When Mordecai learns of Haman’s (the king’s advisor) plot to annihilate all of the Jewish people, Esther is pushed to center stage. No other man could ever be their husband, and they never saw the king again unless he was “pleased with them.” In short, the king test-drove all the models before making his purchase, and he “purchased” Esther to replace his former queen. They didn’t return to the other virgins, but instead were added to the number of the king’s other concubines (a.k.a. They were taken one by one, for him to sleep with.
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The virgins, who were all quite young, were escorted to the king, who is said to have been approximately 40 years of age at the time. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.” ( Esther 2:12-14 ) In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women – when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. But the Scriptures are pretty clear about what happened. This part comes as a shocker to people – even to those who have read the whole Megillah as part of their yearly Purim celebration. She was young, she was pretty, and she was taken. She most likely didn’t submit a résumé or raise her hand excitedly to volunteer for the harem. We can also see that, from the language used here, Esther didn’t have much say in the matters that unfolded. We read in Scripture that Esther was young and exceptionally beautiful. So when the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. So, naturally, he made a decree in order to gather to himself all suitable virgins in the region. Ahasuerus), was displeased with his wife and sought her replacement. She had lost both her father and her mother and was raised by her older cousin, Mordecai ( Esther 2:7 ). 2. She was an orphan.Īccording to Scripture, Esther had no parents. Although they had been granted freedom to return to their homeland, many of the Jewish people stayed in exile rather than go back to a war-torn Jerusalem. She lived in exile.Įsther and a significant number of the Jewish people lived scattered throughout Persia after the Babylonian exile. Here are a few things Esther went through: 1. It’s gritty and (unfortunately) relatable to readers who may have rocky histories of their own. And, from what we read, her story isn’t exactly as pretty as her face.
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She is one of the few, true heroines of the Tanakh.
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Instead, we often pit good versus evil – Mordecai versus Haman – and treat Esther like the cute Jewish cheerleader on the sidelines.īut to push Esther out of the limelight is to underestimate the power of the story. Hadassah's) role is frequently disregarded. Ironically, despite being the namesake of the book, Esther’s (a.k.a. Despite being the namesake of the book, Esther’s role is frequently disregarded. Of course, no celebration of Purim is complete without the traditional reading of the story of Esther. Purim is certainly a joyous occasion in the Jewish household – complete with costumes, feasting, and drinking (until said costumes get snug and uncomfortable).