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  • Eshtemoa
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • ESHTEMOA

      (Esh·te·moʹa), Eshtemoh [obedience].

      1. Son of Ishbah, or, possibly, a Judean town many of whose inhabitants descended from Ishbah.—1 Chron. 4:17.

      2. A Maacathite and descendant of Hodiah.—1 Chron. 4:19.

      3. A town in the mountainous region of Judah, also called Eshtemoh. Though originally assigned to Judah it was thereafter allotted, along with its pasture grounds, to the Levites. (Josh. 15:50; 21:14; 1 Chron. 6:57) It corresponds with the modern village of es-Semuʽa, situated about nine miles (14.5 kilometers) S of Hebron. Perhaps the same as No. 1.

      Eshtemoa was one of the places frequented by David as a fugitive, and, after his victory over the marauding Amalekites, he sent a gift from the spoils to friends there.—1 Sam. 30:26-28.

  • Eshton
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • ESHTON

      (Eshʹton) [effeminate, or, possibly, uxorious].

      Son of Mehir; descendant of Chelub of the tribe of Judah.—1 Chron. 4:1, 11, 12.

  • Esli
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • ESLI

      (Esʹli) [possibly, Jehovah has reserved].

      A postexilic ancestor of Christ; the son of Naggai and the father of Nahum.—Luke 3:25.

  • Esther
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • ESTHER

      [Heb., Hadhas·sahʹ, myrtle, joy; Es·terʹ, fresh myrtle].

      A Jewish orphan girl of the tribe of Benjamin, a descendant from among those deported from Jerusalem along with King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) in 617 B.C.E. (Esther 2:5-7) She was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai. (2:15) Her guardian was her older cousin Mordecai, one of the “king’s servants that were in the king’s gate” of the palace at Shushan during the reign of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I, in the fifth century B.C.E.). (2:7; 3:2) After Ahasuerus had deposed his queen Vashti for disobedience, he commanded the gathering of all the beautiful virgins for a period of special massage and beauty care, so that the king might select one to replace Vashti as queen. Esther was among those taken to the king’s house in charge of Hegai the guardian of the women. At Mordecai’s direction, she kept secret the fact that she was a Jewess. (2:8, 10) Esther was selected as queen in the seventh year of Ahasuerus’ reign. (2:16, 17) All along, she kept in touch with Mordecai, following his counsel. She spoke in Mordecai’s name to the king when Mordecai uncovered a plot against the king.—2:20, 22.

      In the twelfth year of Ahasuerus, Haman the Agagite, who was prime minister, planned the annihilation of all the Jews in the 127 jurisdictional districts in the empire. He received authorization from the king to issue a decree to carry this out. (Esther 3:7-13) Acting on the information and advice of Mordecai, Esther revealed to the king the wicked intent of Haman’s plot. Haman’s reaction added to the king’s rage and Haman was hanged. (4:7–7:10) The king, at Esther’s request, issued a second decree authorizing the Jews to fight for their lives on the day set for their slaughter. (7:10; 8:3-14) Because of the king’s edict and for fear of Mordecai, who replaced Haman as prime minister, the governors and officials of the empire helped the Jews to gain a complete victory over their enemies. (Chap. 9) Mordecai’s instructions, confirmed by Esther, commanded the Jews to celebrate the Festival of Purim annually, a custom kept down to this day.—9:20, 21, 29.

      While the book of Esther does not mention the name of God, it is evident from the actions of Mordecai and Esther that they were both faithful servants of the true God Jehovah. Esther displayed the qualities of one trusting in God’s law. She was “pretty in form and beautiful in appearance” (Esther 2:7), but, more importantly, she manifested the adornment of “the secret person of the heart in the incorruptible apparel of the quiet and mild spirit” (1 Pet. 3:4), and thus gained favor before Hegai, the guardian of the women, as well as before the king himself. She did not count showy adornment the important thing, and, accordingly, “did not request anything except what Hegai . . . proceeded to mention.” (Esther 2:15) She showed great tact and self-control. She was submissive to her husband Ahasuerus, approaching him in a tactful and respectful way when her life and the life of her people were in danger. She kept silent when it was wise to do so, but spoke boldly and fearlessly when it was necessary and at the right time. (2:10; 7:3-6) She accepted counsel from her mature cousin Mordecai, even when following it endangered her life. (4:12-16) Her love and loyalty toward her people the Jews, who were also God’s covenant people, were demonstrated when she acted in their behalf.—See ESTHER, BOOK OF; MORDECAI.

  • Esther, Book of
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • ESTHER, BOOK OF

      A book of the Hebrew Scriptures the title of which is taken from the name of its principal character, although some copies of the Latin Vulgate call it “Ahasuerus” after the Persian king who figures prominently in the account. The Jews call it Meghil·lathʹ ʼEs·terʹ or simply the Meghil·lahʹ, meaning “roll, volume,” because for them it constitutes in itself a very highly regarded roll.

      THE BOOK’S WRITER

      The Scriptures do not say who wrote the book of Esther. Some scholars credit the book to Ezra, but the weight of evidence points to Mordecai as the writer. According to the Great Synagogue of the Jews, Josephus, and Clement of Alexandria, the writer was Mordecai. Mordecai was in position to know all the minute facts that are related in the narrative about the personal concerns of himself and Esther, the doings of the members of Haman’s family, and particularly what went on in Shushan the castle. After his promotion to the prime ministership of the Persian government he would have access to the official documents mentioned in the account, and just as Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah held official positions in the government of Persia during other periods and wrote Bible books describing the relation of the Jews to that world power, so Mordecai, with Jehovah’s blessing, was the most likely one to write the book of Esther.

      HISTORICAL CIRCUMSTANCES

      The account sets the time for its events during the reign of the Ahasuerus who ruled while the Persian Empire extended from India to Ethiopia and included 127 provinces or jurisdictional districts. (Esther 1:1) These facts and its inclusion in the canon by Ezra confine its coverage to the period of the reign of one of the following three kings known to secular history: Darius I the Persian, Xerxes I and Artaxerxes Longimanus. However, both Darius I and Artaxerxes Longimanus are known to have favored the Jews before the twelfth year of their respective reigns, which does not fit the Ahasuerus of the book, as he apparently was not well acquainted with the Jews and their religion, nor inclined to favor them. Also, the fact that Xerxes I is known to have held a great feast and council of war in the third year of his reign before setting out against Greece tends to confirm the conclusion that the King Ahasuerus of the book of Esther must have been Xerxes I. (Esther 1:3) An American Translation and Dr. James Moffatt’s translation even substitute Xerxes for Ahasuerus in the text. Xerxes I began to reign in 486 B.C.E., and according to the writings of Thucydides (of the fifth century B.C.E.), considered in conjunction with a table of chronology by Diodorus (of the first century B.C.E.), his reign terminated about 474 B.C.E. So he ruled about twelve years, probably into his thirteenth year, as indicated by Esther 3:7; 9:1 and the events described in 9:15 to 10:3. Because the first events related in the book of Esther occurred in the third year of his reign, and the rest of the account covers the remainder of his reign, the book covers the period from about 484 to 474 B.C.E., approximately ten years.—See AHASUERUS No. 3.

      Undoubtedly the book of Esther was committed to writing about 474 B.C.E., shortly after the events occurred. The book’s vivid style of writing suggests that the writer was an eyewitness. Moreover, the strong inference that the writer had access to governmental documents (Esther 10:2) makes it most likely that the book was written in Shushan in the province of Elam, which was then part of Persia. Its Persian and Chaldean words mixed in with Hebrew fit the above-mentioned time of writing as well as the land of Persia for the place of writing.

      Ezra could have brought the book from Babylon to Jerusalem in 468 B.C.E., for the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem had it in the canon before its period ended about 300 B.C.E.

      AUTHENTICITY AND CANONICITY

      Canonical authority for the book of Esther is doubted by some, because it is not quoted or alluded to in the Christian Greek Scriptures. But this is no conclusive objection, for the same circumstance exists with other books of well-established canonicity, such as Ezra and Ecclesiastes. Melito of Sardis, Gregory of Nazianzus and Athanasius are among those who omitted it from their lists of canonical books. However, Jerome, Augustine and Origen refer to the book by name. It is in the Chester Beatty collection, the books of Ezekiel, Daniel and Esther being found in one codex, which was likely compiled in the first half of the third century C.E. It does not appear that its authority was ever doubted by the Jews or early Christians as a whole. In their Bibles the Jews place it after the Pentateuch and between the books of Joshua and Ecclesiastes, and sometimes among the Hagiographa (the Writings) between Ecclesiastes and Daniel.

      Apocryphal additions were later inserted into the book. Some scholars date their origin at approximately 100 B.C.E., about 300 years after the canon of the Hebrew Scriptures was fixed, according to the traditional view.

      The book of Esther is accused of exaggeration in its mention of a banquet lasting 180 days in the third year of the reign of Ahasuerus. (1:3, 4) However, it has been expressed that such a long feast may have been held to accommodate the numerous officials from the many provinces who could not, because of their duties, have been there for all of it and all at the same time. Actually, the text does not say the banquet lasted that long, but that the king showed them the riches and glory of his kingdom for 180 days. A banquet is mentioned at 1:3 and 1:5. It may be that two banquets are not meant, but that the seven-day banquet for all in the castle at the end of the great assembly is the one referred to in verse 3. (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentaries on the Old Testament, “Esther”) That such a great assembly and festival were held agrees with a statement of Herodotus about Xerxes beginning to make preparations for his expedition to Greece.

      In view of the book’s absence of any direct mention of God, it is charged with being irreligious. Nevertheless, it tells of fasting and a “cry for aid” on the part of the Jews, implying prayer. (4:3, 16; 9:31) Also, there is indication of God’s maneuvering of events in the sleeplessness of the king at the opportune time (6:1) and possible allusion to divine purpose in Esther’s attaining to the queenship. (4:14) Furthermore, the fact that Mordecai strictly refused to bow before God’s enemy Haman, who as an Agagite may have been a royal Amalekite, is evidence that Jehovah was worshiped by Mordecai.—3:1-6; Ex. 17:14.

      Evidence of history and archaeology

      Historical and archaeological findings have added their voice in confirming the authenticity of the book of Esther. A few examples will suffice. The way Persians honored a man is described authentically. (Esther 6:8) White and blue (or violet) were the royal Persian colors. At Esther 8:15 we read that Mordecai wore “royal apparel of blue and linen,” and a cloak of reddish purple.

      Esther “took her stand in the inner courtyard of the king’s house opposite the king’s house, while the king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal house opposite the entrance of the house. And it came about that, as soon as the king saw Esther the queen standing in the courtyard, she gained favor in his eyes.” (5:1, 2) Excavations have revealed that the detail of the description is exact. A corridor led from the House of the Women to the inner court, and at the side of the court opposite to the corridor was the hall or throne room of the palace. The throne was placed in the center of the farther wall, and from this vantage point the king could look over the screen that intervened and could see the queen waiting for an audience. Further details in the book show an intimate knowledge on the part of the writer with the palace. It is evident that objections to the book on the grounds of being unhistorical and inaccurate as to Persian manners and customs are unfounded.

      Very strong evidence for the book’s authenticity is the Festival of Purim, or “Lots,” commemorated by the Jews down to this day and on which anniversary the entire book is read in their synagogues. A cuneiform inscription found at Borsippa is said to refer to a Persian official by the name of Mardukâ (Mordecai?) who was at Susa (Shushan) at the end of the reign of Darius I or the beginning of the reign of Xerxes I.

      CONTENTS

      The book of Esther is a very moving drama that could be divided into three acts. However, it should be remembered that, far from being fictional, these acts are part of a real-life drama. After a brief description of the setting, chapter 1 presents a scene in the courtyard of the garden of the king’s palace, where a great banquet is being held for all the people of Shushan the castle. At the height of the merrymaking King Ahasuerus orders Vashti the queen to appear and show the people and princes her loveliness. At her persistent refusal, and on recommendation of his princes, he deposes her and makes announcement of this to all the peoples of the empire.

      Scene 2 of the first act, described in chapter 2, takes us into the king’s house, where arrangements are being made to gather to the castle all the beautiful virgins of the empire and give them beauty treatments before presenting them to the king. From these the king is to select his new queen. The selection turns out to be Esther, a Jewish girl, the cousin of Mordecai her caretaker and a servant in the king’s gate.

      In the third scene, chapter 3 tells of the promotion of Haman and his success in obtaining authority from the king to issue a decree ordering the destruction of all the Jews in the empire.

      Act 2 opens with a scene in front of the king’s gate, in which Mordecai counsels and exhorts Esther to intercede for her people even though she would be jeopardizing her life thereby.—Esther 4:2-17.

      Scene 2 of this act is in the throne room of the palace. Esther appears uninvited before the king with the request that he and Haman be her guests at a banquet that day. After the banquet the scene shifts to Haman’s house, where Haman and a group of his friends are gathered. They decide on the erection of a fifty-cubit stake on which to hang Mordecai.—Esther 5:1-14.

      The king’s house is the setting for scene 4 of this act. Haman is approaching the king to ask for the hanging of Mordecai. The king, instead, has Haman honor Mordecai for his service in revealing a plot to take the king’s life. He is obliged to clothe Mordecai in royal apparel and lead him around the city square on horseback, calling out: “This is how it is done to

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