Tag: Esther

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Esther

Esther

After King Xerxes banishes Queen Vashti from his presence, he regrets his rash decision, his irrevocable edict. His aides suggest that he find a replacement. They round up the most beautiful virgins in the land for the king to try out (yes, it’s as bad as it sounds). The most pleasing one will be crowned queen. 

This isn’t a voluntary beauty pageant. It’s conscripted service that forces the selected women into a harem. Esther, also called Hadassah, is rounded up in the dragnet. She waits at least four years for her assigned time to spend the evening with the king.

After she sleeps with the king, he proclaims her queen. 

When Haman plots the Jews’ extermination, Mordecai challenges Esther, his relative and adopted daughter, to intervene with the king on the Jews’ behalf. She balks. It’s been a month since she’s seen the king, and she risks immediate execution by appearing before him without a summons. Mordecai begs Esther to take the risk, saying, “What if God put you in your position to address this exact situation?”

Eventually she agrees. “If I die, then I die,” she says. 

In preparation, Esther fasts for three days and asks others to fast with her.

When she approaches the king, he spares her life. Instead of directly appealing to him, however, she invites him and Haman to a private banquet with her that night. She then requests they come a second evening. At this second dinner, she reveals Haman’s plot, appealing to the king for justice. 

Because of her actions, Haman is executed, and the Jews are granted the right to defend themselves and attack their enemies. 

The festival of Purim celebrates Esther and her heroics in saving her people.

Though she took time to pray and fast, Esther bravely set her own safety aside and risked her life to save others.

Are we willing to work to save the lives of others even if it puts ours in jeopardy? What risks will we endure to do what’s right?

[Read Esther’s story in Esther 2–10.]

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Queen Esther

Queen Esther

After King Xerxes banishes Queen Vashti from his presence, he regrets his irrevocable edict. His aides suggest a plan to find a replacement. Their proposal is to round up the most beautiful virgins in the land for the king to try out. Yes, it is as bad as it sounds. 

The most pleasing one will be crowned queen. This isn’t a voluntary beauty pageant. This is conscripted service that forces the selected women into a harem.

They effectively become well-cared-for sex slaves. Esther (Hadassah) is rounded up in their dragnet. She waits at least four years for her assigned time to sleep with the king.

Finally, it’s her turn. Though inexperienced, Esther’s night with the king must have been most pleasing to him, because the next morning, he proclaims her queen. This, however, is not a Cinderella story where she lives happily ever after.

In the expanded version of this story, found in some Bibles, Esther says she abhors sleeping with the king. As an uncircumcised foreigner, he repulses her.

She finds no joy in her position as queen. However, aside from involuntary sex with the king, she keeps herself true to her upbringing. 

Later, when Haman plots the Jews’ extermination, Esther is challenged by Mordecai, her cousin who adopted her, to intervene with the king on the Jews’ behalf. She balks.

It’s been a month since she’s seen the king and she risks immediate execution by appearing before him without being summoned. Mordecai begs Esther to take the risk, saying, “What if God put you in this position so you could address this situation?”

Eventually, she agrees: “If I die, then I die.” In preparation, Esther fasts for three days and asks others to fast with her.

When she approaches the king, he spares her life. However, instead of directly appealing to him, she invites him and Haman to a private banquet with her.

She then requests they come a second evening and at that time she reveals Haman’s plot, appealing to the king for justice. Because of her actions, Haman is executed, and the Jews are spared. The Purim celebrates Esther and her heroics in saving the people.

Though she needed to think about it and took time to fast, Esther bravely set her own safety aside and risked her life to save others.

Are we willing to save lives regardless of the risk?

[Discover more about Queen Esther in Esther 2:7–17, 4:1–17, 5:1–7, 7:1–10, and 9:12–15. For more information, see “Bonus Material: The Full Picture.”]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Books of the Bible

Expanded Esther

Expanded Esther

Some versions of the Bible include additional text for the book of Esther, which isn’t found in most Protestant versions of the Bible. This additional text rounds out the story and reveals deeper insight into the life of Esther and her guardian, Mordecai.

This complete text of Esther includes five additional sections inserted into Esther’s story:

Prologue: Added prior to Esther 1:1, this section tells of Mordecai’s prophetic dream and his successful efforts to save the king from an assassination attempt. This sparks Haman’s hatred of Mordecai and establishes the reason for the king’s future honoring of Mordecai.

Haman’s Letter: Inserted between Esther 3:14 and 3:15 is the text of Haman’s letter, under the seal of the king, that orders the annihilation of all Jews living across the land.

Prayers: Added after Esther 4:17 are two prayers. Mordecai’s prayer comes first, followed by a longer prayer from Esther. Esther’s prayer reveals her thoughts about her position as queen, which she loathes as an anathema to her devote Jewish faith. This section concludes with Esther approaching the king and God’s provision when she does.

Counter Decree: Inserted between Esther 8:12 and 13 is the decree issued my Mordecai, also under the king’s authority, to allow the Jews to defend themselves and seek revenge against their enemies.

Epilogue: Added after Esther 10:3 is a follow-up text, mostly a quote of Mordecai.

The expanded version of Esther is an Apocrypha text and not included in all versions of the Bible.

The New Jerusalem Bible, Revised Standard Version (RSV), New American Bible (NABRE), Wycliffe Bible (WYC), Common English Bible (CEB), Douay-Rheims (DRA), and Eastern Orthodox Bibles all include the expanded version of Esther.

Interestingly, the original Authorized King James Version (KJV) contains these additional passages, but the text was removed almost two centuries later. The Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures, which was widely used in Jesus’s day, also includes the additions of Esther.

For more information, see why “Christians Should Consider the Entire Bible.”

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Books of the Bible

Esther

Esther

The book of Esther is a rich and intriguing story of obedience, duty, risk, and love. It centers on the Jewish girl Esther (her Hebrew name was Hadassah).

This book paints a powerful and compelling picture of how one person can make a difference – a huge difference. Especially noteworthy, is that she did this in a male-dominated society and from a position of forced expatriation.

Unfortunately, not everyone embraces the book of Esther, as it is more secular (that is, less spiritual) than other parts of the Bible, and it does not directly mention God.

Much can be inferred, however, from this story about God’s providence and protection. It also showcases an example of serving him, regardless the cost or risk.

The Jewish holiday of Purim celebrates Esther’s bravery and the Jew’s deliverance from the evil Haman.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible

What About Daniel and Esther?

The discussion of the text that is not found in all Bibles concludes by addressing the books of Daniel and Esther.

In some versions of the Bible, the book of Daniel contains 12 chapters, while in others there are 14.  These two chapters are both interesting and insightful.

Daniel 13 is the story of upright Suzanna, who is falsely accused of adultery and sentenced to death.  God intervenes by revealing to a young Daniel the duplicity of her accusers; Daniel is able to expose their false testimony and save Suzanna.

Daniel 14 contains two stories of Daniel later in his life.  First, he shows that the Babylonian god Bel is not living; he then kills Bel’s prophets and destroys the temple.  Second, he proceeds to kill a dragon that the people worship.  His detractors throw him in a pit of lions for a week; God again intervenes to save Daniel.

As far as Esther, the two accounts seem like a condensed version and an unabridged version.  The longer version contains a prelude and a postscript, along with helpful insertions throughout, including the edicts that where issued and the prayers of Mordecai and Esther.

The result is a fuller and more detailed understanding of what took place.

These additional passages are found in The Jerusalem Bible, as well as other versions.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible

Esther Was Not Like Cinderella

I’ve always liked the story of Esther.  She was a peasant girl who won a national beauty pageant and became queen.  In my imagination, I’ve given this tale a Cinderella-like grandness, with Esther and the king, falling in love and living happily ever after.

Alas, the story does not mention love and fails to include any thoughts of happiness.  Let’s review the facts:

  • Esther and her people had been taken captive and forcibly relocated to a foreign land; she was a spoil of war.
  • Esther did not opt to take part in the beauty contest; all attractive virgins were compelled to participate.
  • Esther’s heritage prohibited her from marrying outside her faith; to do so would be a shameful and disobedient act.

Add to this these reasonable conclusions about Esther’s “relationship” with the king:

  • Even after she was made queen, he seemingly continued to enjoy the company of other women in his harem.
  • She was estranged from him; she had not been “summoned” by him for thirty days.
  • She feared him; she could be summarily executed by merely approaching him without permission.

In the New Jerusalem Bible, we are treated to the prayer that she offered in the midst of this.  She says, in part:

  • “I loathe the bed of the uncircumcised” (that would be the king)
  • “I am under constraint” to wear the crown, that is, to be queen
  • “Nor has your servant found pleasure from the day of her promotion until now”
  • “Free me from my fear”

Sadly, there is no love, happiness, joy, or satisfaction in her role as queen.  Even so she did use her unwanted position to save her people, the Jews, from a certain annihilation. 

So this account of Esther isn’t a love story, at least not in the traditional sense.  It is, however, a tale of valor and bravery — and a reminder that one person can make a difference.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible

The Origin of Purim

Our Jewish friends will be celebrating Purim this week. (For 2009 Purim begins at sunset March 9 and ends at sunset on the 10th, though some apparently celebrate it for two days.)

The origin of Purim is found in the book of Esther, which is a beautiful and moving story:

In a rags to riches manner, Esther was whisked from obscurity to become queen.  From her new position of access and influence, she was able to stop a plot to kill her people, the Jews.

This was done at great personal risk as she could have been summarily executed.  Esther’s bravery shows how one person can make a difference

To commemorate this event, an annual celebration was commanded, which is still celebrated today:

“And Mordecai recorded these things, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus, both near and far, to command them to keep the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and also the fifteenth, yearly.

“As the days on which the Jews got rest from their enemies, and as the month which was turned for them from sorrow to gladness and from mourning into a holiday — that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days of sending choice portions to one another and gifts to the poor,” (Esther 9:20-22).

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.