Book introduction
The book of Esther
Esther is set in the Persian court. A Jewish woman becomes queen, and when a royal official plots to destroy her people, she risks her life to go before the king. The festival of Purim celebrates the rescue.
Who wrote Esther?
The author is not named. It shows close knowledge of Persian court life. Jewish tradition linked it to Mordecai or to the men of the Great Assembly.
When was it written?
Set about 483–473 BC under King Xerxes. Written perhaps 400s–300s BC.
Main themes
- God’s hidden care
- God is never named in the book, yet timing and reversals point to him.
- Courage in your place
- “Who knows whether it was for a time like this that you came into royal power?”
- Reversal
- The gallows Haman built for Mordecai becomes his own.
Outline of Esther
Key verses
For if you insist on keeping silent at this time, relief and rescue will come for the Jews from somewhere else, but you and your father’s household will perish. And who knows whether it was for a time like this that you came into royal power?
“Go and bring together all the Jews who can be found in Susa, and fast on my behalf. Take no food or drink for three days, night and day. My maids and I will fast the same way. After that I will go in to the king, which is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into joy and from mourning into a holiday. They were to observe them as days of feasting and joy, of sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
Quoted from the Lumin Translation.
Where to start
It reads like a short novel. Start at chapter 1 and read straight through.
How well do you know Esther?
Ten questions on the book of Esther, from “Which queen refused to come when the king called her?” on. Each answer shows its verse.
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Questions about Esther?
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