Who was Esther in the Old Testament of the Bible?

Answer 1

The word "judge" (shaphat) in the Old Testament book of Judges referred to men (and one woman--Deborah) who were raised up by Yahweh to deliver His people from suffering at the hands of others as a precursor to kings that would come later in their history as a people and related in the following book in Old Testament Scriptures, 1 Samuel. Judges, however, were generally also given authority to, as present judges, settle disputes (see Judges 4:5). In this latter sense, Esther would not be considered a judge. Her role as a "deliverer" of God's people was, however, very much a judge-like act in that regard. Nonetheless, the role of Old Testament "judge" was limited to the time of the judges (ca. 1400 B.C. to 1040 B.C.) as a temporary, a localized "king" in the absence of a king over all of Israel. Once kingship with Saul in 1040 B.C. and later with the Davidic line around 1000 B.C. was established, the role of judge was no longer necessary. Judaism and Christianity would recognize that though Esther was not a judge in the technical sense, deliverers such as the Old Testament judges, deliverers like Esther and Moses, and even the kings were pointing forward to an ultimate deliverer and king, the Messiah or "anointed one" (the Christos/Christ). It could be argued that she was, in fact, a type or foreshadowing of the coming Messiah but not technically a judge.

Answer 2

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 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:

Why was Esther chosen as Queen?

More about the Hebrew Bible

Jewish festivals

Answer 3

Esther was the heroine and central figure in the Book of Esther, which is now recognised by Biblical scholars to have been a second-century-BCE Jewish novel. In spite of its origins it soon became the basis of the Jewish festival of Purim.

According to the book, Vashti, Esther's predecessor as queen of Persia, was divorced by her husband, King Xerxes (Ahasuerus), who then sought a suitable virgin for his wife, finally choosing Esther. Historians say there never was a Queen Vashti of Persia. Bruce Feiler says in Where God was Born that Queen Amestris was Xerxes' only known wife, and that she remained queen long after the third year of his reign, when Vashti was supposedly deposed by Xerxes.

The story of Queen Esther is demonstrably non-historical, but she is portrayed as saving the Jews of the Persian Empire from destruction.

Answer 4

Esther was a Jewish queen of Persia who is the heroine of the Biblical Book of Esther. She played a key role in saving the Jewish people from a plot to destroy them, as recounted in the story of Purim. Her bravery and courage are celebrated in Jewish tradition.

Answer 5

According to The Bible Esther was a Queen who saved her fathers people from KingHerod evil wrath to hurt them

Answer 6

Esther was a queen who saved her people.