Questions tagged [esther]
The book of Esther tells the story of the Persian king Ahashsverosh, his secretly-Jewish queen Esther, and court intrigues that nearly led to the destruction of the Jews. This book is noteworthy for not mentioning God.
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Why did Mordecai forbid Esther to reveal her nationality?
Esther 2:10 says:
Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so.
Why not? Did the Persians hate Jews? Was there a racist issue?
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Does a woman officially become a concubine of the king after spending a night with the king?
Esther 2 says:
¹²In the twelve months before her turn to go to King Xerxes, the harem regulation required each young woman to receive beauty treatments with oil of myrrh for six months, and then with ...
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Why didn't Haman investigate Mordecai's relationship with Queen Esther?
BSB Esther 2:10 Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so. 11 And every day Mordecai would walk back and forth in front of the court of the ...
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What was the law King Ahasuerus was following with regards to Queen Vashti?
In Esther 1:15, King Ahasuerus asks his advisors what should be done to the disobedient Queen Vashti “according to the law.” What law is he referring to?
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How many hours Esther already fast at the time she go to the palace?
Suppose on Date 11 just before sunset, Esther say :
"I and my attendants will fast as you do" (Esther 4:16).
and there is a sentence like this :
On the first day Esther fast, she suffer ...
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Did King Ahasuerus know that his decree was to destroy the Jews in the first place?
Esther 3:8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all ...
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In Esther 2:8-18, what would Ahashuerus' “harem” been like during the time of Esther's confinement?
I'm trying to understand the nature of the Harem's during the time period of the Persian and Median empire.
I'm Not trying to be uncouth/brash/offensive but was said Harem like some kind of sex ring?
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How ought we to understand Zeresh's response in Esther 5:14?
Esther 5 describes how Haman was incensed by Mordechai’s arrogance and couldn’t tolerate his existence anymore. V. 10 describes how Haman convened with his cronies to plot and devise a plan how to ...
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What was the name of the king of Persia at the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem?
The Book of Nehemiah refers to some king "Artaxerxes" of Persia, whereas the Book of Esther refers to some "Assuerus."
(Nehemiah 2:1) And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, ...
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Why was Haman desperately seeking to wipe out the children of Israel?
The Israeli were in excile at Babylon. But it seems the King of Babylon was not so much as desperate as Haman was to get rid of the children of Israel. So why was Haman desperately seeking to wipe out ...
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In Esther 3:2-4 why did Mordecai refuse to obey?
Esther 3:2b But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage.
Esther 3:4b for he had told them that he was a Jew.
Does the Old Testament forbid respecting authority by bowing?
Is this principle ...
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What was Queen Esther’s Relationship to Mordechai?
Do we know what was Queen Esther's relationship to Mordecai, based on textual variants1 in the Book of Esther?
1 Queen Esther’s Relationship to Mordechai in Jewish and Christian tradition
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Repetitive name change in Esther
In Esther 1:10 the king has seven eunuchs: Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas.
On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, ...
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In Esther 5 why did Esther arrange a second meeting?
I recently did a meditation on the fourth chapter of Esther at my church. As I was studying, I noticed something that I knew before hand, but I had never really thought to seriously about.
Why did ...
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What does it mean when Queen Vashti “displays her beauty” in Esther 1:11
In Esther 1:10-11, what exactly does the phrase "display her beauty" mean?
ESTHER 1:10-11 - "On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who ...
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Why did Haman build so tall an instrument of death?
Related to: How did Haman intend to kill Mordecai?
Haman's wife suggested that Haman have Mordecai executed on an 'etz 50 cubits high. Using the standard cubit, that comes to 75 feet.
Esther 5:14 ...
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How did Haman intend to kill Mordecai?
In Esther 5:14, Haman makes plans to kill Mordecai.
Esther 5:14 Haman’s wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, "Have a gallows seventy-five feet high built, and in the morning tell the ...
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Was Haman an Agagite?
Esther 3:1 says
After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.
Wikipedia says &...
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Esther 4:14 observation & translation
How should Esther 4:14 be translated and understood?
For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise
for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will
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Did King Achashverosh (or his court) know that Mordechai was Esther's relative?
When Esther the Jew was chosen by the Persian king her uncle Mordechai told her to keep her identity a secret, which she did:
Esther had not yet made known her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai ...
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What is the Hermeneutical significance of the lack of direct mention of God in Esther?
It is a fairly well-known piece of trivia that Esther (minus the apocryphal chapters) is the only book of the bible that does not directly mention God. Which of the accepted schools of Hermeneutics ...
