Book of Esther

The Book of Esther is a special book found in the third part of the Hebrew Bible, called Ketuvim or "Writings." It is one of the Five Scrolls and is also included in the Christian Old Testament. This story is about a Jewish woman named Hadassah, who is known as Esther. She became the queen of Persia and helped save her people from a dangerous plan.

A 13th–14th-century scroll of the Book of Esther from Fez, Morocco, held at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. Traditionally, a scroll of Esther is given only one roller, fixed to its lefthand side, rather than the two used for a Torah scroll.

The story happens when King Ahasuerus ruled the First Persian Empire. His wife, Queen Vashti, was sent away for not following the king's orders. Then, a special event was held to choose a new queen, and Esther was chosen. Her cousin Mordecai, a Jewish leader, found out that one of the king's advisors named Haman wanted to harm all Jews in the empire. Mordecai asked Esther to help. She told the king she was Jewish and asked him to stop Haman's plan. The king listened, and the Jews were saved. This story is celebrated every year during the Jewish festival of Purim.

One interesting thing about the Book of Esther is that it is one of only two books in the Hebrew Bible that do not mention God directly. Many people believe this shows how God can help in secret ways, using everyday events and people's actions. During Purim, the story of Esther is read from a special handwritten scroll in a synagogue. People also give charity and share special foods, which are traditions started because of this book.

Setting and structure

The Book of Esther takes place in the Persian capital city of Susa, also called Shushan. The story happens during the time of a Persian king named Ahasuerus, who many believe was Xerxes I. The events of the book begin around 483–482 BCE and end in March 473 BCE.

The introduction of Book of Esther, hand written, part of Cairo Gniza, digital collections of Younes & Soraya Nazarian Library, University of Haifa

The book is divided into three parts: an introduction in chapters 1 and 2, the main story in chapters 3 to 9:19, and a conclusion in 9:20–10:3. The story centers around special meals called banquets. These banquets lead to a big change in the story, where a dangerous plan against the Jewish people is turned around, and they are saved instead. This sudden change is an important part of the book's message.

Summary

King Ahasuerus, ruler of the Persian Empire, held a big party for his court and everyone in the capital city, Shushan. During the party, Queen Vashti refused the king's command to appear before the guests, so he removed her as queen.

Esther is crowned in this 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

The king then chose a new queen from young women across his empire. One of these women was a Jewish girl named Esther, who had been raised by her cousin Mordecai. Esther became the new queen but did not tell the king about her Jewish background. Mordecai discovered a plan by two palace workers to kill the king, and they were stopped and punished.

Later, the king made Haman a high official. Mordecai, who refused to bow to Haman because of his Jewish faith, was targeted by Haman. Haman wanted all Jews killed and convinced the king to allow this plan.

Mordecai asked Esther to speak to the king, but she was afraid because appearing without being called could be dangerous. After three days of fasting, Esther spoke to the king, who welcomed her. At a special meal, she revealed that she was Jewish and that Haman wanted to hurt her people. The king became angry at Haman’s actions and allowed the Jews to protect themselves. As a result, many who wanted to harm the Jews were removed, and the Jewish people celebrated their safety with a special holiday called Purim.

Authorship and date

The Book of Esther, also called the Megillat Esther, was the last of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible to be officially recognized. Ancient teachers believed it was based on an original text by Mordecai and later put together by a group of wise leaders. It is usually thought to have been written around the 4th century BCE.

Scroll of Esther (Megillah)

There is also a Greek version of the story, found in a collection of old writings called the Septuagint. This version tells the same story but adds some extra details, like connecting the king Ahasuerus to a real king named Artaxerxes II. This Greek version was written later, around the late 2nd to early 1st century BCE. The Coptic and Ethiopic versions of the book come from translations of this Greek version, not the Hebrew one.

In Latin, the book was translated by Jerome for a collection known as the Vulgate. He used the Hebrew version but added in some parts from the Greek when it had more information. Before this, there was an older Latin version called the Vetus Latina, which came from a different Greek text not in the Septuagint.

During the Middle Ages, several translations of Esther into Aramaic were made. Three of these old translations still exist today. These include extra stories related to the holiday of Purim.

Historicity

The opening chapter of a hand-written scroll of the Book of Esther, with reader's Torah pointer

Some people think the Book of Esther might not be a true story. They say it has details that seem made up and does not mention real events. Many scholars think the author wrote the story to explain the Jewish holiday of Purim.

Others believe parts of the story match real history. The book is set during the time of a Persian king named Xerxes I, and the author seems to know a lot about Persian customs and palaces. Some scholars think the book is a special kind of story that mixes history with fiction to celebrate Purim.

Historical reading

The Feast of Esther (Feest van Esther, 1625) by Jan Lievens, North Carolina Museum of Art

Many people think the king in the story, Ahasuerus, might be the real king Xerxes I, who ruled from 486 to 465 BCE. Some used to think it was Artaxerxes II, who ruled much later, from 405 to 359 BCE. The name Ahasuerus likely comes from the Persian name Xšayārša, which is also the origin of the Greek name Xerxes.

The Greek writer Herodotus wrote about Xerxes and his harem after losing the Greco-Persian Wars. Herodotus mentioned a strong queen named Amestris, but did not talk about Vashti from the story. Some think Amestris and Vashti might be the same, but this is tricky because Amestris stayed powerful even after Xerxes’ rule, while Vashti was dismissed early on. Others even suggest Amestris could be the same as Esther, though Esther’s parentage is different in the story.

Scholars have also found names similar to Mordecai in Persian court records from Xerxes I’s time, which might be connected to the Mordecai in the story. Different thinkers have also tried to match Ahasuerus with other kings like Artaxerxes I or even Cyaxares, but there is no clear agreement.

Interpretation

In the Book of Esther, God’s name is not used. Some think God is hidden in special word patterns in the Hebrew text. The story shows the Jewish people facing a big danger, but they solve it through teamwork, without God being mentioned.

Different thinkers have shared ideas about what the book means. Some see it as a story of hidden miracles, where good things happen in secret ways. Others think it teaches lessons about responsibility and getting along with people from different backgrounds. The story shows how Esther, a Jewish queen, helps save her people even though she is part of Persian culture.

Additions to Esther

The Book of Esther has some extra parts in a Greek version called the Septuagint. Jerome noticed these when he worked on a Latin translation called the Vulgate. He saw they were not in the original Hebrew Text, so he put them at the end.

Different Bible versions treat these additions in different ways. Some put them at the end, while others mix them into the main story. The numbering also changes.

The six extra parts are:

Addition A: A prologue about a dream Mordecai had.
Addition B: The details of a decree against the Jews.
Addition C: Extra dialogue and prayers for help.
Addition D: A longer scene where Esther meets the king.
Addition E: A copy of a decree that helps the Jews.
Addition F: Mordecai talking about his dream again, with some ending notes.

There has been discussion about whether these additions should be part of the official Bible. Some groups, like the Council of Trent, say they are important. Others see them as extra reading but not part of the main Bible text.

Modern retelling

Year	Type	Cast or creator	Description
1511	Painting	Michelangelo	There are several paintings depicting Esther and her story, including The Punishment of Haman by Michelangelo, in a corner of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
1660	Painting	Rembrandt van Rijn	In 1660, Rembrandt van Rijn's painting of Esther's Banquet depicts how Esther approached the men at their level to make the request of erasing the decree.
1689	Poem	Lucrezia Tornabuoni	The Italian Renaissance poet Lucrezia Tornabuoni chose Esther as one of biblical figures on which she wrote poetry.
1689	Stageplay	Jean Baptiste Racine	Jean Baptiste Racine wrote Esther, a tragedy, at the request of Louis XIV's wife, Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon.
1718	Stageplay	Handel	Handel wrote the oratorio Esther based on Racine's play.
1881	Poem	Christina Rossetti	The eighth poem of 14 in Rossetti's sonnet-of-sonnets sequence Monna Innominata portrays Esther as brave, beautiful, wise and witty, as 'subtle as a snake', and the woman who 'built her people's house that it should stand'.
1947	Movie	Ottilie Kruger	A 1947 American film entitled Queen Esther: A Story from the Bible, starring Ottilie Kruger as Esther, Richard Hale as Mordecai, Addison Richards as Haman, and Charles Evans as King Xerxes.
1958	Book	Gladys Malvern	In 1958, a book entitled Behold Your Queen! was written by Gladys Malvern and illustrated by her sister, Corinne Malvern. It was chosen as a selection of the Junior Literary Guild.
1960	Stageplay	Saunders Lewis	The play entitled Esther (1960), written by Welsh dramatist Saunders Lewis, is a retelling of the story in Welsh.
1960	Movie	Joan Collins	A 1960 movie about the story, Esther and the King, starring Joan Collins.
1978	Miniseries	Victoria Principal	A 1978 miniseries entitled The Greatest Heroes of the Bible starred Victoria Principal as Esther, Robert Mandan as Xerxes, and Michael Ansara as Haman.
1979	TV movie	Olivia Hussey	A 1979 television film entitled The Thirteenth Day: The Story of Esther and aired on ABC-TV, starring Olivia Hussey as Esther, Tony Musante as King Ahasuerus, and Harris Yulin as Haman.
1981	Animation	Superbook	Episode 25 of the 1981 anime series Superbook involves this story
1983	Musical	J. Edward Oliver, Nick Munns	The 1983 musical entitled Swan Esther was written by J. Edward Oliver and Nick Munns and released as a concept album with Stephanie Lawrence and Denis Quilley. Swan Esther has been performed by the Young Vic, a national tour produced by Bill Kenwright and some amateur groups.
1986	Movie	Amos Gitai	Israeli film directed by Amos Gitai entitled Esther.
1987	Book	Tomie dePaola	Children's book titled Queen Esther written and illustrated by award-winning American author Tomie dePaola and published by HarperCollins.
1992	Animation	Helen Slater	In 1992, a 30-minute, fully animated video, twelfth in Hanna-Barbera's The Greatest Adventure series, titled Queen Esther features the voices of Helen Slater as Queen Esther, Dean Jones as King Ahasuerus, Werner Klemperer as Haman, and Ron Rifkin as Mordecai.
1999	TV movie	Louise Lombard	TV movie from the Bible Collection that follows the biblical account very closely, Esther, starred Louise Lombard in the title role and F. Murray Abraham as Mordecai.
2000	Animation	VeggieTales	VeggieTales released "Esther... The Girl Who Became Queen".
2005	Book	Ginger Garrett	Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther by Ginger Garrett. 2005, NavPress.
2006	Movie	Tiffany Dupont, Luke Goss	A movie about Esther and Ahasuerus, entitled One Night with the King, stars Tiffany Dupont and Luke Goss. It was based on the novel Hadassah: One Night with the King by Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen.
??	??	??	Esther is one of the five heroines of the Order of the Eastern Star.
2011	Song	Maccabeats	On March 8, 2011, the Maccabeats released a music video called "Purim Song".
2012	Book	J. T. Waldman	In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the Book of Esther was illustrated by J. T. Waldman and appeared in volume one of The Graphic Canon, edited by Russ Kick and published by Seven Stories Press.
2013	Movie	Jen Lilley	The Book of Esther is a 2013 movie starring Jen Lilley as Queen Esther and Joel Smallbone as King Xerxes.
2015	Book	Angela Hunt	Hunt, Angela "Esther: Royal Beauty" (A Dangerous Beauty Novel) (2015)
2016	Book	Rebecca Kanner	Kanner, Rebecca, "Esther" (2016)
2011	Book	Joan Wolf	Wolf, Joan,"A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther" (2011)
2011	Book	Roseanna M. White	White, Roseanna, M. "Jewel of Persia" (2011)
2020	Book	Jill Eileen Smith	Smith, Jill, Eileen."Star of Persia: Esther's Story" (2020)
2013	Book	H.B. Moore	H.B. Moore."Esther the Queen" (2013)
2014	Movie	CJ Kramer	"Megillas Lester", an animated comedy loosely based on the Book of Esther, where a boy named Daniel Lesterovich (a.k.a., "Lester") is knocked out and travels back in time to the story of the Megillah, and nearly changes history by accidentally saving Queen Vashti. (2014)
2020	Book	Elizabeth Mack	Mack, Elizabeth. "The Queen of Persia" (2020)
2019	Book	Diana Taylor	Taylor, Diana, Wallis."Hadassah, Queen Esther of Persia" (2019)
2020	Stageplay	Sight & Sound Theatres	Sight & Sound Theatres produced "Queen Esther," a stage production (2020)

The Book of Esther is one of the books in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. It tells the story of a Jewish queen named Esther who helped save her people from danger.

The story happens in a big palace in the ancient city of Persia. Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, discovered a secret plan to hurt the Jewish people. Esther bravely spoke to the king to stop the plan and protect her people. Her courage and kindness helped save many lives.

The book of Esther is special because it does not mention God directly, but many readers feel God’s presence in the story’s events. It is often read during the Jewish holiday of Purim to celebrate this brave act and the happiness that followed.