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Esther was the heroine and central figure in the Biblical book of Esther, which is the source of the Jewish festival of Purim. She was crowned about 55 years after the destruction of the First Temple, and fifteen years before the Second Temple was built. The Jews were in the Babylonian exile. A few of them, such as Nehemiah, Mordecai and Daniel, rose to positions of prominence under the Babylonian kings.
The last of the Prophets of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) were still living.
King Cyrus had recently made his famous proclamation (2 Chronicles 36:22-23) allowing the Jews to resettle Judea (Israel), and some had gone up with Zerubavel, but the enemies of the Jews had then slandered them (Ezra ch.4), causing the Babylonian king to put a stop to the rebuilding and resettlement of Judea. This last event was around the same time that Esther became Queen.
When she became orphaned, she was adopted by her cousin Mordecai. Later, when Queen Vashti refused to appear before Ahasuerus (in Esther ch.1), Memuchan, a Persian royal adviser, advised King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) to remove Vashti from being Queen of Persia, and King Ahasuerus agreed to his advice. In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen. Esther was the best-looking woman, and Ahasuerus picked her to replace Vashti as Queen.
Esther and her cousin Mordecai (who had once saved the king's life) later persuaded the king to cancel an order for the extermination of the Jews in his vast realm, which had been plotted by the king's chief minister, Haman. Instead, Haman was hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. The Jewish festival of Purim celebrates this event.
According to tradition, the book of Esther was written in the mid-4th century BCE, and was made part of the Hebrew Bible canon which was sealed a couple of decades after.
Esther was queen for about 11 years.
The name of Mordecai is the Judaised pronunciation of Marduka, which is attested in the Persepolis Texts as the name of officials in the Persian court during the period of Xerxes I. One of these officials was the biblical Mordecai. The grave of Mordecai and Esther still stands in Hamadan; and the Jews of Iran, to this day, are referred to as "the children of Esther."
For the name of Esther, a number of etymologies are possible.
1) Esther comes from the Persian "setareh," meaning "star".
2) Esther comes from the Aramaic "istahar," meaning "moon." Beautiful as the moon (Talmud, Megillah 13a).
3) Esther comes from the Semitic root ath-tar, "morning star." There is support for this too in the Talmud (Yoma 29a).
4) Esther comes from the Median "astra," meaning "myrtle." The book of Esther (2:7) states that she had both names, Esther and Myrtle (Hadassah in Hebrew).
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∙ 6y ago
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∙ 14y agoShe became queen of Persia when the king needed a queen. Soon Hammond told the king to kill all the Jews. so she went to the king, without permission, about to tell him but said come to dinner with me even though he said she could have half of his kingdom. at dinner she asked the same thing and during all this her older cousin who took her in as a daughter caught two men trying to plan to kill the king. the king didn't know until his scroll read it out to him. Hammond came through and heard and thought he was talking about himself so he said have a parade and a prince. the king said okay you do this for Mordecai and you can be the prince saying good things about him. the next dinner Esther was able to tell the king, the king killed Hammond, and no Jew was killed.
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∙ 11y agoShe was the niece of Mordechai. Esther would eventually marry King Achashverosh. Her parents died young and she lived with her uncle. Her birth name was Haddasa. She appears in Megillas Esther.
Answer:
Esther was the heroine and central figure in the Biblical book of Esther. She was a beautiful Jewish woman, the wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). She and her cousin (not uncle) Mordecai persuaded the king to cancel an order for the extermination of the Jews in his wide realm, plotted by the king's chief minister, Haman. Instead, Haman was hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. The Jewish festival of Purim celebrates this event. According to tradition, the book of Esther was written in the 4th century BCE.
Additional information: Esther was a Jewess, who lived during the Babylonian exile. When Queen Vashti refused to go to Ahasuerus (in Chapter 1), Memucan, a Persian wise man, advised King Ahasuerus to remove Vashti from being Queen of Persia, and King Ahasuerus agreed to his advice. In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen, a virgin. Esther was the best looking one, and Ahasuerus picked her to replace Vashti. When Esther was orphaned, she was then adopted by her cousin Mordecai, who became her foster father.
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∙ 12y agoQueen esther was a Jew who married the king of Persia without disclosing it to the king that she was Jewish, but when the royal decree went out , that all the Jews should be killed, then Esther went to the king and tried to save them. But as no royal decree could be changed the Jews prepared to defend themselves.
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∙ 12y agoWiki User
∙ 9y agoHalley's Bible Handbook says:
"Chronologically, though this book comes after the book of Nehemiah, yet the events antedate Nehemiah by about 30 years. Esther, it seems, made possible the work of Nehemiah [who built the Wall of Jerusalem]. Her marriage to the King [of Persia] must have given Jews great prestige. It is impossible to guess what might have happened to the Hebrew nation had there been no Esther. Except for her, Jerusalem might never have been rebuilt, and there might have been a different story to tell to all future ages.
"This book of Esther is about a Very Important Historical Event, not just a story to point a moral: The Hebrew Nation's Deliverance from Annihilation in the days following the Babylonian Captivity. If the Hebrew Nation had been entirely wiped out of existence 500 years before it brought Christ into the world, that might have made some difference in the destiny of mankind, no Hebrew Nation, no Messiah: no Messiah, a lost world. This beautiful Jewish girl of the long ago, though she herself may not have known it, yet played her part in paving the way for the coming of the world's Saviour."
(Halley's Bible Handbook: with the King James Version - Classic Edition; Esther, pg 237)
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∙ 9y agoEsther was the heroine and central figure in the Biblical book of Esther, which is the source of the Jewish festival of Purim.
The Jews were in the Babylonian exile.
When Esther became orphaned, she was adopted by her cousin Mordecai.
Later, when Queen Vashti refused to appear before Ahasuerus (in Esther ch.1), Memuchan, a Persian royal adviser, advised King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) to remove Vashti from being Queen of Persia, and King Ahasuerus agreed to his advice.
In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen. Esther was the best-looking woman, and Ahasuerus picked her to replace Vashti as Queen.
Esther and her cousin Mordecai (who had once saved the king's life) later persuaded the king to cancel an order for the extermination of the Jews in his vast realm, which had been plotted by the king's chief minister, Haman. Instead, Haman was hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. The Jewish festival of Purim celebrates this event.
See also the Related Links.
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoEsther was the heroine and central figure in the Biblical book of Esther. She was crowned about 55 years after the destruction of the First Temple, and fifteen years before the Second Temple was built. The Jews were in the Babylonian exile. A few of them, such as Nehemiah, Mordecai and Daniel, rose to positions of prominence under the Babylonian kings.
The last of the Prophets of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) were still living.
King Cyrus had recently made his famous proclamation (2 Chronicles 36:22-23) allowing the Jews to resettle Judea (Israel), and some had gone up with Zerubavel, but the enemies of the Jews had then slandered them (Ezra ch.4), causing the Babylonian king to put a stop to the rebuilding and resettlement of Judea. This last event was around the same time that Esther became Queen.
When she became orphaned, she was adopted by her cousin Mordecai.
Later, when Queen Vashti refused to appear before Ahasuerus (in Esther ch.1), Memuchan, a Persian royal adviser, advised King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) to remove Vashti from being Queen of Persia, and King Ahasuerus agreed to his advice.
In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen. Esther was the best-looking woman, and Ahasuerus picked her to replace Vashti as Queen.
Esther and her cousin Mordecai (who had once saved the king's life) later persuaded the king to cancel an order for the extermination of the Jews in his vast realm, which had been plotted by the king's chief minister, Haman. Instead, Haman was hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. The Jewish festival of Purim celebrates this event.
According to tradition, the book of Esther was written in the mid-4th century BCE, and was made part of the canon which was sealed a couple of decades after.
Esther was queen for about 11 years.
The name of Mordecai is the Judaised pronunciation of Marduka, which is attested in the Persepolis Texts as the name of officials in the Persian court during the period of Xerxes I. One of these officials was the biblical Mordecai.
The grave of Mordecai and Esther still stands in Hamadan; and the Jews of Iran, to this day, are referred to as "the children of Esther."
For the name of Esther, a number of etymologies are possible.
1) Esther comes from the Persian "setareh," meaning "star".
2) Esther comes from the Aramaic "istahar," meaning "moon." Beautiful as the moon (Talmud, Megillah 13a).
3) Esther comes from the Semitic root ath-tar, "morning star." There is support for this too in the Talmud (Yoma 29a).
4) Esther comes from the Median "astra," meaning "myrtle." The book of Esther (2:7) states that she had both names, Esther and Myrtle (Hadassah in Hebrew).
See also:
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoShe became queen of the Persian Empire and was thus in a position to intercede for her people (the Jews) when Haman and the king wanted to annihilate them.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoEsther was a Jewish orphan , very pretty and was selected as the queen, but the king did not know that she was Jewish.
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Why isn't Esther a part of the Biblical canon?
Esther is a part of the Biblical canon. You may be thinking of Judith, which is not part of the Biblical canon because it was written in Greek.
Where are the biblical poems found?
The biblical poems are found after Esther, starting with Job.
Where can you find pictures of Biblical characters?
pictures of queen Esther
What has the author Esther Jane Neely written?
Esther Jane Neely is a writer known for her book "The Love Story of Queen Esther" which retells the biblical story of Queen Esther.
Is there a poem about Esther?
Yes, there is a poem called "Esther, the Beautiful Queen" written by Karl Robert Conybeare. It tells the biblical story of Queen Esther who saved her people from destruction.
Why did a London bishop ban Handel's biblical opera Esther?
The words were in English, not Italian
What is the literary genre of the book of Esther?
The book of Esther in the Bible is considered a historical narrative or Biblical prose. It tells the story of how Esther, a Jewish woman, becomes queen of Persia and saves her people from a plot to destroy them.
What was Queen Esther's date of birth?
A:The Book of Esther does not tell us how old Esther was when she became queen to King Ahasuerus (Xerxes), so it is not possible to say just when she was born. Historians say there never was a Queen Esther (or a Queen Vashti) of Persia, and biblical scholars say that the Book of Esther was actually a novel, written in the second century BCE, so we will never have a date of birth for Esther.
Why were 75000 Persians killed by Esther and Mordecai?
In its Introduction to the Book of Esther, the New American Bible describes the book as "vindictive". That description is probably the best explanation, as the book itself appears to be a work of fiction and there is no extra-biblical evidence that there ever was a Queen Esther or that the Persians were killed.
What unusual feature does the Book of Esther have?
A:The Book of Esther is unusual in that an important part of Jewish belief and ritual is based on it, yet many biblical scholars say that it was written as a second-century-BCE novel.
How long did Queen Esther of Persia live?
The Bible gives no details regarding her age. It does not even mention her death. And since scholars say that the Book of Esther was really a second-century-BCE Jewish novel, it would be pointless seeking extra-biblical evidence of Esther's life.
How did God protect Esther in the book of Esther?
A:The Book of Esther is not a religious book and does not even mention God. Biblical scholars regard it as a second-century-BCE Jewish novel, and historians say there never was either a Queen Vashti or a Queen Esther of Persia. We can therefore say that the book does not suggest that Esther relied on God for any assistance, and nor did she obtain divine assistance in history. Esther was able to overcome difficulties through her own talents, expressed in the book.
