Queen Esther - Bible Story Verses & Meaning - Bible Study Tools Just as a wolf seizes its spoils, so did Esther seize the throne; similarly, Mordecai and Esther divided Hamans spoils among them (Gen. Rabbah[ed. In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen. 17:14): Inscribe this in a document as a reminder (since Haman was of Amalekite stock). Esther before she died (I'm guessing she died in 464 BC) and maybe What can we learn from Esther about our personal understanding of our true life's mission? Her bravery earns her a spot among the seven women prophets, and she is remembered as the one responsible for the deliverance of Israel. Lit. Esther becoming queen was a massive step up in the world, but that was probably because her husband was The King You Didn't Mess With. Upset, the king stepped out into the palace gardens. She was the second daughter of Laban, Rebekah's brother, making Jacob her first cousin. She had two grown sons (Aristobulus and Hyrcanus II), but she decided not to step aside for them; perhaps she foresaw that the rivalry between the younger and older son would not end well. EQUIP book club: How old was Esther? "scroll." to be fictional. [6] Josephus writes: Alongside Queen Alexandra, and gaining power with her, were the Pharisees, an important sector of the Jewish community who were considered more religious than the rest of the nation and stricter in the observance and interpretation of the Laws (trans. The Babylonian tradition (according to which she was Mordecais wife) understands this apprehension as her awareness that she would thereby lose her status as one compelled [a married woman living with another man against her will] and become a woman who does so freely. Help JWA continue to lift up Jewish womens stories, this month and every month, by. Prof. Mika Ahuvia is Associate Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Washington and currently holds the Marsha and Jay Glazer Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies. Nonetheless, in the very same document in which the rabbis rule out the possibility of Jewish queens, the rabbis remember Queen Shelamzion Alexandra quite favorably. Esthers story culminates when the beloved queen is faced with the decision to either continue to disguise her Jewish heritage and maintain her safety or jeopardize everything to advocate for her people. Nevertheless, this must not have an easy decision for her; just one generation before her, the wife of the Hasmonean King John Hyrcanus was starved to death by her son when she tried to remain queen. Esther turns in prayer to God and compares the situation of the Jews of Persia to that of the Jews in Egypt: in Egypt the Jews cried out and were answered; and in Persia, they fasted, prayed and cried out over their tribulation and the decree that was harsher than that during the time of the Egyptian servitude. Considering that she was likely in her mid-teens when she met King Ahasuerus, she lost her parents before that point. Esther probably didn't live to see the events of the book of She stayed with Ahasuerus and sacrificed her personal happiness to complete her ultimate mission to enable the building of the Second Temple and the return to Zion. In reference to her lineage, the Rabbis state that she continued the way of the members of her tribe: Rachel, Benjamin, and Saul(Gen. Rabbah71:35; see below: Esther Does Not Reveal Her Origins). a. was the wife of the Persian King Xerxes [aka "Ahasuerus" in many The Jews receive permission to defend themselves against their oppressors, and many of the enemies of the Jews are killed. The Queen described in the Book of Nehemiah is Queen Esther. Esther is noteworthy for her beauty, intelligence, and courage, along with her humility. Who was with the Queen when she died? | Daily Mail Online When she became orphaned, she was adopted by her cousin Mordecai. With the kings consent, Haman set a date for the execution (the 13th day of the month of Adar) by casting lots and built a gallows specifically for Mordecai. She should know better to try to fool God who said to her, "No, but you did laugh . Fear strikes in the hearts of many, including Mordecai, as he realizes Hadassah will be taken. Esther understood that this action would require her to commit a grave transgression, and even lose all possibility of returning to her husband Mordecai. The ministering angels took action to inflame Ahasueruss wrath: they appeared as people cutting the trees in his garden, and when the king asked why they were doing this, they said that they were acting on Hamans orders. That day, Esther told the king about Haman's plan to massacre all Jews in his kingdom, and she acknowledged her own Jewish ethnicity. How old was The Queen when she died and why did she have - The US Sun Hearing the horror of the planned genocide, the light went on: Esther connected with her inner self and understood why she had been made queen. Thisdevarbuilds on Ilans work: her oeuvre is well known to academics but is not as well known as it could be tothe reading public. According to the second direction, Esther was her real name, and she is so named throughout the Book of Esther; accordingly, the name Hadassah needs further explanation. Alexandra the Maccabee. Mordecai was an important figure in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. It is believed that Mordecai was married before the events of the book, as the King of Persia issues a decree for all unmarried women to come to the palace for beautification treatments. She was the daughter of the infamous King Henry VIII and his second wife the illustrious Queen Anne Boleyn, who was executed when Elizabeth was just two years old. See also Susan Niditch,A Prelude to Biblical Folklore: Underdogs and Tricksters(Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2000). Esth. The monarch of Persia, King Ahasuerus, was wealthy and powerful. Esther and Mordecai under Xerxes of Persia - Amazing Bible Timeline Esther was a young Jewish girl taken into the palace of the king of Persia, King Ahasuerus. [10] Frymer-Kensky,In the Wake of the Goddesses: Women, Culture, and the Biblical Transformation of Pagan Myth(Free Press, 1992), 130. The two were very close and Mordecai was highly regarded and respected by both King Xerxes and the Jewish people. Sometimes it was hard for Esther because the other Jews were treated badly. cit.). The enraged King ordered Haman's hanging, elevated Mordecai to prime minister and gave Jews the right to defend themselves against any enemy. She notes that Josephus only knew this queen by her Greek name, Alexandra, while the Rabbis only knew her by her Semitic name. Esther was the heroine and central figure in the Biblical book of Esther. There was no King Ahasuerus of Persia, but many Bible commentaries observe that Ahasuerus is likely the Hebraicised version of King Xerxes, the Achaemenid leader who ruled from 486 to 465 BCE.Historians say that Queen Amestris was Xerxes' only known wife and was definitely still queen at the time the biblical account says that Xerxes married Esther, casting doubt on the biblical story. We see, however, that this was a stratagem on Mordecais part, so that Esther would not be frequently summoned to the king. According to one tradition, Esther was responsible for Mordecais being seated at the palace gate, since she told Ahasuerus that all the great kings seated a Jewish advisor at the gate (Midrash Abba Gurionloc. The beginning of the psalm: My God, my God, why have You abandoned me? is what Esther asks when she wants to know why the spirit of divine inspiration has left her: was this because she went to Ahasuerus of her own free will, or because she disparaged him, and called him a dog (following the text of the psalm)(BTMegillah15a)? Vintage colour lithograph from 1882 of Esther standing in the Inner Court of the King's House. This also leads to a different understanding of Mordecais involvement, as he walks about in the royal courtyard out of concern for his wife. The jar symbolizes Esthers grief, fear, and pain, which stems from her captivity in King Xerxes harem. Nehemiah, unless she survived the assassination, in which case she According to the Babylonian tradition, she saw menstrual blood (BT Megillah15a). According to one tradition, he could not find a wet nurse and he himself miraculously had milk and nursed her(Gen. Rabbah30:8). and Nehemiah may have known each other personally. Theodor-Albeck], MS. Vatican, para. This book therefore has the same sanctity as the other books of Scripture. The plea was turned down by her. The Rabbis viewed Esther as one who was compelled to marry Ahasuerus against her will. Upon realizing this, Mordecai subdued the enemy and turned the wickedness of Haman back onto himself and his family. Fun Facts About Esther From The Bible That You Should Know cit.). Esther was the best-looking woman, and Ahasuerus picked her to replace Vashti as Queen. Queen Esther - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Most of the Jews preferred the comfortable life of the Persian Empire to an arduous life rebuilding their devastated homeland. Esther | Biblical Figure, Account, Purim, & Facts | Britannica Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. One of these officials was the biblical Mordecai. Queen Elizabeth II has died - BBC News 20). In spite of its origins it soon became the basis of the Jewish festival of Purim.According to the book, Vashti, Esther's predecessor as queen of Persia, was divorced by her husband, King Xerxes (Ahasuerus), who then sought a suitable virgin for his wife, finally choosing Esther. Esthers jar was a tangible expression of her emotional devastation, her loss of hope, and her feelings of utter helplessness. The events of Esther took place between 483 and 473 BC, during the first part of King Xerxes's reign when he appointed Esther as his queen. Do you, or does someone you know, demonstrate the same total commitment to a mission, even at the cost of sacrificing personal happiness? assassinated with her husband (which was likely), or if she was On the third day, Queen Esther put on her royal robes and presented herself to King Xerxes, even though her husband had not requested her presence in over a month. This shows that her selection was part of the divine plan; Esther was meant to rule in order to bring deliverance to all Israel (Lit. What is the reflection of the story of princess urduja? Rabbah8:3). Who Was Queen Esther - Story, History, and Significance - Crosswalk.com Esther was taken to the royal harem despite her being married, which further aggravated her sorry condition. What Did God Write on the Tablets of Stone? Rabbah30:4). Esther would have been in her early to mid 60's when the Like many Jews today, she had two names, one Hebrew and one Greek. Enduring Word Bible Commentary Esther Chapter 2 In various sources the Rabbis relate to the question of the Book of Esthers acceptance as Scripture and to the establishment of the holiday ofPurim. There is not one correct rendering of her name in any rabbinic manuscript (260). It seems unlikely that Esther was ever Queen of Persia, so we can not say at what age Xerxes married her. Did Esther have sex with Xerxes before they were married? The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah scholars. Verily, I seek Your mercy from window to window in the house of Ahasuerus. The Funeral of Queen Victoria by Wiliam Lionel Wylie (c) National Maritime Museum. Plath famously battled depression and other mental illnesses, and the same is true of Esthers condition in the novel. Another tradition has her becoming pregnant by Ahasuerus, but miscarrying (Esth. 2:5as being a Benjaminite, from which the Rabbis assumed that Esther also came from this tribe. "And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all who saw her." (2:15). In common parlance, the braided loaves blessed and eaten on the Sabbath and Festivals. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The king agreed, not knowing that Esther, his beloved queen, and Mordecai, the man to whom he owed his life, were both Jews. 2). Queen Sheba the famous rich queen , never did marry king if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'coalitionbrewing_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_10',152,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');Her true identity was kept hidden from everyone, until she was forced to reveal it in order to save her people from the decree of death from Persias ruling king. The historical reality of this biblical episode, and whether or not Esther actually existed, has often been questioned. They were in no way penalized for being ruled over by a queen rather than a king.[5]. He killed Haman in 473BC, when he was 45 ( Esther 3:7 ). Esther, on the other hand, was taken every day and, like them, she requested miracles. However, just because you don't know when Corrections? In post-Temple times, a small piece of dough set aside and burnt. Their grandfather was Alexander Jannaeus, the second eldest son of John Hyrcanus. 2). As a result, the king reversed his decree and the Jews were saved from death. [12] Queen Shelamzion Alexandra certainly stood to benefit from Esthers precedent. Esther Greenwood, the protagonist of Sylvia Plaths novel The Bell Jar, is believed to be a representation of the author herself. In the Erez Israel tradition, she miscarried the fetus she bore in her womb (the offspring of Ahasuerus) (Esth. Others have suggested an earlier date of translation, ca. "the written Torah." Vashti in the Bible - Her Story and Why She Was Banished He asked what she wanted. The murdered queens name does not survive in the historical record. "order." According to various traditions, at this time she recitedPsalm 22(For the leader; onayelet ha-shahar): in the Rabbinic exegesisayelet ha-shaharis Esther, and the content of the psalm is applied to her. point). Yes, Mordechai was indeed Esthers cousin. Queen Esther Hadassa of Persia (c.-505 - -425) - Genealogy older than her (do the math a 37 year old king marrying a 14 year She oversaw a peaceful and prosperous period. However, later scribes, as the manuscript evidence suggests, no longer understood it. Rabbah8:3). Oops! She was placed with her adoptive family, the Kings, on the orders of Queen Esther of Persia, who held a grudge against all Jews. Although the Bible Esther illuminated Israel like the light of dawn, while this light itself was like darkness for the nations of the world (MidrashTehilim, onPs. Esther invited Ahasuerus and Haman to a feast and the Rabbis ask: why did she invite Haman? Hearing the horror of the planned genocide, the light went on: Esther connected with her inner self and understood why she had been made queen. Rachel - Wikipedia She was married to King Achashverosh, whom some identify as Artaxerxes (), 1 king of Persia. cit.). Elizabeth reigned for almost forty-five years and was the last monarch of the Tudor Dynasty, having died childless. This exegesis casts the Biblical narrative in a different light. Esthers Origins and Her Adoption by Mordecai, Esther Delivers Up Haman and Reveals Her Identity. Later, when Queen Vashti refused to appear before Ahasuerus (in Esther ch.1), Memuchan, a Persian royal adviser, advised King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) to remove Vashti from being Queen of Persia, and King Ahasuerus agreed to his advice. Am Yisrael Chai The Rabbis accordingly relate her to the MatriarchRachel, the mother of the tribe of Benjamin. In order to recognize Mordecais efforts, the king made him his minister and gave him a royal robe and princely apparel. Rabbah6:5; BTLit. She succeeded in remaining concealed for four years but was eventually found and brought to the royal palace. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The Babylonian tradition maintains that Esther was Mordecais wife. not tell how old she was, is certainly not historical and appears Another view cites the verse (9:27): the Jews undertook and irrevocably obligated themselveswhat they took upon themselves below was confirmed above (BTMegillahloc. The BT presents this in the opposite way: the king first talked with her by means of an interpreter, but when she told him that she was descended from King Saul, he spoke with her directly, out of respect (Lev. her death is not known. Until Esther was chosen, no woman could compare with Vashti in beauty. The Jewish festival ofPurimcelebrates this event. Who Was Esther? - Heroine of the Purim Story - Chabad.org She was compared to the dawn, for just as the dawn breaks at the end of each night, so, too, Esther [i.e., the miraculous delivery of the Jews] came after there had been no miracles [during the period of exile and darkness](BTYoma29a). She had one son with After an exhilarating victory, they declared the following day a holiday and (alluding to the lots Haman had cast) named it Purim, which is Hebrew for lots.. 6 Queen Esther Characteristics We Should Be Practicing Now In the Book of Lamentations Israel bemoan (5:3): We have become orphans, fatherless, and God promises them the redemption of the fatherless and motherless orphan (Lam. She married her cousin Alexander of Judaea (died 48 BC), who was the son of Aristobulus II. Mordecai and Esther respond to this that the story in the Book of Esther was already recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Media and Persia(Esth. Esther: Bible | Jewish Women's Archive Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). The Rabbis even find proof that God concurred with the activity of Mordecai and Esther, since it is written(Esth. 28 BC) was the daughter of Hyrcanus II (died 30 BC), who was the son of Alexander Jannaeus. Weird Things You Didn't Know About Queen Esther - Grunge.com Esther retorted, "Without Jews, who needs Passover?". 2:7 ). The midrash tells that when Esther came to Ahasueruss palace the spirit of divine inspiration left her, and she then prayed to God. 2:22): and Esther reported it to the king in Mordecais name, from which the Rabbis learned that whoever properly attributes a statement brings redemption to the world, since, by merit of this act, the king wished to give honor and advancement to Mordecai, which began Hamans downfall (Codification of basic Jewish Oral Law; edited and arranged by R. Judah ha-Nasi c. 200 C.E.Mishnah Avot6:6). The Queen ascended to the throne in 1952 at the tender age of 25, and was on a royal tour of Kenya when Philip delicately broke the news that her father, King George VI, had died. Their legal marriage age suggests that they prefer young people below 18 (prime of the youth). They derive this from the various verses that reflect the thought of the characters, or that attest to actions of which a normal person could not be cognizant, such as Haman said to himself(Esth. In the midrashic exposition, Ahasuerus tries to discover Esthers origins, explaining that this would be beneficial for her relatives, since he would appoint them to important positions (Midrash Panim Aherimloc. To hide her identity as a Jew, he tells her to go by the name of Esther. Mordecai did not bow to Haman because he was a Jew and Haman was an Agagite, the enemies of Gods chosen people. As a result of his heroic actions, Mordecai was honored by King Ahasuerus for his bravery, and he was made Prime Minister with great authority. holy Temple in Jersusalem. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff following the queen's death. Ilan relies upon Bickermans dating, as does Aaron KollersEsther in Ancient Jewish Thought(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014). His father was Kish, who descended from the House of Benjamin. Esther had A seven-day festival to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt (eight days outside Israel) beginning on the 15. After she came to the fourth department, Ahasueruss ire was aroused and he remembered Vashti, who did not come into him despite his repeated requests, while Esther came into him without permission, like a harlot. After he had Vashti killed, all the lands rebelled against him; once he married Esther, one hundred and twenty-seven lands came under his rule once again, and when he appointed Mordecai as viceroy, they all returned to him (Midrash Tehilim, onPs. 114 BCE: see Carey Moore, On the Origins of the LXX Additions to the Book of Esther,JBL92.3 (1973): 382-83. brought him up to be favorable to the Jews and he later rebuilt the The death of Elizabeth I and possible causes of death by Alexander The Book of Esther does not say how old Esther was when she was taken to Ahasueruss palace; different midrashic traditions address this question. This, then, is the meaning of(Esth. The Talmud reveals that Esther's relationship with Ahasuerus wasn't a romantic one. ; Frymer-Kensky,In the Wake of the Goddesses, 137-38. Seeing the Letter Tet in a Dream: 9th Anniversary, Study the Torah with Academic Scholarship, By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use, Jewish Queens: From the Story of Esther to the History of Shelamzion, https://thetorah.com/article/jewish-queens-from-the-story-of-esther-to-the-history-of-shelamzion. May this man have mercy on me, for I fear him. The day before, the 96-year-old queen pulled out of a virtual Privy Council meeting after her doctors advised her to rest. In one exegetical expansion, the women in the harem would adorn Esther, for they said to themselves: This one will certainly be married to the king, so it is worth our while to honor her (Midrash Panim Aherim, version B, para. The Jews honored God and knew that one should not bow down to Haman, or any of his gods, for it was a sign of idolatry and would directly break the command of God. When we talk about Esther in the Book of Esther, we can't ignore many other characters in the book as they seem to play roles almost as important as hers. For today's Bible studies, we're going to discuss 10 characteristics of Esther in the Bible. Esthers extreme courage and her willingness to risk her own life for the safety of her people serves as an inspiration to this day. Esther was born about 492BC and was 14 when she became Queen. Additionally, Hamans royal throne and belongings were given to Mordecai, and he was honored by the people of the city. case we can not say how old she was. Esther replaced Queen Vashti, who had been sentenced to death because she had refused to display her beauty to the King's feast attendants. It was Mordecai who helped Esther win the favor of the King, who then chose her to be his queen. Esthers jar is a visual representation of her emotional turmoil and her suffering. How old was King Xerxes when he married Esther? - Answers The Bible doesn't say how old Esther was when she married him, but if she was 17 this would make her born in 500BC. Whereas her husband had persecuted the Pharisees, in her reign as solitary queen, Shelamzion was particularly supportive of the Pharisees, promoting their vision of Judaism and perhaps ensuring their popularity for generations to come (Josephus, Jewish War 1:110). Esthers first husband was Mordecai. The more prevalent Rabbinic opinion is that Hadassah was Esthers second name, with a plethora of interpretations built on the similarity of the myrtle (hadas) to Esther: Esther was so called because she was righteous, and the righteous are called myrtles; she was of average height, like a myrtle, which is neither short nor long; she had a greenish (sallow) complexion, like a myrtle (BTMegillahloc. The Rabbis compare Esther to the son of the uncle who redeems an ancestral landholding(Lev. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Esther is then remembered and celebrated in the annual festival of Purim. One tradition states that she was served Jewish food in the harem, while another asserts that she was given chines of pork. Haman, too, was troubled by the question of Esthers origins. Historians say there never was a Queen Vashti of Persia. Rabbah10:13). them clearly. Similarly, Shelamzion had to succeed against all odds to maintain her queenship. Mordecai was a trusted advisor to King Xerxes of Persia and Esther was his adopted daughter. King Ahasuerus, named Darius, who became King Darius II. It can also be assumed from the story that Mordecai was well aware that bowing to Haman may compromise his loyalty to the Jews and God, and thus put him in a dangerous situation. During Jacob's stay, he fell in love with Rachel . He deposed Queen Vashti in 483/482BC when he was 36 ( Esther 1:3 ). What is the labour of cable stayed bridges? cit.). Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. I'm also TheA type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).Midrash adds that Esthers father died during her mothers pregnancy, and the latter died during childbirth (Esth. The Queen Mother lived to the grand age of 101 years and 238 days old. Her jar allowed her to find a voice in a situation where she could feel voiceless. Bruce Feiler says in Where God was Born that Queen Amestris was Xerxes' only known wife, and that she remained queen long after the third year of his reign, when Vashti was supposedly deposed by Xerxes.The story of Queen Esther is demonstrably non-historical, but she is portrayed as saving the Jews of the Persian Empire from destruction. In the Book of Esther, Mordecai plays a major role in the events leading up to the deliverance of the Jewish people from their enemies. How old was The Queen Mother when she died? She is mentioned several times throughout the Book of Esther. Esther's Origins and Her Adoption by Mordecai. In post-Temple times, a small piece of dough set aside and burnt. Esther replaced Queen Vashti, who had been sentenced to death because she had refused to display her beauty to the King's feast attendants. Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). Bible Survey - Esther - Livingstone Fellowship 5). The moral of the story of Esther is to stay true to yourself and never give up on your beliefs. 2). She is the author of several books, including On My Right Michael, On My Left Gabriel: Angels in Ancient Jewish Culture (University of California Press, 2021). Queen Elizabeth II died of old age, her death certificate has revealed. She received her Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University. Once upon a time a Jewish queen ruled the land. Princess Margaret, the Queen's younger sister, was born in 1930. He wished Queen Vashti to be brought to the feast so that he may flaunt her wonderful beauty. extended into the reign of her stepson, Artaxerxes. In another exposition, she was given this name by the Gentiles, after the celestial body Istahar (BTLit. How old was King Xerxes when he married Esther? // Javascript URL redirection Midrash adds that Esther's father died during her mother's pregnancy, and the latter died during childbirth (Esth. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Josephus tells us that she was loved by the masses of the Jewish people (Jewish Antiquities 13:407). Rabbah28:6). window.location.replace(""); The best. How old was the Queen Mother when she died? Age Queen Elizabeth II's