Esther 2

Esther 2 is the second of the ten chapters of the Book of Esther. It continues the account from Esther 1, in which Queen Vashti is deposed, and describes how a new queen is chosen.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 After the king's wrath subsides, his servants propose gathering young virgins from throughout the kingdom to the royal city of Shushan so that a queen may be chosen in Vashti's place, and the king agrees.
• Verses 5–7 Mordecai, a Benjamite, is introduced, along with his cousin Hadassah, that is, Esther, whom he raised as his own daughter.
• Verses 8–11 Esther is placed in the custody of Hegai, the king's chamberlain, and wins his favor. At Mordecai's command, she does not reveal her people.
• Verses 12–14 After completing twelve months of purification, the young women go in to the king one by one.
• Verses 15–18 In the tenth month, the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of the king's reign, Esther is brought before the king and becomes queen. The king holds a feast and grants a release of taxes to the provinces.
• Verses 19–23 Through Esther, Mordecai reports a plot by the chamberlains Bigthan and Teresh to assassinate the king. The two men are hanged on a tree, and the matter is written in the royal chronicles.

Key Verses

• Esther 2:10 "Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred" — Her hidden identity lays the groundwork for the later crisis and reversal.
• Esther 2:17 "And the king loved Esther above all the women" — This verse marks Esther's elevation to queen.
• Esther 2:23 "It was written in the book of the chronicles before the king" — This record later leads to Mordecai's being honored in Esther 6.

Characters and Places

• Ahasuerus: King of Persia, commonly identified with Xerxes I.
• Mordecai: A Jew living in Shushan; Esther's cousin and guardian.
• Esther: Her Hebrew name is Hadassah; she is the daughter of Abihail.
• Hegai and Shaashgaz: Chamberlains in charge of the king's women.
• Bigthan and Teresh: Chamberlains who kept the door and plotted to harm the king.
• Nebuchadnezzar: Mentioned in verse 6 as the king of Babylon who carried away Jeconiah, king of Judah.
• Shushan (Susa): The royal city of Persia.

Points for Reflection

• Interpreters differ over whether the one carried away in verse 6 is Mordecai himself or his ancestor Kish.
• Some interpreters connect the mention of Kish among Mordecai's ancestors to the house of Saul, contrasting Mordecai with Haman, who is introduced in chapter 3 as an Agagite.
• The name of God does not appear in the Hebrew text of Esther. Many interpreters read the seemingly coincidental events of chapter 2 as the work of God's providence.
• The Catholic and Orthodox churches also accept as canonical the additions found in the Greek text. These additions appear in the Korean Common Translation Bible, and at the beginning of the book they include an account similar to the chamberlains' plot.
• The New Testament contains no direct quotation of the Book of Esther.

In Korean Churches

In preaching, Esther 2:21–23 is often treated together with chapter 6 as an example of providence, in which a seemingly forgotten deed comes to light in due time.