The Book of Esther

In short

Esther (the person) is a Jew who winds up as queen of the Persian Empire and thwarts a genocide attempt on the Jews by a bitter man named Haman. To commemorate the retaliatory strikes, the feast of Purim is instituted at the end of the book of Esther (and is still observed today).

Why it is important

If it were not for Esther (the woman), the Jews would cease to exist. (Though I would think God would preserve a remnant as he always has.)

Main characters

• Ahasuerus, king of the Persian Empire
• Esther (born Hadassah), a Jew who became queen
• Mordecai, Esther’s cousin
• Haman, the evil villain who works for the king

When and where this takes place

The book takes place in the capital of the Persian Empire, Susa, which is about 750 miles from Israel.

Scholars believe Ahasuerus is King Xerxes, thus placing the events of Esther between the two returns of the Jews in the book of Ezra.

What is in this book (which is one big story)

1. King Ahasuerus: Bring me Queen Vashti! (1:11)
2. She refuses (1:12)
3. King Ahasuerus: Find me a new queen – a pretty one! (2:4)
4. Esther is pretty; she becomes queen in Vashti’s place (2:17)
5. Haman is promoted (3:1)
6. Mordecai refuses to bow to Haman (3:2)
7. Haman says, Oh yeah, then I’ll kill the Jews! (3:6)
8. Mordecai begs Esther to use her status to save the Jews (ch. 4)
9. Esther risks her life to talk to the king (4:11, 5:1-2)
10. Esther plans a feast (5:8)
11. At the feast, Esther rats out Haman (7:6)
12. Haman is hanged “on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai” (7:10)
13. Esther has Haman’s decree revoked (ch. 8)
14. The Jews kill their enemies throughout the empire (9:1-2)
15. In memory of this, the feast of Purim is inaugurated (9:18-19, 26-28)

Theology and doctrine

You have probably heard that Esther is the only book of the Bible that does not mention “the LORD” or “God” or any name or title of the Heavenly Father.

I’d say the lasting tradition of Purim (the only biblical feast outside the Torah) attests to the fact that Esther is universally agreed as rightfully a part of Scripture.

And as countless people have pointed out over the ages, God is thoroughly at work in the story.