![]() ![]() In Moses’ day, Pharaoh attempted to exterminate the Hebrew slaves. ![]() This satanic scheme is probably much older that the time of Haman. ![]() When fully developed, animosity toward Jews results in genocide: the attempt to exterminate a race. Mar.), when Jews celebrate the deliverance from Haman.Ī third theme is evident, that of anti-Semitism. The book also explains the origin of the Feast of Purim (2 Maccabees 15:36), on the thirteenth and fourteenth days of Adar (Feb. Vashti’s dismissal, Esther’s regal position, Xerxes’ indebtedness to Mordecai discovered during a sleepless night, and the miraculous deliverance of the Jews all demonstrate God’s control and care for His people (Psalm 121:4). The events occurred between those recorded in the sixth and seventh chapters of Ezra.Įven though the name of God is nowhere mentioned in the book, His sovereignty and providence are evident throughout. Ahasuerus is the Hebrew form of his name, equivalent to the Persian Khshayarsha and the Greek Xerxes. “ Historical Setting”: The events of the book cover a 10-year portion (483-473 B.C.) of the reign of Xerxes I (486 – 465 B.C.). There is no need to suppose that a well-known person was the author. since (Esther 1:2), seems to imply that Xerxes’ reign is finished. The book as it stands could have been written sometime after 465 B.C. There is no good linguistic evidence in favor of such a stance, judging from the style or diction of Esther, Ezra, or Nehemiah. Some have suggested that Ezra or Nehemiah wrote the account, but no specific evidence supports that view. While this is not impossible, the most one could safely infer from these verses would be that Mordecai’s writings and royal records were among the unknown author’s sources (compare 10:2). Many ancient, and even some more recent, commentators, have attributed the book to Mordecai on the basis of 9:20 and perhaps also 9:32. Probably not long after the events themselves took place. The author of the Book of Esther is unnamed, but given the details concerning both royal court life and the Jewish people and their customs, it must have been written by a well-placed Jew in Persia. Esther is another of the relatively rare instances where there is general agreement on the anonymity of the writing. The account has all the marks of a person who was there because he described the events as an eyewitness. “ Authorship”: The book gives no hint of who wrote it, but whoever it was knew the Persian culture well. As the orphaned daughter of her father Abihail, Esther grew up in Persia with her older cousin, Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his own daughter (2:7, 15). “Hadassah” (2:7), meaning “myrtle,” was the Hebrew name of Esther, which came either from the Persian word “star” or possibly from the name of the Babylonian love goddess, Ishtar. Like Song of Solomon, Obadiah, and Nahum, the New Testament does not quote or allude to Esther. ![]() This book and the Book of Ruth are the only Old Testament books named after women. “Title”: Esther serves as the title without variation through the ages. ![]()
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