Esther (Biblical Figure)

Biblical Account

Esther appears in the Book of Esther. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, and she was the daughter of Abihail of the tribe of Benjamin. After she was orphaned, her older cousin Mordecai raised her in Shushan (Susa) in Persia (Esther 2:5-7). When Queen Vashti was deposed for refusing the king's command, Esther was chosen in the search for a new queen and became the queen of King Ahasuerus (Esther 2:17). At Mordecai's instruction, she did not reveal her nationality at that time.

When Haman, one of the king's officials, cast lots (Pur) to fix a date and obtained a decree to kill all the Jews, Mordecai urged Esther to go before the king and plead for them. Mordecai told her, "who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14). Although Esther knew she could be put to death for approaching the king without being summoned, she had the Jews fast for three days and then went to the king, saying, "if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16). Esther held banquets at which she exposed Haman's scheme, and Haman was hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. The Jews gained the right to defend themselves, and the Feast of Purim was instituted to commemorate this deliverance (Esther 9).

Significance Within the Bible

Esther is often mentioned alongside Joseph, Daniel, and Nehemiah as a figure who worked on behalf of her people in a foreign royal court. The name of God never appears in the Hebrew Book of Esther. For this reason, she is read as a representative figure illustrating the hidden working of God's providence. The New Testament neither mentions nor quotes Esther directly.

Interpretations and Issues

• Extent of the canon: The Book of Esther in Catholic Bibles and in the Korean Common Translation includes additions from the Greek text, among them the prayers of Mordecai and Esther. These additions are absent from Protestant Bibles.
• The text and later embellishments: It is commonly said that "Esther fasted and prayed for three days," but the Hebrew text mentions only fasting. The prayer scenes appear in the Greek additions. Stories depicting Esther's beauty or a romance with the king are likewise largely the product of later imagination.
• Ethical questions: Interpreters differ on how to evaluate her marriage, as a person of faith, to a pagan king, her concealment of her ethnic identity, and the Jews' response recorded in chapter 9. Some preachers read Esther's standing before the king on behalf of her people as a picture of Christ's intercession, while others caution against such typological interpretation.

In the Korean Church

"If I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16) is one of the most widely quoted verses in the Korean church. The title of the memoir Jugeumyeon jugeurira (published in English as If I Perish) by Ahn Ei-sook, who refused Shinto shrine worship, comes from this verse. Some churches call a three-day fast accompanied by prayer an "Esther fast." Sermons frequently cite "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14) to emphasize mission and calling, and Sunday schools treat her story as a classic lesson on courage and providence.