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Esther

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Esther, Book of

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Concordances
Nave Topical Bible
• Esther
Scofield Reference Index
• Esther
Thompson Chain Reference
• Esther
Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
• Esther & Nehemiah?: & Wives
Dictionaries
American Tract Society
• Esther, the Book of
• Esther
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
• Esther
Baker's Evangelical Dictionary
• Esther, Theology of
Chabad Knowledge Base
• Scroll of Esther
• Megillat Esther
• Fast of Esther
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Easton's Bible Dictionary
• Esther, Book of
• Esther
Fausset Bible Dictionary
• Esther, the Book of
• Esther
Holman Bible Dictionary
• Esther
Hitchcock Bible Names
• Esther
Hastings' BibleDictionary
• Esther, Book of
• Esther
Morrish Bible Dictionary
• Esther, Book of
• Esther
1910 New Catholic Dictionary
• Esther, Book of
• Esther
• Book of Esther
Hawker's Poor Man's Dictionary
• Esther
People's Bible Dictionary
• Esther (2)
• Esther
Smith Bible Dictionary
• Esther The Book of
• Esther
Whyte's Bible Characters
• Esther
Watson's Theological Dictionary
• Esther
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• Esther
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
• Esther
• Esther, Book of
• Esther, the Rest of
Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia
• Esther
• Esther Book of
McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia
• Champion (Nee Palmer), Esther
• Esther
• Esther, Apocryphal Additions to the Book of.
•   (only first 3 shown)
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
• Esther, the Book of
The Catholic Encyclopedia
• Esther
The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Chiera, Esther
• Domeier, Esther
• Esther
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Lexicons
• אֶסְתֵּר

es´tẽr ( אסתּר , 'eṣtēr , akin to the Zend ctara , the Sanskrit stṛi , the Greek ἀστήρ , astḗr , "a star," Ἐσθήρ , Esthḗr ): Esther was a Jewish orphan, who became the queen of Xerxes, in some respects the greatest of the Persian kings. She was brought up at Susa by her cousin Mordecai, who seems to have held a position among the lower officials of the royal palace. Vashti, Xerxes' former queen, was divorced; and the most beautiful virgins from all the provinces of the empire were brought to the palace of Susa that the king might select her successor. The choice fell upon the Jewish maiden. Soon after her accession a great crisis occurred in the history of the Jews. The entire people was threatened with destruction. The name of Esther is forever bound up with the record of their deliverance. By a course of action which gives her a distinguished place among the women of the Bible, the great enemy of the Jews was destroyed, and her people were delivered. Nothing more is known of her than is recorded in the book which Jewish gratitude has made to bear her name.

Change of Name

The change in the queen's name from Hadassah הדסּה , "a myrtle," to Esther, "a star," may possibly indicate the style of beauty for which the Persian queen was famous. The narrative displays her as a woman of clear judgment, of magnificent self-control, and capable of the noblest self-sacrifice. See ESTHER , BOOK OF .