The following scripture is from the authorized king james version of the holy bible, now in the public domain. The book of esther is one of only two books in the bible named for women. The book of esther in the bible is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link page information wikidata item cite this page.
Not one time does the name of god appear in the book of esther. The story is set after the exile and is part of the postexilic period of israelite history, when many jews were living away from the homeland of judah. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. This is a summary of the biblical account of queen esther. It belongs to the third section of the judaic canon, known as the ketuvim, or writings. The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not mentioned. Jerome, the whole book, including the greek additions, was included in the canon of scripture by the council of trent. In the present translation, the greek additions are indicated by the. The greek septuagint remedied this situation by adding six passages which include the name of god. Esther bible story summary what christians want to know. The story of esther begins with a grand banquet at the palace of king ahasuerus, also referred to as king xerxes.
Youre already logged in with your bible gateway account. The book was named after esther, the main character of the story. The next step is to enter your payment information. Esther summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of esther for bible study or sunday school lessons. Can esther convince her husband to spare her peopleeven though she may be putting her own life at risk.
The providence of god is abundant throughout the book. It is clear that the author was a jew, both from his emphasis on the origin of a jewish festival and from the jewish nationalism that permeates the story. Archaeology and the book of esther andrews university. In the narrative, ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, vashti, refuses to obey him, and esther is chosen for her beauty. Study and discussion questions for book of esther by phd students from stanford, harvard, berkeley. The book of esther was likely written between 467 and 350 b. In this sixweek study, explore the subject of gods providence, walking verse by verse through the book of esther. In hebrew the title is rtsa which may be derived from the persian word for star, stara1. There is nothing like it in ancient literature, and in the bible, only the story of joseph comes close andrew e. The most popular traditions are mordecai a major character in the book of esther, ezra and nehemiah who would have been familiar with persian customs. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible.
The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. The book of esther gives hope and confidence to anyone who needs to know that god is present, powerful, and personal. The book of esther does not specifically name its author. For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so. Although we do not know who wrote the book of esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author and the date of composition. The genre of the book of esther is narrative history. The kings chief advisor, haman, is offended by esthers cousin and guardian, mordecai, and gets permission from the king to have all the jews in the kingdom killed. In the jewish bible, esther follows ecclesiastes and lamentations and is read on the festival of purim, which commemorates the rescue of the jews from hamans plottings. Discussions of stories in genesis, such as the garden.
Esther is one of the most beloved characters in all of the old testament. So loved is she, and so important was her role that a feast was created in her honor, celebrated to this day as purim. Esther is the only book in the bible not to mention the name of god. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. When esther becomes king xerxess queen, her cousin mordecai and the despicable haman engage in a dangerous game of intrigue. He has strategically positioned you as part of his kingdom to bring salvation to your circle of influence. Book of esther, in the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage, divine timing and gods supreme love. T he story of esther reads like a novel and is full of great spiritual lessons. The book of esther fits between the 6th and 7th chapters of ezra, utilizing 10 of the 58 years during that gap, and somewhere in the 81 year period between the return led by ezra and the one led by zerubbabel. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third. This summary of the book of esther provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the. It also reveals deep and abiding spiritual truths about gods power to deliver us from danger and oppression, even when despotic rulers plan to do evil to gods people.
This book is the only book about a woman in the bible. Esther 1 new international version niv queen vashti deposed 1 this is what happened during the time of xerxes, a the xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from india to cush b. In the story of esther, youll meet a beautiful, young queen who risked her life to serve god and save her people. Book of esther read, study bible verses online bible study tools. Esther is described in the book of esther as a jewish queen of the persian king ahasuerus. The bible book of esther is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. Esther in the picture study bible the book of esther. The book of esther takes place in susa modern day iran in the court of a persian king, xerxes or ahasuerus. Their names were carshena, shethar, admatha, tarshish, meres, marsena, and. To make the book even more kosher, the entire book of esther is written in hebrew and is located in the back of the book. Unlike daniel, there seems to be no concern on the part of esther to keep the dietary laws. Esther 1 niv queen vashti deposed this is what bible gateway. You can read more indepth bible verses from the scripture below and use the articles and videos to understand the meaning of this teachable event in the bible. Bible by sidnie white crawford the heroine of the book named for her, esther is a young jewish woman living in exile in the persian lit.
Here are few less know facts about the book of esther. In esther, god providentially uses two exiled israelites to rescue his. God masterfully orchestrates and weaves together every detail of our lives in jawdropping ways. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a. So king xerxes spoke with the wise men who understood the laws. Esther foils the plan, and wins permission from the king for the jews to kill their enemies, and they do so. The prayers of esther and mordecai are especially noteworthy. It is a short story similar to the book of ruth, starting in the palace of shushan susa, one out of the three capitals of the persian empire. The blend of these literary features with a historical setting and a theological purpose, however, suggest that the genre of the book of esther is unique to itself.
It belongs to the third section of the judaic canon, known as the ketuvim, or writings, and. It belongs to the third section of the judaic canon, known as the ketuvim, or writings, and also appears in the protestant canon and in the roman catholic canon. The book of esther is the only one not found in the dead sea scrolls. The book of esther reflects the situation of the diaspora, and one of the reasons it was produced was certainly to address the needs of the jewish community living outside palestine. Esther 1 niv queen vashti deposed this is what bible. The book of esther tells a compelling story, dramatic and exciting, with clearly defined heroes and villains. The biblical book of esther is set in the persian capital of susa shushan in the third year of the. The book of esther is the 17th book in the old testament. Watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. He may not always do it in the way we think he should, but the book of esther shows that he is in control even when we dont see him. Book of esther, book of the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. Yet, the book of esther is the least jewish, or christian, book of the bible. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. Intro to esther biblica the international bible society.
Esther is written during the period of the captivity. Starting your free trial of bible gateway plus is easy. For further information on the book of esther, see the bible dictionary, esther, book of p. It is clear that the author was a jew, both from his emphasis on the origin of a jewish festival and. Esther helps you know and apply the encouraging and empowering truth of gods word. It purports to explain how the feast of purim came to be celebrated by the jews. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. Although the book of esther was questioned by some early christians, even st. Due to behind the scenes planning by queen esther and her uncle mordecai, the jews are saved and even are victorious over their enemies. The inspirational the book of esther was made into a movie, released in 20 and directed by david a.