I was a veracious reader of the bible many years ago and remember the book of esther, but over the years, not having picked up a bible in a while, i had forgotten this book. Book of esther read, study bible verses online bible study tools. At the same time, the underlying message is that the hidden hand of g. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. Despite the shortcomings in life, esther was able to find a greater scope and save a nation. Esther 1 niv queen vashti deposed this is what bible. The key personalities are esther, mordecai, king ahasuerus or xerxes, and haman. As mentioned above, the book of esther is unique in that g. Mordecai learned of a plot to kill the king and made it known to esther who passed the news to the king. In the story of esther, youll meet a beautiful, young queen who risked her life to serve god and save her people. The following scripture is from the authorized king james version of the holy bible, now in the public domain.
Study scripture verses with commentary, concordances, and use highlighting, underlining, take notes in the bible. The book of 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 and in the christian old testament. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. Esther follows the books of ezra, nehemiah, tobias tobit, and judith in the greek septuagint, and is followed by the wisdom literature such as the psalms in the christian old testament of the bible. Esther s prayer k queen esther also took refuge with the lord in the mortal peril which had overtaken her. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. The recording is dramatized, from the king james bible. Without ever mentioning god directly, the hand of god is all over the story of esther, displaying the providence and faithfulness of god even in the face of eradication. You can read more in depth bible verses from the scripture below and use the articles and videos to understand the meaning of this teachable event in the bible. Thank you i say that a lot, i know for this entry on it. Esthers uncle, mordecai, appears first as an adoptive father, whose solicitude for esther leads him to the kings gate, where he foils a plot to assassinate the king. Discover the most popular bible verses from the book of esther in this collection os scripture quotes.
In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr. The book was written no earlier than 470 bc and probably no later than 424 bc, during the reign of xerxes son artaxerxes. Jun 18, 2019 the book of esther is one of only two books in the bible named for women. In the narrative, ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, vashti, refuses to obey him, and esther is chosen for her beauty. In esther, god providentially uses two exiled israelites to rescue his. When he learns of the edict against the jews, he encourages esther to confront the king. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. This is the holy book of esther, known simply as the book of esther. Tom constables expository notes on esther this is also available in the net. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage. The jewish community, and its areas of residence, outside erez israel. The author is unknown, but some biblical scholars conclude that it was mordecai, himself, who wrote the book of esther.
Feb 09, 2016 this is a summary of the biblical account of queen esther. Esther bible story summary what christians want to know. As scripture reveals, esther is a jewish woman living in persia and reared by her cousin mordecai. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. The book of esther in the bible is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. 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 hamans plottings. The book belongs to the socalled five scrolls hebr. Watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The jewish feast of purim celebrates this particular deliverance of the jews.
This is, in my opinion, the best and most beautiful recording of the. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. And esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her. Esther is described in the book of esther as a jewish queen of the persian king ahasuerus commonly identified as xerxes i, reigned 486465 bce.
Esther 1, new american standard bible nasb the bible app. Weve created a 10day study guide for you, each day working through a chapter of the exciting story of. T he story of esther reads like a novel and is full of great spiritual lessons. In the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his officials and ministers. The holy bible book 17 esther kjv dramatized audio. The genre of the book of esther is narrative history. There are like 40 different amazing truths from the blessed book of esther.
The book of 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. The running theme of the books in scripture really is about. She sent clothes for mordecai to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he refused them. In the book of esther this information is casually presented as unimportant, but comes up later in the story. Esther united states conference of catholic bishops. When the turn came for esther the young woman mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle abihail to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what hegai, the kings eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. An introduction to the book of esther an argument of the book of esther selected bibliography of the book of esther. An introduction to the book of esther an argument of the book of esther selected bibliography of the book of esther j. The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not mentioned. Esther is one of only two books of the bible named after a woman.
Thus, in times of exile, the book of esther is especially treasured. Click here to download a copy of our 10day esther bible study. The book ends with mordecai as the kings chief minister. It is designed to help christians learn more about the bible they love so much and to think through it the way god intended. An ordinary woman who god raised up to be a persian queen for a purpose she never. She took off her sumptuous robes and put on sorrowful mourning. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of persia and thwarts a genocide. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a. Esther 2 one of the princes in the kingdom was haman. A 12week study knowing the bible and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Blue letter bible is now partnering with wordboarda whiteboard animation project developed by james street that focuses on explaining books or passages in the bible in a fun, simple way. The book of esther is the only one not found in the dead sea scrolls.
The heroine of the book named for her, esther is a young jewish woman living in exile in the persian lit. The book of esther reflects the situation of the diaspora, and one of the reasons it was produced was certainly to address the needs of the jewish community living outside palestine. Esther 1 niv queen vashti deposed this is what bible gateway. King xerxes ruled from his royal throne in the palace complex of susa. An interpretation of the dream that relates its features to the plot of the book is given in f. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. Jun 24, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought.
The most popular traditions are mordecai a major character in the book of esther, ezra and nehemiah who would have been familiar with persian customs. The book of esther does not specifically name its author. And the decree of esther confirmed these matters of purim. This study guide on the book of esther was written by thomas klock of harvest christian fellowship in 2005.
This is why many presume that the book was written in the second half of the fifth century bc. It narrates the account of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but identified as esther, who becomes queen of persia and prevents a massacre of her people. Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible. Read below for some more fun and interesting facts on the book of esther. The prayers of esther and mordecai are especially noteworthy. The book of esther was likely written between 460 and 350 b. Esther is one of the five scrolls in the hebrew bible.
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 dont see him. Esther 1 queen vashti deposed 1 this is what happened during the time of xerxes, a the xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from india to cush b. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. Esther 1 new international version niv queen vashti deposed. Watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary. The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not. The greek septuagint remedied this situation by adding six passages which include the name of god. Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew bible, provides the story of the origin of.
Esther is the only book in the bible not to mention the name of god. The book of esther is one of only two books in the bible named for women. Esther is the jewish maiden who became queen of persia and rescued her people from a murderous plot to annihilate them. Now esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her. Sep 15, 2012 this is the holy book of esther, known simply as the book of esther. Its one of the most beautiful books in the bible and so full of great takeaways for the modern christian woman today. In esther, god providentially uses two exiled israelites to. His presence permeates much of the story, as though he were behind the scenes coordinating coincidences and circumstances to make his will happen. In the jewish bible, esther follows ecclesiastes and lamentations and is. The story is set after the exile and is part of the postexilic period of israelite history, when many jews were living away from the homeland of judah. Her story is recorded in the old testament book bearing her name. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. The book of esther is unique in that it is one of the only two books in the bible named for women the other, of course, is ruth. It is in this passage in the book of esther that we see a father grieving for his daughter and a daughter, selflessly giving herself for the sake of her people.