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Book of Esther

Esther is the name of a book in the Old Testament of the Bible. In many Christian Bibles, Esther is divided into 10 chapters and is ordered as the 17th of the 66 books in the Bible. Some of the following is based on J.B. Tidwell's The Bible Book by Book, published in 1916.

Name. This is taken from its principal character, a Jewish maiden became queen of a Persian King.

Purpose. To explain the origin of the feast of Purim work of providence for God's people.

Time. The events narrated are thought to have occurred about 56 years after the first return of Zerubbabel in 536 B. C. The King then would be Xerxes the Great, and the drunken feast may have been preparatory to the invasion of Greece in the third year of his reign. Connection with Other Books. There is no connection between Esther and the other books of the Bible. While it is a story of the time when the Jews were returning to Jerusalem, and very likely should come between the first and second return, and, therefore, between the sixth and seventh chapters of Ezra, the incident stands alone. Without it we would lose much of our knowledge of that period.

The Story. While Esther stands out as the principal character, the whole story turns on the refusal of Mordecai to bow down to Haman, which would have been to show him divine honor. He did not hate Haman but, as a Jew could not worship any other than God. He dared to stand for principle at the risk of his life.

The Name of God. One of the peculiarities of the book is that it nowhere mentions the name of God, or makes any reference to him. This may be because his name was held secret and sacred at that time. However, God's power and His care of His people are everywhere implied in the book.

Outline of Esther

I. Esther Made Queen, Chs. 1-2.
1. Queen Vashti dethroned. Ch. 1.
2. Esther made queen. Ch. 2.

II. Haman's Plot and its Defeat. Chs. 3-8.
1. Haman plots the destruction of the Jews. Ch. 3.
2. The Jews' mourning and Mordecai's plea to Esther. Ch. 4.
3. Esther banquets Haman and the King, Ch. 5.
4. Mordecai highly honored for former service. Ch. 6.
5. Esther's plea granted and Haman hanged, Ch. 7,
6. The Jews allowed defense and Mordecai advanced, Ch. 8.

III. The Jews' Deliverance, Chs. 9-10.
1. Their enemies slain, 9:1-16.
2. A memorial feast is established. 9:17-32 end.
3. Mordecai made great, Ch. 10.

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