Esther (biblical figure)

Esther is a Jewish woman in the Book of Esther who becomes queen of Persia and helps thwart a plot to destroy the Jews in the empire.

Book of Esther: A biblical book recounting Esther’s rise to queenship and the deliverance of the Jews in Persia. It is the narrative source for Esther’s actions and their consequences.
Esther’s banquet: A pair of banquets in the Book of Esther at which Esther prepares to accuse Haman before the king. The delayed accusation gives Esther control over when the king hears her appeal.
Jewish diaspora: The dispersion of Jewish communities beyond the land of Israel across different periods of history. Esther’s community lives under Persian rule far from its ancestral homeland.
Additions to Esther: Greek passages included in some Christian Bibles that expand the Hebrew Book of Esther. They make explicit religious elements that remain unstated in the Hebrew text.
Vashti: The queen of Persia before Esther in the Book of Esther, deposed after refusing the king’s summons. Vashti’s removal creates the vacancy that brings Esther to the royal court.
Royal edict: A formal command issued by a monarch or governing authority. Persian law in the story prevents the first decree from simply being withdrawn.
Purim: A Jewish festival commemorating the deliverance narrated in the Book of Esther. The festival preserves the story of Esther’s role in Jewish communal memory.
Septuagint: An ancient Greek translation of Jewish scriptures, including an expanded form of Esther. Its version includes prayers and scenes absent from the Hebrew form of the book.
Mordecai: A Jewish man in the Book of Esther who raises Esther and advises her during the crisis. His counsel and refusal to honor Haman help set the plot in motion.
Persian Empire: An ancient Iranian empire that, at its height, ruled territories from the eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia. Its imperial court and provincial reach frame the decree threatening the Jews.

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