File:Esthermillais.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Esther
Sign in to saveAlso known as Ester, Queen Esther
Esther (; ), originally Hadassah (; ), is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible.
Esther is the main character of the Book of Esther, a text in the Hebrew Bible, and her story is significant enough that the entire book bears her name. Originally named Hadassah, Esther's account is one of the notable narratives preserved in biblical literature.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Person.name
- Esther
- Person.native_name_lang
- he
- Person.title
- Queen of Persia and Medes
- Person.image
- Esthermillais.jpg
- Person.caption
- Esther by John Everett Millais
- Person.birth_name
- Hadassah ()
- Person.birth_place
- Achaemenid Empire
- Person.spouse
- Ahasuerus of Persia
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Gentileschi, Artemisia - Esther before Ahasuerus - c. 1628–1635.jpg
Show 5 more facts
- date of birth
- 0600-00-00
- date of death
- 0500-00-00
- name in native language
- אסתר
- Commons category
- Esther (Biblical figure)
- birth name
- הדסה
Sources (9)
via Wikidata · CC0
~15 min read
Article
15 sectionsContents
- Name
- Narrative
- Historicity
- Interpretations
- Persian culture
- Artistic depictions of Esther
- In Christianity
- Music
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Further reading
- External links
Esther (; ), originally Hadassah (; ), is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible.
According to the biblical narrative, which is set in the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus falls in love with Esther and marries her. His grand vizier Haman is offended by Esther's cousin and guardian Mordecai because of his refusal to bow before him, when confronted, Mordecai's excuse was simply that he was a Jew. Various interpretations have been offered as to what Mordecai's concern was. Consequently, Haman plots to have all of Persia's Jews killed, and eventually convinces Ahasuerus to permit him to do so. However, Esther foils the plan by revealing and decrying Haman's plans to Ahasuerus, who then has Haman executed and grants permission to the Jews to take up arms against their enemies; Esther is hailed for her courage and for working to save the Jews of Persia from eradication.