What makes Esther special?

Esther is one of the best stories in the Bible. It has a plot full of twists and interesting characters. It is also a type of story in the Jewish tradition, depicting people who go through trials and triumphs in foreign courts. The hero of the story is a woman, Esther, which was unusual for the times in which the story was written. In this tale, she is able to hide her secret of being Jewish at the Persian court and risks her own life to save her people.

The author’s use of names, dates, and ideas shows that Esther is more like a modern historical novel than a history book. For example, Xerxes’ wife was really named Amestris, not Vashti, and she never lost her throne. Also, the Persians were well-known for accepting other peoples’ religions, not for giving orders to kill people for their beliefs. Curiously, Esther is the only biblical book that does not mention God directly. God’s presence, however, may be seen as the guiding force that makes Esther queen and protects the Jewish people.

Why was Esther written?

It seems that Esther was written primarily to explain the Jewish festival of Purim celebrated in the month of Adar, which is in mid-February/mid-March. Purim is a lively party where celebrants are encouraged to let themselves go in carefree enjoyment of the moment. The Talmud, one of Judaism’s central religious books from the fifth century A.D., instructs, “Drink wine until you can no longer distinguish between ‘Blessed be Mordecai’ and ‘Cursed be Haman.’” Mordecai and Haman are two of the main characters in the story. Esther tells the story of Jews who triumphed in spite of plots against them.

The book of Esther survives in its original Hebrew and in a Greek version that made additions to the story. This Greek version is most often found in the Apocrypha, or secondary books of the Bible.

What’s the story behind Esther?

King Cyrus the Great of Persia defeated Babylonia in 538 B.C. He gave Jews who had been forced to live in Babylonia for seventy years a chance to go home. But many of the Jews liked their new home better than the ruins of Jerusalem and decided to stay where they were. In this story, Mordecai and his cousin Esther represent those who stayed. Some scholars have suggested that the experiences of Esther and Mordecai during the reign of Ahasuerus (also called Xerxes I, 485-465 B.C.), retell an old Babylonian myth for a new purpose. In the old story, Marduk, the Babylonian god who is the hero of the myth (renamed Mordecai here), and Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love (renamed Esther in this story) defeat the evil gods that oppose them (Haman and his followers in the story). Of course, the biblical book carefully avoids calling Mordecai, Haman, or Esther “gods,” but it still emphasizes the triumph of good over evil.

How is Esther constructed?

The queen disobeys the king (1.1-22)

Mordecai, Esther, and Haman (2.1—3.6)

The Jews are in danger (3.7—4.17)

Esther uses her influence (5.1—7.10)

The Jews destroy their enemies (8.1—9.19)

The Festival of Purim (9.20—10.3)

The Queen Disobeys the King

In this part of the story the king and queen of Persia hold three big dinners. Huge numbers of people are invited, and one dinner lasts for one hundred and eighty days. At each of the dinners, the guests are entertained royally. When Queen Vashti refuses to leave her party and appear at King Xerxes’ party, the king becomes furious.

Mordecai, Esther, and Haman

King Xerxes searches all over the kingdom for a new queen. Mordecai, a Jew, has a beautiful younger cousin, Esther, he has raised as his daughter. The king sees her and falls in love with her right away. He makes Esther queen, but he does not know she is a Jew. Mordecai becomes a palace official and overhears a plot to kill the king. He tells Esther, who then warns the king, saving his life. But, trouble begins for Mordecai when he meets Haman, the king’s highest official.

The Jews Are in Danger

Haman is so angry with Mordecai for refusing to honor him that he convinces the king to kill all the Jews in the kingdom. Mordecai convinces Esther to risk her life to save the Jews.

Esther Uses Her Influence

Esther begins her clever plan to save the Jews by inviting the king and Haman to dinner. After the dinner, Haman begins his plan to kill Mordecai by building a huge tower from which he intends to hang Mordecai. But, instead of killing Mordecai, Haman has to honor him. Then Esther gives a second dinner for the king and Haman. At this dinner there are many surprises.

The Jews Destroy Their Enemies

Esther tells King Xerxes that Mordecai is her cousin. The king makes Mordecai a high official in his court. Then Esther asks the king to make a new law that will save the Jews. King Xerxes agrees and says that the Jews may destroy anyone who is their enemy. After the fighting is over, the Jews celebrate having defeated their enemies.

The Festival of Purim

Mordecai writes a letter to all the Jews. He tells them that every year they should hold a celebration to remember and to give thanks for having defeated their enemies. This celebration is called the Festival of Purim, and Jews still celebrate it today.

Questions about Esther

1. What role do dinners, banquets, and luxury play in the story? What role do their opposites have: Mordecai’s sackcloth, Esther’s fasting?

2. In this story two women, Esther and Vashti, gain and lose their crowns. One is originally an orphan who ends up queen. The other starts out as queen, but returns to the harem. How does each use her position to get what she wants? Where in the book do you see women thinking for themselves, influencing and even disobeying their husbands?

3. Who are the people you most admire in this story? Why?

4. What events in modern history or situations in today’s society did you think of when you read the story of Esther? What groups of people in our times do you think have had to fight off prejudices to keep their identity?

5. Esther tells about the origins of the Jewish holiday of Purim (9.20-28). Do you know anyone who celebrates this holiday? If so, ask them what this festival means to them. How does understanding the holiday help to understand the book that inspired it?

6. There is no reference to God in the entire book of Esther. Why do you think, then, that it is included in the Bible?