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Esther

After the Persian King Ahasuerus removed his first wife, Vashti, from the throne, he chose Esther as queen. Esther kept her Jewish ethnicity hidden at the suggestion of her guardian, Mordecai, who was an official in Ahasuerus’s court. Mordecai offended the king’s advisor, Haman, who then plotted to have all the Jews in the kingdom killed. Esther risked her life to go before the king unsummoned and expose Haman’s plot. Esther’s intervention saved her people. In a reversal of fortunes, Haman was executed and Mordecai was honored.

Resources

• Background and Context

• Learn More

• Media

Note: The citation of a source not published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not imply that it or its author is endorsed by the Church or represents the official position of the Church.

Background and Context

What is the book of Esther?

The book of Esther recounts the story of Queen Esther, who risked her life to save her people from destruction. The events of this book are set during the reign of King Ahasuerus, commonly identified as Xerxes I, who ruled Persia from 486 to 465 BC. While some Jews had returned to Jerusalem after King Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC, many remained in exile, including Esther. The account depicts Esther rising to the position of the queen of Persia and then facing the possibility of being executed along with the rest of her people. It also provides the origin of the Jewish feast of Purim and models its observance.

Though the book of Esther “contains no direct reference to God, … He is everywhere taken for granted, as the book infers a providential destiny … and speaks of fasting for deliverance.” Because of uncertainty about historical accuracy, some scholars question its inclusion in the Bible.

The book of Esther can be outlined as follows:

1. Esther 1–2: King Ahasuerus is displeased by the conduct of Queen Vashti and removes her from the throne. Ahasuerus selects Esther as the new queen.

2. Esther 3–5: Haman crafts a plan to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom after Mordecai refuses to bow down to him. Esther risks her life by going to see the king uninvited. The king receives her kindly and agrees to join Esther for a banquet along with Haman.

3. Esther 6–8: Esther tells the king about Haman’s plot to kill the Jews. The king has Haman hanged, honors Mordecai, and allows Mordecai and Esther to reverse the edict to kill the Jews.

4. Esther 9–10: The Jews receive authority from the king to kill their enemies in the kingdom. They institute the Feast of Purim to commemorate their miraculous deliverance from Haman’s plan.

Esther 1:1–3

Where was Shushan?

Esther lived in Shushan (also called Susa), which was one of the capitals of the Persian Empire. It was located in what is now western Iran, about 200 miles (325 kilometers) east of ancient Babylon. Shushan was also where Nehemiah served as the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes and where Daniel saw a vision.

Bible Maps, no. 7, “The Persian Empire”

Esther 2:5–7

Why was Esther referred to as Hadassah?

Like other exiled Jews in Persia, Esther had both a Hebrew name and a Persian name. Hadassah was her Hebrew name, which means “myrtle.” Her Persian name, Esther, means “star.”

Esther 2:19

Why was Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate?

The king’s gate was a gathering place at the entrance to the royal compound. Sitting at the king’s gate meant that one held an official position to protect the king. The account repeatedly mentions Mordecai serving in this role, including when he overheard the bodyguards’ plot to assassinate the king.

Esther 3:1–10

Why might Mordecai have refused to bow to Haman?

Bowing to a political superior was not prohibited under the law of Moses. However, one detail from the text may help explain why Mordecai refused to bow to Haman. The account identifies Haman as an Agagite, which likely means he was a descendent of the Amalekite King Agag. The Amalekites were long-standing enemies of the Israelites. Mordecai’s refusal to bow to Haman and Haman’s determination to have the Jews killed may have stemmed from the historic hostility between these two groups of people.

Esther 3:7

What did it mean to “cast Pur”?

To determine which day to kill all the Jews in Persia, Haman and his attendants “cast Pur, that is, the lot.” Casting lots was a common practice in the ancient Near East, used to make decisions or determine fate. It typically involved tossing small objects like stones, bones, or ivory. The Jewish feast of Purim gets its name from pur, the Persian word for “lot.”

Esther 4:1

Why did Mordecai tear his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes?

In biblical times, tearing one’s clothes, wearing sackcloth, and putting ashes or dust on one’s head were traditional ways of expressing distress or grief. Sackcloth was a rough, course material that typically was made into sturdy bags.

Esther 4:11

Why did Esther not try other ways to notify the king of Haman’s plan?

Esther knew she would be risking her life if she went before the king without having been called. Given this risk, some have questioned why Esther did not try to use official channels to secure an audience with the king. One possibility is that Esther avoided this option to prevent her message from passing through Haman, who would have undermined her plan.

Esther 4:14

What did Mordecai mean when he told Esther that she may have come to the kingdom “for such a time as this”?

Mordecai indicated that the Lord may have placed Esther in her position as queen so she could be His instrument in saving the Jews. Modern-day Church leaders have made similar observations about the Lord’s involvement in our lives. Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that the Lord “does not do things by ‘coincidence’ but instead by ‘divine design.’” Elder Ronald A. Rasband testified: “The Lord’s hand is guiding you. By ‘divine design,’ He is in the small details of your life as well as the major milestones.”

Queen Esther, by Minerva K. Teichert

Esther 6:1

What was the “book of records of the chronicles”?

The book from which the king’s servants read was an official record of events in the Persian empire. This record is also mentioned elsewhere in Esther and in Ezra. It is implied that the Lord’s influence led the king to read this particular part of the record, prompting him to remember Mordecai’s heroic act from a few years prior.

Esther 8:3–12

Why did Esther still plead for the Jews after Haman’s death?

The text notes that King Ahasuerus’s decree, which mandated the destruction of the Jews, could not be undone. So Esther persuaded the king to issue another decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves before the planned day of their own massacre.

Esther 9:20–28

What is the Feast of Purim?

To celebrate their deliverance, the Jews established a new holiday called Purim. The name comes from the pur (lots) Haman cast to determine the date for the Jews’ destruction. Today, Jews still observe the Feast of Purim. Distinct from the quiet reverence of many other Jewish holidays, Purim is meant to be energetic and boisterous. It is celebrated with food, music, and other festivities, including exchanging gifts and giving presents to the poor. On Purim, Jews traditionally dress in costumes and gather at the synagogue, where the entire story of Esther is read or reenacted. Those listening to the story will often drown out any mention of Haman with boos, hisses, or noisemakers. When the name Mordecai is read, the audience cheers.

Learn More

Esther’s courage

• Thomas S. Monson, “May You Have Courage,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 123–27

• Mary Ellen Smoot, “For Such a Time as This,” Ensign, Nov. 1997, 86–88

Media

Videos

“For Such a Time as This” (13:44)

“Sackcloth” (00:32)

Images

Illustration of Esther, by Dilleen Marsh

Queen Esther Saves Jehovah’s People, by Sam Lawlor

Faith of Queen Esther, by Sandra Rast

Esther, by James Johnson

Esther before the King, by Minerva K. Teichert

Notes

1. See Harold W. Attridge and others, eds., The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version, Including the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books (2006), 682, note on Esther 1:1.

2. See Earl D. Radmacher and others, eds., NKJV Study Bible, 3rd ed. (2018), 673.

3. See Bible Dictionary, “Esther, book of”; Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds., The Jewish Study Bible, 2nd ed. (2014), 1619.

4. Bible Dictionary, “Esther, book of.”

5. Esther is the only book from the Old Testament that was not found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. This perhaps suggests that there were Jews in the time of Jesus who did not accept it as scripture. Many scholars have suggested that certain elements of the story appear to be exaggerated or were not intended to be taken as literal history (see Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary [2019], 2:713–16; Berlin and Brettler, The Jewish Study Bible, 1619–20).

6. See Bible Dictionary, “Shushan.”

7. See Michael D. Coogan and others, eds., The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version, 5th ed. (2018), 717, note on Esther 1:2.

8. See Nehemiah 1:1, 11; Daniel 8:1–2.

9. See Daniel 1:6–7.

10. See Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and others, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament: An Illustrated Reference for Latter-day Saints (2009), 356.

11. See Coogan and others, The New Oxford Annotated Bible, 719, note on Esther 2:19.

12. See Berlin and Brettler, The Jewish Study Bible, 1625, notes on Esther 2:21, 22.

13. See Esther 2:19–23; 5:13; 6:10.

14. See Genesis 23:7; 33:3; 44:14; 1 Samuel 24:8; 2 Samuel 14:4; 1 Kings 1:16.

15. See Bible Dictionary, “Agag.”

16. See Esther 3:10. See also Bible Dictionary, “Amalek, Amalekites.” The prophet Samuel killed Agag after King Saul failed to do so (see 1 Samuel 15:8–9, 32–33). Mordecai, like Saul, was a descendant of Benjamin. The author may have included the lineage of Mordecai and Haman to explain some of their hostility toward each other and Haman’s determination to have the Jews killed (see Berlin and Brettler, The Jewish Study Bible, 1625, note on Esther 3:1). For more about the conflicts between the Israelites and Amalekites, see “Exodus 17:14–16. Why did the Lord command Moses to destroy the Amalekites?” and “1 Samuel 15:1–3. Why was Saul commanded to ‘utterly destroy’ the Amalekites?”

17. See Kenneth L. Barker and others, eds., NIV Study Bible: Fully Revised Edition (2020), 809–10, notes on Esther 3:1; 3:2–6.

18. See Bible Dictionary, “Lots, casting of.”

19. See Holzapfel and others, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament, 157.

20. See Alter, The Hebrew Bible, 2:725, note on Esther 3:7.

21. See Radmacher and others, NKJV Study Bible, 1044; 1 Kings 21:27; Nehemiah 9:1; Job 2:8; 42:6; Isaiah 58:5; Daniel 9:3; “Genesis 37:34. Why did Jacob rend his coat and put on sackcloth?”

22. See John H. Walton and others, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament (2000), 488, note on Esther 4:11.

23. See Radmacher and others, NKJV Study Bible, 720, note on Esther 4:14.

24. Neal A. Maxwell, “‘Brim with Joy’ (Alma 26:11)” (Brigham Young University devotional, Jan. 23, 1996), 2, speeches.byu.edu.

25. Ronald A. Rasband, “By Divine Design,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 57.

26. See Esther 2:23; 10:2; Ezra 4:15.

27. See Radmacher and others, NKJV Study Bible, 721, notes on Esther 6:1; 6:2, 3. See also Barker and others, NIV Study Bible, 812, note on Esther 6:2.

28. See Esther 8:8. Compare with Esther 1:19; Daniel 6:7–9.

29. See Holzapfel and others, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament, 356.

30. See Bible Dictionary, “Feasts.” See also Holzapfel and others, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament, 359; Berlin and Brettler, The Jewish Study Bible, 1619.