Esther

Definition and Meaning

Esther is a book of the Old Testament. In Protestant Bibles it is a ten-chapter historical book placed after Nehemiah and before Job. The book takes its name from its protagonist, a Jewish woman named Esther. According to a widely held view, the name "Esther" means "star" in Persian. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, meaning "myrtle" (Esther 2:7).

Biblical and Historical Background

The story is set in the palace at Shushan (Susa) of the Persian king Ahasuerus, who is commonly identified with Xerxes I. After Queen Vashti is deposed, Esther, who had been raised by her cousin Mordecai, becomes the new queen. When the official Haman plots to kill all the Jews, Esther risks death—the penalty for approaching the king without being summoned—and appears before the king, overturning the plot. Jews commemorate this deliverance by observing the Feast of Purim (Esther 9).

A notable feature of the book is that the word "God" never appears in the Hebrew text. For this reason, there was controversy over whether to include it in the canon (the books recognized as the standard of faith), and Martin Luther is reported to have held the book in low regard. Many interpreters, however, read the providence of God, working unseen behind events, as the book's central theme.

The Greek version contains additional material not found in the Hebrew text, such as prayers of Mordecai and Esther. The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church accept these additions as canonical, whereas Protestants accept only the Hebrew text as canonical. Scholars are divided over whether the story is actual history.

Practice in the Korean Church

The verses most frequently quoted in Korean churches are "if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16) and "who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14). The former also served as the title of If I Perish, the memoir of Ahn Ei-sook, who was imprisoned for refusing to take part in Shinto shrine worship.

Drawing on the passage in which Esther asks others to fast with her for three days (Esther 4:16), some churches combine fasting with dedicated prayer, a commitment to pray over a fixed period. Women's prayer groups and intercessory prayer ministries also commonly take the name "Esther." Denominations differ little in their interpretation of the book. Because the scope of the canon differs, however, Korean Catholic Bibles include the Greek additions, making the book longer than in Protestant Bibles.