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Position of Esther in the Hebrew Scriptures

The Hebrew Scriptures have three parts: the law, prophets and writings. Esther is in the Writings (Hagiographa), the third part of Hebrew scriptures. The Writings also had three parts:

Esther was in the Megilloth, which consisted of five scrolls, used in Hebrew worship. Each scroll was connected with one of the Jewish festivals.

When the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into the Greek Septuagint (LXX), many of the books were reordered and the Book of Esther was placed at the end of the section of historical books, where it is in modern translations of the Bible.

Historical background

There were three returns from exile in Babylon

Chronology of Esther

Main characters

Ahasuerus - King of Persia

In Greek, his name is Xerxes, normally identified as Xerxes I (485-465). In the Septuagint (LXX) he is called Artaxerxes, which is probably not correct. Herodotus, the Persian historian describes Ahasuerus as a hot-tempered, ambitious, bold warrior with vision and confidence, but suffering from superstitious fears. He often sought advice from others and followed it, and was known for his exploits with women.

In 484 BC, his second year, he harshly suppressed a revolt in Egypt, and plundered temples.

In 483 BC, his third year, he called an assembly together to consider a military expedition against Greece. This was probably the great feast of Esther (ch 1). He deposed Vashti before he left.

From 483 to 480 BC he amassed a huge army and navy and made a disastrous invasion of Greece, which was a great failure. This is probably predicted in the Book of Daniel, "Three more kings shall arise in Persia. The fourth (Xerxes) shall be far richer than all of them, and when he has become strong enough through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece." (Dan 11:2).

This accounts for the chronological gap in the book between the third and seventh years of his reign. In the third year of his reign (483 BC) he held the banquet and Vashti refused to come (1:3). Then in the seventh year of his reign (478 BC) the king married Esther (2:16).

Ahasuerus is also mentioned in Ezra 4:6. This part of the book is later than the rest of Ezra as an example of opposition to the rebuilding of the walls.

Esther - the heroine of the story

Esther was the orphaned cousin of Mordecai. Her name in Hebrew was 'Hadassah' (2:7), which means 'myrtle'. Her Persian name was Esther, either from the Babylonian goddess Isthar, or from 'Sitar', meaning 'star'. The use of her Persian name helped keep her Jewish nationality secret. She was an orphan, who was adopted and brought up by her cousin Mordecai following the death of her parents. She is described as being fair and beautiful. Jewish rabbis claimed that Esther was one of the four most beautiful women in history, along with Sarah, Rahab and Abigail (Megillah 15a). She showed great bravery in approaching the king without being asked (4:11,16). Josephus wrote this about approaching the king, "Now the king had made a law, that none of his own people should approach him unless they were called, when he sat on the throne; and men, with axes in their hands, stood around about his throne, in order to punish such as approached to him without being asked." (Ant 11:6:3)

Esther's son was probably king Artaxerxes I. Esther may be the queen, now the queen-mother, who was sitting next to Artaxerxes when Nehemiah requested permission to return to Jerusalem (Neh 2:6).

Herodotus describes Xerxes's wife as being Amestris (History 7:61), the daughter of a Persian general renowned for her cruelty, who accompanied the king on the campaign to Greece. He divorced her because she attacked the mother of one of the king's mistresses and nearly started a revolution.

There are three different explanations of this apparent difference between the Bible and Herodotus. The first is that Amestris is Esther, the names sound similar. However the son of Amestris and Xerxes (Artaxerxes I) was born before 483 BC and accompanied the king on the battle against Greece. He must have been born at least twenty years before Esther became queen. The second is that Amestris is Vashti. This is more possible, but Amestris went to Greece after the events of chapter one, when Vashti was deposed. The third, and most likely suggestion, is that the king had more than one wife. Amestris was described by Herodotus as the wife of Xerxes, rather than a queen. It is likely that Amestris was a mistress or concubine, rather than a queen.

Herodotus also wrote that the wife of the king was required to be chosen from one of the seven noble families (History 3:84). These are the seven officials of the Medes and Persians (1:14). Ahasuerus seemed to have quite a reputation with women, so this regulation was almost certainly ignored. His wife Amestris was the daughter of an Otanes, who was not from one of the seven noble families.

In the centre of the modern city of Hamadan, near the site of Ecbatana, there is the synagogue of Esther and Mordecai which contains two sarcophagi covered with brocaded cloth, which are claimed to be burial sites of Esther and Mordecai. It is an important pilgrimage site for Jews.

The significance of Esther's name

The name of Esther had a meaning in both the Hebrew and the Persian languages. In Persian, Esther means 'star', and in Hebrew Esther is a form of the word 'hidden', as found in the Book of Ezekiel, "So I (God) hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they fell by the sword" (Ezek 39:23). In the Hebrew, the word 'hid' is spelled the same way as the word 'Esther'. One of the most important elements of the story is that Esther's Jewish heritage remains hidden, in the same way that God remains hidden but working behind the scenes in the story.

Esther's original Jewish name was 'Hadassah', which is based on the word for myrtle, 'hadas ' (Strongs number 1918). The myrtle is an evergreen tree with dark green leaves, large white flowers and scented berries. It grew plentifully in Israel, but was not found in Persia. The leaves, flowers and berries were used for making perfume, and for seasoning food. Branches of myrtle and other trees were used to construct the booths on the roofs of houses during the festival of tabernacles (Neh 8:15-16).

In the Book of Zechariah, the myrtle becomes prominent (Zech 1:7-17). The first vision of the prophet Zechariah was of a man riding a red horse standing among the myrtle trees, "In the night I saw a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses" (Zech 1:8). Among the myrtle trees was also the angel of the LORD who brings God's words of comfort and hope for the ruined Jerusalem, "Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity: the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem" (Zech 1:17). This angel of the LORD then guides Zechariah through the visions which follow. Esther's Jewish name Hadassah makes a direct connection with the visions received by Zechariah bringing great hope to the Jews and Jerusalem.

There is also an interesting connection with the timing. The date Esther entered the Persian court was almost exactly forty years after the visions of Zechariah. Zechariah received his vision on the 24th day of the eleventh month of the second year of Darius (Zech 1:7), which is around February 519 BC. The events of Esther occurred during the reign of Ahasuerus (Xerxes), who reigned from 486 to 465 BC. Esther entered the palace in the tenth month of the seventh year of Ahasuerus (Est 2:16), twelve months after she began the beauty treatment (Est 2:12). Accounting for Persian accession year, the time she was first selected would be around January 479 BC, almost exactly forty years after Zechariah's vision.

Mordecai - the hero of the story

Mordecai was great-grandson of Kish. He was a Benjamite, the same tribe as Saul. Kish had been taken to exile with king Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) in 597 BC (2:6). This was 124 years earlier, which fits the chronology of him being Mordecai's great-grandfather. Mordecai's name is derived from Marduk, the god of the Babylonians. Mordecai is the only individual person in the whole Bible who is named as 'the Jew' (2:5, 5:13, 6:10, 8:7, 9:29, 10:3).

Some inscriptions from Persia mention a certain Marduka (a Babylonian name similar to Mordecai) who was a high official in the royal court of Susa during the reign of Xerxes I. There is another man named Mordecai listed as one of the leaders of the exiles who returned with Zerubbabel in 536 BC (Ezra 2:2, Neh 7:7), who is also mentioned in 1 Esdras 5:8.

Haman - the villain of the story

Haman was appointed by Ahasuerus as a high official, above all other officials. Haman's father's name Hammedatha is a Persian name. Haman is described as an Agagite (3:1). This could possibly mean that he was a descendent of king Agag of the Amalekites, spared by Saul in disobedience to God (1 Sam 15:9). If that is true, then this story is a continuation of the conflict with the Amalekites started in Ex 17. Josephus describes Haman as an Amalekite (Ant 11:6:5). Otherwise Agag may be the name of a district in the Persian empire, which is mentioned in an Assyrian inscription of Sargon. He was a very superstitious man, choosing the day of the massacre of the Jews by casting lots to find a 'lucky day' (3:7).

Location - the palace of Ahasuerus in Susa

Many of the events of the Book of Esther took place in the palace of Ahasuerus in Susa, the winter residence of the Persian kings, the ancient capital of Elam. A beautiful palace complex has been excavated by French archaeologists between 1897 and 1979. The throne room, harem and garden have all been identified from the ruins. Even one of the dice, known as a puru, for casting lots has been found and is now held by the Yale Peabody Museum.

The excavations by the archaeologists have shown that the author of the Book of Esther was very familiar with the layout of the palace. The details in the Book of Esther as so precise that the exact places in the palace can be identified. These are the court of the garden of the king's palace where the banquet lasting for seven days was held (1:5), the harem where Esther and the other young virgins were gathered (2:3), the king's gate where Mordecai sat (2:19), the inner court opposite the king's hall where Esther stood before entering into the presence of the king (5:1a), the throne room where the king was sitting (5:1b), and the outer courtyard where Haman waited to speak to the king (6:4).

Dates in the Book of Esther

The Feast of Purim - 13-15th Adar

In Jewish synagogues the book of Esther is read during this feast, there are boos and shouts from the congregation when Haman's name is mentioned. The word 'pur' (Est 3:7, 9:24,26) means 'lot'. It is not a Hebrew word, but is from the Assyrian 'Puru', meaning 'pebble', which were used for casting lots.

The feast of Purim is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. After the Maccabean revolt, a decree was made to celebrate Judas Maccabeaus defeating Nicanor on 13th of 12th month (Adar) in 161 BC. This was the day before Mordecai's day, or Purim, on 14th Adar (2 Macc 15:36). In the parallel passage in 1 Maccabees, Nicanor's day was on 13th Adar, but Purim is not mentioned (1 Macc 7:49). Josephus wrote that Nicanor's day was on 13th Adar, and Purim on 14th Adar. After the seventh century AD, Nicanor's day was no longer celebrated, and 13th Adar became part of the festival of Purim. The 13th was a day of fasting, known as Esther's fast, and the two days 14th and 15th were days of feasting.

Author

The author is unknown, but could perhaps be Mordecai himself (9:20, 32). According to the book. much of the material was written in the court records, the annals of the Kings of Media and Persia (6:1, 10:2). This would explain the omission of the name of God and no mention of prayer, although God's influence is alluded to. The author gives an eye-witness account, and clearly is familiar with life in the Persian capital city. According to Clement of Alexandria, the author was Mordecai, but the Talmud and Augustine say that Ezra was the author.

Date of writing

The book must have been written sometime shortly after the end of the reign of Ahasuerus, after 465 BC, as his reign is referred to in the past tense (1:1).

Theology of the book of Esther

The hidden hand of God

Together with the Song of Solomon, the Book of Esther contains no mention of any of the names or titles of God. By contrast the king of the Persians is mentioned 192 times, the kingdom of the Persians 26 times, and his name 'Ahasuerus' occurs 29 times.

Although God’s name is never mentioned, there is a veiled reference to God. "For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter ... Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this." (4:14).

There are a number of places in the book where the name 'Yahweh' appears in acrostic form. For more details, see the Hidden name of God in Esther page.

Significance of the book

This book has great significance to Jews, as it describes the origin and reason for the Feast of Purim, but what significance does it have to us today? It gives assurance of God's protection over his people, however severe the threat to their existence, as well as demonstrating that God directs events even when unseen and unmentioned.

Esther shows us two conflicting world views. Haman represents the atheist, believing in fate and chance, someone who uses power to his own ends, being petty minded and self-important. Mordecai represents someone who takes initiative, but is involved in the pattern of history that God is directing. Esther becoming queen was not a random chance event, but was through the work of God, the unseen ruler of world affairs (4:14)

Rejection of the book

The Book of Esther was always accepted in the Hebrew canon and by Josephus. Luther rejected it as being too Jewish. Others ignored it. No Christian commentary was written on it until the seventh century.

Greek additions to the book of Esther

Although fasting is mentioned, there is no mention of prayer, worship or praise. The Greek translators of the Septuagint (LXX) added passages to make God's work more explicit, including guidance by dreams, prayers and prayers being answered, giving it an increased religious content.

The version of Esther in the Hebrew Bible has 163 verses, but in the Greek translation, there are an extra 107 verses, making a total of 270 verses. The extra verses, known as the Greek additions to Esther were added when Greek Septuagint (LXX) translation was made. A footnote to addition F (11:1) dates the translation into Greek in the fourth year Ptolemy and Cleopatra (114 BC). In the Latin Vulgate translation, all the extra sections were collected together at the end of the book, and at the Reformation they were removed to the Apocrypha.

The dream of Mordecai and its meaning is an excellent example of apocalyptic literature, making it very helpful in the approach to reading the Book of Revelation.

Structure

Esther has a chiastic structure set around the turning point of the king's sleepless night (6:1), between the danger facing the Jews from Haman and their salvation through the action of Esther and Mordecai.

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