Just a very short entry on what's quite a small but substantial book. Marking the end of the historical section of the Bible, the book of Esther is like a short novel, full of intrigue and drama. Set in the court of the Persian king Ahasuerus, during a time of diaspora and exile for the Jews, the story is about how Esther uses her beauty and guile to trick the king and save her fellow Jews.
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| Esther |
Historically, the events of the book of Esther took place between those of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, and the book seems chiefly written to explain the origin of the Jewish festival, Purim. Events start with the king deciding to seek a new wife, after his current one Vashti refuses to display her beauty at a feast. This sets up a beauty contest, which Esther wins, making her the king's new wife. Esther was entered into the contest by her guardian Mordecai, and Esther had to undergo a year-long purification process involving six months of myrrh and six months of sweet odours (2:12).
This also brings Mordecai into the king's court, causing resentment from Haman, who dislikes Mordecai for his Jewishness (neither Haman nor the king know that Esther is a Jew). Haman attempts to convince the king to exterminate the Jews, as they have a different law and don't obey the Persian laws, and letters are subsequently sent throughout the empire with orders to hang the Jews. Haman commissions the building of a 75ft-high gallows designed to kill Mordecai and other Jews, but Esther is meanwhile plotting Haman's downfall, and achieves this by putting him in a compromising situation at one of the king's banquets. Haman ends up being hung on his own gallows.
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| Esther denouncing Haman |
Chapter 9, verses 20-28 is effectively a recap of the book and also explains the origins of the 2-day Purim festival that is still celebrated today, marking this historical escape of the Jews from extermination. Thanks to the beauty of Esther and the loyalty of Mordecai, the Jews were able to return home (as outlined in the book of Nehemiah) and celebrate Purim – that said, the festival has attracted some controversy in the way it sets up Jews vs non-Jews (this led to the murder of 30 Palestinians during Purim in 1994). One oddity of the book of Esther is that it doesn't mention God once, and it seems to be more focused on entertainment and history than moral instruction.
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