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Esther (אסתר, Standard Hebrew Ester, Tiberian Hebrew ʾEster) was a woman in the Hebrew Bible, the queen of Ahasuerus ( Xerxes I), and heroine of the Biblical Book of Esther which is named after her.
1 The name
Ester means "hidden" in Hebrew. According to the rabbis and the Midrash, and most Christian scholars, she was a Jewish woman named Hadas'sah (" myrtle"), but when she entered the royal harem she received the name by which she henceforth became known. It is a Syro-Arabian modification of the Persian word satarah, which means a star. She was the daughter of Abihail, a Benjamite. Another possibility is that the name is derived from Ishtar.
2 The story
Her family did not avail themselves of the permission granted by Cyrus the Great to the exiles to return to Jerusalem; and she resided with her cousin Mordecai, who held some office in the household of the Persian king at " ShushanSee Susa, Italy for the city in Piemont. Susa (or Shushan was an ancient city of the Babylonian, Persian and Parthian empires, located about 150 miles east of the Tigris River in the southeastern portion of the modern nation of Iran. Today, the ancient ci in the palace."
Ahasuerus, having divorced VashtiIn the Bible, according to Esther 1:10-12, Vashti (meaning "beautiful") was the queen of king Ahasuerus, who was deposed from her royal dignity because she refused to obey the king when he desired her to appear naked in the banqueting hall of the palace o, chose Esther to be his wife and queen. Soon after this he gave HamanIn Jewish tradition, Haman was the key instigator in the Purim story (told in the Book of Esther) and is descended from Amalek. He attempted to trick King Xerxes into thinking that Mordecai was a traitor. Upon finding out that Haman was lying, Xerxes orde the Agagite, his prime minister, power and authority to kill and extirpate all the JewThe word Jew is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to either a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or a member of the Jewish culture or ethnicity. This article discusses the term as describing an ethnic group; for as throughout the Persian empire. By the interposition of Esther this terrible catastrophe was averted. Haman was hanged on the gallowsA gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging. A gallows can take several forms. The simplest (as often used in the game Hangman') resembles an inverted 'L', with a single upright and a horizontal beam to which the rope noose would he had intended for Mordecai; and the Jews established an annual feast, the feast of PurimPurim Observed by: Jews Name Hebrew: Meaning: "Lots" Begins: 14th or 15th day of Adar OccasionCelebration of Jewish deliverance as told in the Book of Esther. Symbols:Grogger, dice, costumes, mask Purim "Lots," Standard Hebrew Purim Tiberian Hebrew Purim, in memory of their wonderful deliverance. This took place about fifty-two years after the Return, the year of the great battles of PlataeaThe Battle of Plataea took place in 479 BC between an alliance of Greek city-states and the Persians. Background After the Battle of Salamis, Xerxes I returned to Persia, leaving Mardonius in charge of the conquered Greek territories. Mardonius, through A and MycaleBattle of Mycale Conflict Persian Wars Date August, 479 BC Place Mycale, Ionia Result Greek victory Combatants Greek city-states Persia Commanders Leotychides Arta˙ntes Strength About 50 000Unknown Casualties UnknownUnknown The Battle of Mycale was one of ( 479 BC).
Esther appears in the Bible as a woman of deep piety, faith, courage, patriotism, and caution, combined with resolution; a dutiful daughter to her adopted father, docile and obedient to his counsels, and anxious to share the king's favour with him for the good of the Jewish people. That she was raised up as an instrument in the hand of God to avert the destruction of the Jewish people, and to afford them protection and forward their wealth and peace in their captivity, is also manifest from the Scripture account.
