The Book of Esther opens with a description of an enormous 180-day party thrown by King Achashverosh in his 3rd year as king of the Persian Empire, ruling over 127 provinces. 444, 434). It was written approximately 470 B.C. Esther is the last of the historical books of the Bible, so its main character is named Esther – that is, Venus, the morning star, which sheds its light after all the other stars have ceased to shine, and while the sun still delays rising. Omissions? He ruled over a vast empire that extended from India to Ethiopia (Esther 1:1).Esther was a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin, which had been part of the kingdom of Judah. It describes the Jaredites, descendants of Jared and his companions, who were led by God to the Americas shortly after the confusion of tongues and the destruction of the Tower of Babel. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). This six-week study was written to help you discover the fingerprints of God throughout the book of Esther. The author is not known. When Esther was selected as queen, it was to save the lives of the Jewish people (Esth. Apparently in response to the conspicuous absence of any reference to God in the book, the redactors (editors) of its Greek translation in the Septuagint interspersed many additional verses throughout the text that demonstrate Esther’s and Mordecai’s religious devotion. in Persia. The greatest being that God protects His people. It is a short story similar to the Book of Ruth, starting in the palace of Shushan (Susa), one out of the three capitals of the Persian Empire. Ether consists of fifteen chapters. The events in the book of Esther probably took place around 521-495 BC. Summary of the Book of Esther Author: The Book of Esther does not specifically name its author. Updates? The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing the entrance. •    Chapters 3-4, Mordecai (Esther’s guardian) refused to bow down and pay homage to Haman a high official of the king. (Esther 1-2) Her ancestors were among the Jews wh… Every chapter of the Bible in 140 characters or less. What a tremendous book we have just completed! Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Esther was a Jewish woman who was selected by the Persian King Ahasuerus to be his wife. Chapter 1. Summary. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Esther in the presence of the Persian king Ahasuerus, illustration by Gustave Doré, 1866. Introduction The book of Esther takes place in the Persian Empire during the reign of Ahasuerus. It is clear that the author was a Jew, both from his emphasis on the origin of a Jewish festival and from the Jewish nationalism that permeates the story. According to the Book of Esther, the feast of Purim was established to celebrate that day, but this explanation is surely legendary. The Book of Esther. Esther Approaches the King. Key Takeaways: Book of Esther. A summary of Esther, chapter by chapter, from @biblesummary. Instead, Haman was hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, and, on the day planned for their annihilation, the Jews destroyed their enemies. The genre of the book of Esther is Narrative History. The Book of Ether is one of the books of the Book of Mormon. It belongs to the third section of the Judaic canon, known as the Ketuvim, or “Writings.” In the Jewish Bible, Esther follows Ecclesiastes and Lamentations and is read on the festival of Purim, which commemorates the rescue of the Jews from Haman’s plottings. The Book of Esther was likely written between 467 and 350 B.C. The book of Esther is one of only two books in the Bible named for women. “The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him” (2:17), probably because of her beauty and intelligence. He had banished his former wife and chose Esther through a contest. He may not always do it in the way we think He should, but the book of Esther shows that He is in control even when we don’t see Him. Thus, the deeds of Queen Esther cast a ray of light forward into Israel’s history from a dark time. Its author is anonymous however; some believe Mordecai, (Esther’s cousin and guardian), wrote it. Esther became queen in 479 B.C. Then the people in Persia allowed the *Jews toreturn to their own country, but not many *Jews did return. This was during a time just before the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt. Esther’s faith and courage saves her people. ... "In short" (One sentence summary): Esther thwarts the plan of Haman, a high ranking official, to kill every Jew in the country. 1 Now it came to pass in the days of a Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty b provinces:) •    In chapter 1-2, Esther becomes the queen to Ahasuerus of Persia. It may be freely downloaded and distributed. The book may have been composed as late as the first half of the 2nd century bce, though the origin of the Purim festival could date to the Babylonian exile (6th century bce). Over 100 years earlier, Nebuchadnezzar(the king of Babylon) had attacked Jerusalem. He overcame the *Jews and he tookmany *Jews to Babylon. The Book of Esther (hebrew: מְגִלַּת אֶסְתֵּר, Megillat Esther), also known in Hebrew as "the Scroll" (Megillah), is a book in the third section (Ketuvim, "Writings") of the Jewish Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible). Esther 9:3 "And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of … In order to bring about their salvation, Mordecai had to be in the right place at the right time so he could hear the plot to kill the king. The book of Esther was written during a time when the Persian Empire ruled the world and Ahasuerus (probably Xerxes I) was the king of Persia. The king out of anger, has Haman hung on the gallows, which he had built to destroy all the Jews. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In the story of Esther, you'll meet a beautiful, young queen who risked her life to serve God and save her people. She was personally chosen by the King. Ahasuerus of Persia and Media makes royal feasts—Vashti disobeys the king and is deposed as queen. He despises Mordecai because he is a Jew, and tries to … •    Chapters 3-4, Mordecai (Esther’s guardian) refused to bow down and pay homage to Haman a high official of the king. 1 On the third day, Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace across from the king’s quarters. As the days of feasting draw to a close, he summons his wife, Vashti, to show off her beauty (by appearing wearing only her crown! “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-Esther, Jewish Virtual Library - The Book of Esther. The key personalities are Esther, Mordecai, King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes), and Haman. (2:17), probably because of her beauty and intelligence. Esther then ask the Jews to fast about this for three days and three nights (Esther 4:15-17). Haman becomes infuriated and plots to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom because of his pride. •    From chapters 5-10, Esther outwits Haman and takes her petition to the king and pleas for the protection of her Jewish people from Haman’s wicked stratagem. The secular character of the Book of Esther (the divine name is never mentioned) and its strong nationalistic overtones made its admission into the biblical canon highly questionable for both Jews and Christians. When the story ofEsther happened, most *Jews were still living in the countr… Event Diagram of the Book of Ether; External links •    In chapter 1-2, Esther becomes the queen to Ahasuerus of Persia. She was personally chosen by the King. It is one of the five Scrolls (Megillot) in the Hebrew Bible and later became part of the Christian Greek Old Testament. The Book of Esther is about a Jewish girl adopted by her uncle, Mordecai, after her parents died. The Persian King Xerxes kicked out his wife, Queen Vashti, after she refused his demand, and fell in love with Esther at a beauty contest. The book of Esther outlines her history, rise to prominence, and eventual thwarting of a plan of Haman to kill all the Jewish people in the country. Dig a … “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. The book purports to explain how the feast of Purim came to be celebrated by the Jews. The author's knowledge of Persian customs, the setting of the story in the city of Susa and the absence of any reference to conditions or circumstances in the land of Judah suggest that he was a res… “The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him”. in Persia. The Book of Esther is one of the Megillot, five scrolls read on stated Jewish religious holidays. Mordecai hears of the plot and reports it to his Esther. The Book of Esther in Review. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. This summary of the Book of Esther will help with many different forms of Bible Study: The book of Esther is one of the latest of the canonical books of Scripture, having been written late in the reign of Xerxes, or early in that of his son Artaxerxes Longimanus (B.C. Event Summary Diagram. And if I perish, I … ESTHER SUMMARY Esther is written during the period of the captivity. The focus of this lesson is an overview of Esther introducing students to the main characters, places and themes. Book of Esther, book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-historical-books/esther He took in Esther as the new Persian Queen, not knowing she was an Israelite. Jonah. Xerxes, the Persian king, who rejected his other wife (Queen Vashti), fell in love with Esther in the beauty contest. Esther 1 – A Queen Is Deposed. The book of Esther was written to display the providence of God! Judaism refers to Esther as The Megillah of Esther, meaning scroll of Esther. I summarised the Bible on Twitter between Aug 2010 and Nov 2013 - one tweet per chapter, one chapter per day. These so-called Additions to the Book of Esther do not appear in the Hebrew Bible, are treated as canonical in Roman Catholic Bibles, and are placed in the Apocrypha in Protestant Bibles. Book of Esther, book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. 4:14). He took Esther as the new Persian queen, not knowing she was an Israelite. Haman becomes infuriated and plots to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom because of his pride. Either way, we pray you are encouraged through this study! Historians believe the book was written between 470-424 B.C. The events that the first chapter of the book of Esther describeshappened about 483 BC (Before Christ). Although we do not know who wrote the book of Esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author and the date of composition. Mordecai hears of the plot and reports it to his Esther. The other is the book of Ruth. Moroni abridges the writings of Ether—Ether’s genealogy is set forth—The language of the Jaredites is not confounded at the Tower of Babel—The Lord promises to lead them to a … We must stand with courage. It was written approximately 470 B.C. It belongs to the third section of the Judaic canon, known as the Ketuvim, or “Writings.” In the Jewish Bible, Esther follows Ecclesiastes and Lamentations and is read on the festival of Purim, which commemorates the rescue of the Jews from Haman’s plottings. The Book of Esther is about a Jewish girl, adopted by her uncle Mordecai after her parents had died. Almost 70 years after that, the king of Persia defeatedthe armies of Babylon in battle. And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all … This is a PDF Document summarizing the historical events within the Book of Ether. He was the son of Darius the Great and reigned from 486-465 B.C. In the Roman Catholic canon, Esther appears between Judith and Job and includes six chapters that are considered apocryphal in the Jewish and Protestant traditions. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”, Summaries Courtesy of the Ultimate Bible Summary Collection. The title refers to Ether, a Jaredite prophet who lived at the end of the time period covered by the book, believed to be circa 2600 or 2100 BC through 600 BC or later, at least 1500 but possibly as long as 2500 year Esther, the beautiful Jewish wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I), and her cousin Mordecai persuade the king to retract an order for the general annihilation of Jews throughout the empire. The following lesson is the beginning of a new series teaching through the Book of Esther. Esther was a descendant of the Benjaminites, they came from a part of the kingdom of Judah. Book of Esther Summary The Book of Esther begins with the Queen of King Ahasuerus—Vashti—snubbing the king's request to meet with her. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” (4:14). The massacre had been plotted by the king’s chief minister, Haman, and the date decided by casting lots (purim). Meanwhile Haman, the king's prime minister, creates a grudge against Esther's uncle Mordecai because he does not bow down to him, and only to the God of Israel. There is nothing close to a consensus, however, as to what historical event provided the basis for the story. Esther was born of the Jews who had been captive into Babylon nearly 100 years earlier. In the Protestant canon, Esther appears between Nehemiah and Job. Corrections? Babylon was conquered by Persia and Esther miraculously becomes the queen of the land, and saves her people. The story, about a prophet named Jonah, was written to criticize and rebuke the narrow spirit of nationalism that Jonah observed among so many of the Jewish people. The genre of the book of Esther is Narrative History. “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. He was the son of Darius the Great and he reigned from about 486-465 B.C. It is a post-exile story about Jews who stayed behind after most returned to Jerusalem after captivity. In fact, … It would be a great study to do with a group of women, or you can dig into the book of Esther in your own Bible study time. 2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she found favor in his sight. 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