What Kind of Woman Was Esther in the Bible?

Esther’s story functions to show God’s lovingkindness for his entire people, those in Persia, and those who returned to Israel. He uses Esther’s position as queen to save the Jews scattered throughout the Persian empire. In so doing, He enables his plan to continue so that He might, “in the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4), bring forth the Messiah—Jesus—to save not only Jews, but all those who trust in his name.

Short Answer

Esther is the kind of woman that is not altogether different from women of today. She is a complex character in biblical narrative and biblical history. She is not simply a virtuous heroine as popular films and other media depict her. Rather, she is very human, and like most humans (men and women) today, she grows. In the realm of story, we would say that Esther exhibits a noteworthy character arc.

Where Does Esther Appear in the Bible?

The woman Esther appears in the Book of Esther in the pages of the Old Testament. In modern English translations, the story^[1] of Esther comes between Nehemiah and Job. However, in the Hebrew Old Testament, Esther appears after Lamentations and before Daniel. In fact, Esther is part of a grouping of five scrolls known as the megillot (a Yiddish word for “scrolls”). Within this grouping, the Megillah (“scroll”) of Esther exists alongisde the scrolls of Ruth, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and Lamentation. Taken together, these scrolls are the finest examples of narrative, poetic, and wisdom literature.

What is the Setting for the Story of Esther?

To understand the setting, we must first understand something of Old Testament history. The book of Esther takes place towards the end of the Old Testament story, despite its placement before Job. By Esther’s time, God’s people (the “Jews,” “Hebrews,” “Israel/Israelites” or “Judah”) have broken His covenant time and time again. Despite God’s gracious sending of many prophets to warn them of coming judgment and to call them back to faithfulness and blessing, the Jews continued in their idolatry and wickedness.

As he promised (Deut 28:15-68; Hab 1:5-11), God sent Babylon to overthrow and punish His people for their unfaithfulness. Babylon took most capable people captive (2 Kgs 25:1-12) and burned the Temple (2 Kgs 25:9) in 586 B.C. This period of Judah’s history is known as the Babylonian exile. For 70 years, God’s people were captive in the land of Babylon and subject to the rule of Babylon.

That could have been the end of the story, but God’s grace prevailed. As He promised, He punished Babylon also (Hab 2:6ff) and brought his people back to the land. The Lord raised up the Persian Cyrus (Isa 45), and Cyrus permitted the Jews to return to their homeland.

The story of Esther takes place in that Persian-ruled world. Cyrus the Great had, by this point, passed away. Ahasuerus, whom most scholars agree is the historical figure King Xerxes I, was the king of Persia.

As the story opens, we see immediately this Persian king who rules “from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces” (Esth 1:1). The opening verses of Esther feel very foreign because it is very foreign. The sights, sounds, smells, and names are all of non-Jewish derivation. In fact, there are no Jewish names, characters, or references in the opening chapter of the book of Esther. The kingdom is neither Israel nor Judah, but rather a foreign land. The king is not Jewish; the queen is not Jewish. Indeed, none of the wise men and counselors are known anywhere else in biblical literature.

Moreover, the king is clearly ungodly; he is drunk on his own power, and on his own wine. Yet despite his moral deficiencies, he is the ruler of an enormous empire that included the comparatively small, former kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The story impresses us with his power and wealth from the beginning. King Xerxes threw a banquet lasting 180 days. Then, he followed that feast by another seven-day feast for the occupants of the citadel at Susa.

The bulk of Esther’s story takes place within the city and the citadel of Susa, a prominent Persian city . In fact, much of the story takes place within the palace gate and within the king’s palace. Although the characters of the story remain largely in this arena, the importance of the story is far broader.

Who Was Esther?

Esther is one of the main characters of the book of Esther. One might expect that in a story called “Esther,” the woman named Esther would be the main character. Certainly, one could defend such a position. However, it is noteworthy that the woman Esther appears in only 60% of the chapters. She is absent from chapters 1, 3, 6, and 10. Meanwhile, King Ahasuerus appears in all but the fourth chapter (and even there, we read that he is “the king”). Similarly, Mordecai is only absent from chapters 1 and 7 (though chapter 7 mentions his name).

When we meet her in chapter 2, we initially see that her Hebrew name is Hadassah, which is related to the word for “myrtle.” Within the Old Testament and the history of interpretation, “myrtle” brings to mind righteousness and blessing. However, the text doesn’t linger on her Hebrew name. It quickly states that Hadassah also has the name Esther, (Esth 2:7), a name of Persian origin. From this point on, the story never mentions her Jewish name again.

Esther is a young orphan, a Jewish woman, whose parents have seemingly died. The text says, “she had neither father nor mother” (Esth 2:7). However, we soon learn that she is the “daughter of Abihail” (Esth 2:15); a fact Esther 9:29 repeats. We also learn that Mordecai, her cousin, is raising her, and that he treats her as his own daughter.

While the text gives a sizable lineage for Mordecai, its specificity about Esther concerns her physical appearance. She is described as having “a beautiful figure” and as being “lovely to look at.” Either description would be enough to mark her as a beautiful woman, but the double descriptions emphasize it. It is important to understand that the language is not applicable to her character, but focuses on her physical characteristics. Due in large part to her physical beauty, Esther moves up into the uppermost echelons of Persian power and intrigue. From there, she plays a pivotal role in helping to circumvent the destruction of her Jewish people.

What Is the Story of Esther?

Esther’s physical beauty is not tangential to the story. After foolishly deposing his wife Queen Vashti, Ahasuerus begins the hunt for another queen. He holds an empire-wide beauty contest. He has his men round up all the young, beautiful virgins bring them to the harem in Susa. Given the double emphasis on her physical beauty, the reader is unsurprised to read that Esther is also taken. With the other beautiful women, Esther finds herself in the custody of Hegai, one of the king’s eunuchs. She, along with the rest of the women, receives months of beauty treatments before going before the king. In the end, Esther wins the contest. King Ahasuerus “set the royal crown on [Esther’s] head and made her queen instead of Vashti” (Esth 2:17). Esther becomes queen of Persia!

As the queen, she is instrumental in thwarting the evil plot of a wicked vizier named Haman. It is important to understand that within the narrative of Esther is another narrative that informs our understanding of the conflict between Haman and Mordecai (and Haman and the Jews).

The text introduces Haman as “Haman, the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha.” The word “Agagite” is linked to the name “Agag,” who was king of the Amalekites. For the story’s purposes, then, Haman’s ancestry links him with one of Israel’s oldest enemies. For the Amalekites show immediate hostility to Israel as Israel is coming up out of Egypt (see Exod 17). Deuteronomy 25 further clarifies that Amalek attacked the weakest of Israel, when they were weary from coming out of Egypt. As a result, the LORD had promised He would wipe out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. And He commanded His people to do so.

Thus, Mordecai’s lineage is more than merely informational. He is a descendant of Kish, who would have been the father of King Saul of the tribe of Benjamin. When he was king, Saul was commanded to wipe out the Amalekites, but he disobeyed (see 1 Sam 15). When Mordecai refuses to bow to Haman, the king’s newly appointed vizier, Mordecai is not merely being obstinate. He stands opposed to the seed of Agag. When Haman issues an edict in the king’s name for the destruction of the Jews, he is not anti-semitic. He is acting as Agag’s seed and trying to finish what his ancestors started. By annihilating the Jews, Haman will have succeeded in doing away with a long-term enemy, as well as with the divine threat against Amalek.

Upon hearing of this edict, Mordecai knows the stakes. He is aware of the conflict behind the conflict. Thus, he instructs Esther to use her royal position and plead with the king on behalf of her people. He tells her that she is in the right palace at the right time, perhaps just for this occasion. At great risk to herself, Esther dresses in her royal robes and approaches King Ahasuerus. She went unsummoned. If the king does not extend the royal scepter, her unbidden approach means death. However, upon seeing her, the king extends his scepter and offers Esther whatever she asks.

Surprisingly, Esther does not immediately ask for her people’s rescue. Instead, she invites both King Ahasuerus and Haman to a banquet. When the king reiterates his offer, she invites them to another banquet. Here, she reveals Haman’s evil plot, and the king quickly disposes of Haman. However, he cannot dispose of the edict because of the Persian rule that no one (to include the king) could repeal a king’s edict. Instead, he permits Esther and Mordecai to draft another empire-wide edict to allow the Jews to defend themselves. So, on the day meant for their slaughter, the “tables were turned, and the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them” (Esth 9:1).

In celebration of their victory over their enemies, Mordecai and Esther institute a feast day known as Purim. It was to be a day of celebration and giving of gifts, a day of “feasting and gladness” (Esth 9:22). They confirm this day with another empire-wide edict, obligating the Jews to keep this celebration in perpetuity. By the end of the book, the Jewish people are safe, Esther is queen, and Mordecai has replaced Haman as the grand vizier.