Esther 4:15–17). “When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand” (Esther 5:2), offering to give her anything she wanted, up to half of his kingdom. Esther wisely requested to have a banquet with him and Haman, which made Haman feel proud and honored. That night, Esther asked Xerxes and Haman to join her for another banquet the following night, at which point she would make her request (Esther 5:4–8).
  • The night before his next meeting with Esther, King Xerxes had trouble sleeping through the night. So he asked for the chronicles to be read to him. Providentially, as the chronicles were read, the account of Mordecai uncovering the plot to kill the king was discovered. The king realized that nothing had ever been done to honor Mordecai, and he decided to rectify that. Meanwhile, Haman's gladness at the banquet had been tarnished on his trip home when Mordecai refused to bow to him. Filled with wrath, Haman planned to hang Mordecai on the gallows. At the same time that King Xerxes was determining what to do with Mordecai, Haman was coming to the king to discuss the matter of hanging Mordecai. Before getting to Haman’s request, Xerxes first asked him for his opinion about "What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?" (Esther 6:6). Thinking the king meant to honor Haman, the official suggested that such a man be clothed in royal robes and paraded through the city on a horse the king had ridden. Xerxes ordered Haman to do so for Mordecai, much to Haman’s chagrin (Esther 6:6–11).
  • Haman and Xerxes both attended Esther's second banquet, at which she exposed Haman's plot to destroy the Jewish people and asked the king to spare her people. Xerxes was aghast that anyone would dare to destroy Esther's people. When he found out the originator of the plot was Haman, Xerxes left enraged (Esther 7:7). Haman stayed behind to beg the queen for his life, but the king returned and thought Haman was assaulting Esther, so Xerxes had Haman hanged on the very gallows Haman had prepared for Mordecai (Esther 7:10).
  • Despite Haman being hanged, the edict against the Jews had already been signed; royal edicts in Persia could not be rescinded. Xerxes gave Esther and Mordecai authority to prepare a second decree that gave the Jews the right to defend themselves. Many of the people feared the Jews, and the officials helped the Jews defend themselves. Some did attack, but the Jews were victorious and were thus delivered from harm. The Feast of Purim is held even today to commemorate this deliverance (Esther 8—9).

from the new testament

  • Esther is not mentioned in the New Testament.

implications for today

Esther, a Jewish woman living in exile, rose to become queen of Persia through circumstances beyond her control. Her bravery and wisdom saved her people from annihilation when faced with a decree to exterminate them. Esther's tale speaks about the importance of courage in the face of difficulty and the power of taking risks for the greater good. Her readiness to risk her own life to plead for her people teaches us about the value of selflessness and standing up for what is right, even in perilous situations. Moreover, Esther's strategic approach in gaining favor with the king, as well as her patience and discernment in revealing Haman's treachery, highlight the significance of tact and wisdom in navigating complex situations.

Esther’s life demonstrates that when we walk with God, He can do the impossible in our lives. Before going to see the king, Esther, her maidservants, and the Jewish people fasted in submission before God. After bringing their plight before Him, Esther acted on faith, courage, and wisdom to pave the way for deliverance and redemption. Esther trusted that God's will would be done whether that meant her life would be spared or not. She knew she had to stand up for what was right even though she didn't know the outcome. It's important to note that her action was not spontaneous or rash. She thought critically about how to resolve the issue and did it in a way that both honored the king and God. Her brave actions saved a nation and led the Jewish people to a new level of influence in Susa.

understand

  • Esther is described as a beautiful, young Jewish woman who was orphaned and raised by her cousin.
  • Esther gained favor with the king when he sought a new queen, and Esther became the queen of Persia.
  • Esther’s faith, bravery, and wisdom saved the Jewish people from a plot to be completely destroyed.

reflect

  • Esther had everything against her: an orphan, Jewish in a foreign land, summoned to leave her home and live at the palace to potentially become the queen. What can we learn from Esther, who experienced injustice and lack of control over her circumstances?
  • How does Esther's story challenge our understanding of courage and faith, especially in times of adversity?
  • Consider Esther's decision to fast and seek God's guidance before approaching the king. How can turning to God in our decision-making process impact the outcomes of our own challenges and struggles?

engage

  • Interestingly, God is never mentioned in the book of Esther. However, His hand is evident in the entire book. How do you see God despite His not being mentioned by name?
  • Reflect on Mordecai's words to Esther in Esther 4:14: "For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place." What does this teach us about the role of individual action and collective responsibility in addressing injustices and standing up for marginalized communities today?
  • There have been multiple attempts to annihilate the Jews throughout history. Satan has tried very hard to thwart God’s plan of blessing to the world through the Jews (Genesis 12:2–3), yet God’s plans prevail. What can we learn about God and His character by seeing His hand in the preservation of the Jews?