Esther (Bible)

See also: Esther

Hadassah beats Avigaïl , more known under the name of Esther (in Hebrew: אֶסְתֵּר ) is a character of the Tanakh and Old Testament. Its history as a wife of the king of Perse Assuérus (generally identified with Xerxès I {{er}} or with Artaxerxès I {{er}}) is told in the Livre of Esther and is celebrated, in the Jewish tradition, at the time of the festival of Pourim.

Its name

According to the Book of Esther, this woman originating in Judaea is called Hadassah , which means Myrte in Hebrew. When it enters to the royal Harem, it receives the name d'" Esther " who is probably a way of indicating the myrtle for the Mèdes (the word is rather close to the root of the word which indicates, in Kurdish or Persian, as well the myrtle as the shape of his flower in " étoile").

A Targoum of the Jewish tradition explains why it was as beautiful as l'" star of the nuit" , called Astara by the Greeks. Some critical of the Book of Esther make derive the name from Esther of the pagan goddess Ishtar (although that does not correspond phonetically to the Hebraic name of this goddess who is closer to Ashtoreth).

The Midrach includes/understands the name Esther in Hebrew under the direction of " hidden ". Esther hid its origin Judaea as Mardochée had advised to him. Moreover, the divine influence is hidden in the course of the events and it is never mentioned Him explicitly.

Biblical account

Esther is the girl of Abigaïl of the Tribu of Benjamin, one of the two tribes which constituted the Royaume of Juda before its destruction by the Babylonian and the deportations of the elite of the kingdom towards the provinces of the Persian empire.

At the beginning of the account, she lives with Mardochée which occupies an administrative office with the palate of the Persian king with Chouchan. Having heard that king Assuérus seeks a new wife, Mardochée makes take part Esther in the " sélections". Esther is chosen and becomes the wife of Assuérus.

When the minister Haman decides to exterminate all the Jews of the kingdom, Esther is thus in the forefront to require of the king to cancel the decree of its minister. After a Fast three days, it is presented to the king to ask for the favor to him of accept its invitation to dine in its continuation with Haman. It them réinvite then, at the conclusion it second dinner, informs the king who it is Jewish and whom Haman issued the elimination of the Jews of the kingdom. It obtains from the king the right for the Jews to be defended the day when they are attacked. The victory of the Jews over their enemies and Haman is celebrated in great rejoicings at the time of the festival of Pourim during which all the Jews have the obligation to listen to the reading of the Livre of Esther.

Esther appears in the Bible like a woman of a great piety, characterized by its faith, its courage, its patriotism, its prudence and its resolution. It is faithful and obeying with respect to her uncle Mardochée and anxious vis-a-vis its duty representing the Jewish people and obtaining from the king their safety. In the Jewish tradition, she is seen like an instrument of the will of God to prevent the destruction of the Jewish people, to protect them and ensure to them peace during their captivity in Babylon.

See too

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