The book of esther is a unified narrative with three sections. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible. The book of esther opens with a description of an enormous 180day party thrown by king achashverosh in his 3rd year as king of the persian empire, ruling over 127 provinces. It is entirely possible that the writer of the book of esther is playing with the idea of theomachy war between gods, a racy theme for a late biblical book. Easter become queen of persia 485425bc at a time when persia comprised half the known world. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. Mordecai to esther for if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the jews from another place and you and your fathers house will perish.
Although god is actually not mentioned in the book, he clearly saves his people from the scheme of haman. This book is placed between chapters 6 and 7 of ezra. Throughout history, the jewish people have been treated unjustly, and the story of esther tells of one of those occurrences. Easter was married to xerxes and this gave the jewish people prestige in the courts. Esther reveals her true identity as a jew, asking for her life and the lives of her people to be spared. Appendix the names of the main characters in the book of.
Theme verse of esther the theme of esther is summarized in esther s conversation with mordecai in chapter 4. Esthers major themes esther is theology filled with irony and satire unexpected events and a quick turning of events in an different and unexpected direction. This is why many presume that the book was written in the second half of the fifth century bc. The book of esther never mentions god by name, there is never the word prayer uttered, and the only spiritual discipline that is mentioned is fasting but that never says anything about prayer and fasting. The book of esther relates an amazing chain of events that first threatened, and then safeguarded and established, the welfare of gods people in the mighty persian empire. Layton talbert teaches theology and apologetics at bob jones seminary, greenville, sc and is a frontline contributing editor. While the primary purpose of the book of esther was to relate the dramatic origins of the feast of purim, a greater theme shines through the story. It also reveals deep and abiding spiritual truths about gods power to deliver us from danger and oppression, even when despotic rulers plan to do evil to gods people.
My purpose in this section is to show that these three are all. The story of esther forms the origin of the jewish festival of purim. At the same time, queen vashti, wife of king xerxes, also gave a banquet for the women of the royal palace. Choose the two main events from the book of esther. But if you look at it, all these things happen to fall into place for the survival of the jews. Bible commentary produced by tow project verses theme.
The book of esther can be divided into three main sections. Part 2 of this focus on esther will further develop the theme and theology of esther and will also offer answers to some perturbing questions raised by this book. What is the theme of the book of esther answers the book of esther is about the jews living in babylon. As the days of feasting draw to a close, he summons his wife, vashti, to show off her beauty by appearing wearing only her crown. The events mentioned in esther therefore happened between ezra chapter 6 and chapter 7. In the book, the author repeatedly talks about the conflict between israel and the amalekites, a conflict that began during the exodus and continued through israels history. Nothing is truly coincidental, the book of esther says to us. The sovereignty and faithfulness of god permeate each scene. The primary theme of esther that is universally applicable to global christians is the sovereign rule of god, even amid seemingly insignificant events. It portrays them as representing all that is good and decent, but at the same time, utterly. There are also signs that this book has a deeply comic undercurrent to it.
Its funny, because god is not even mentioned explicitly, or at least not often, in esther. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this. To show a long narrative can develop several major and minor themes, not just one, as the book of esther involves several themes such as divine providence, chauvinism, and feast of purim background, with not all scholars agreeing on these themes andor what they say. The book of ester is a very special book in the bible, so here are 11 important bible verses from the book of esther. The theme of the book of genesis is gods creation and mans fall. The writer of esther clearly intended the book to explain the origin of the celebration of purim, to institutionalize it as a commemoration of the great deliverance of the jews during the persian period see note on esther 9. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is. The noble esther risked her own death as she realized what was at stake.
Overview of the book of esther third millennium ministries. This has caused some to question whether it belongs in scripture. The book answers the question of the jews, are we still gods people in covenant with him. The book of esther was likely written between 467 and 350 b. This printable reference identifies one main theme for each book of the bible. Esther is written during the period of the captivity. The book of amos is the third of the twelve minor prophets in the tanakhold testament and the second in the greek septuagint tradition. The author of esther views them as the symbol of all the powers of the world against gods.
The book of esther is renowned for its literary artistry, which functions as the principal vehicle for the book s. A classic story of good versus evil, the book of esther is a unique account in the bible. The book of esther is noteworthy for its complete lack of any mention of god. Discover purims exciting origins in the book of esther. In the book of esther this information is casually presented as unimportant, but comes up later in the story. A story of the providence of god in a pagan land page 4 introduction to the book the book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god. It is at once a sweeping story of geopolitical intrigue and a highly personal account of two people caught up in those events. In esthers story, the lord redeems his people through the faith and. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the jews from another place, but you and your fathers house will perish.
Queen esther used her position as queen to rescue the jewish people from destruction. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. The theme of the book of esther is gods protection of israel. It is a short story similar to the book of ruth, starting in the palace of shushan susa, one out of the three capitals of the persian empire. Christine hayes contrasts the book of esther with apocalyptic writings, the book of daniel in particular. The genre of the book of esther is narrative history. Hardy posted 083110 esther historicism corrected page no. Mordecai learned of a plot to kill the king and made it known to esther who passed the news to the king. The book of esther would also encourage them to worship the god of israel, though he is not mentioned by name in it ibid. The kingagain, not the brightest bulb in the bunchasks who the wicked person is who decided to do this thing even though the king personally signed off on the evil plan, earlier. The key personalities are esther, mordecai, king ahasuerus or xerxes, and haman.
Xerxes king of persia gives a banquet for the all the nobles, officials, and military leaders from throughout his kingdom. The book of esther records no miracles and no direct intervention of god at all. Throughout history, the jewish people have been treated unjustly, and the story of. H ere are 5 important lessons that i learned from the book of esther silence doesnt mean its not there.
Here we see that the author chose a fascinating literary choice never once is god mentioned in. Amos, an older contemporary of hosea and isaiah, 2 was active c. This books of the bible list printable is perfect for keeping folded inside your bible for reference. Esthers hebrew name was haddassah, which means myrtle. Hes like the honorary president of haterz r us ooo, cold burn. Childs notes the typology which the writer uses in identifying haman and mordecai through genealogies when he writes, haman, the enemy of the jews, is portrayed as the son of hammedatha, the agagite 3. It gives us a glimpse of the jews who remained outside their homeland after the exile, particularly the jews living in the persian empire. The book of esther tells a compelling story, dramatic and exciting, with clearly defined heroes and villains. Esther and mordecai are a good example of thisthey aid one another and their kin.