History · Old Testament
Esther
c. 483–473 BC
- Section
- History · Old Testament
- Events span
- c. 483–473 BC
- Written
- c. 460 BC critical view: c. 4th–3rd century BC
- Author
- Mordecai (by tradition) critical view: Anonymous, c. 4th century BC
Set in the Persian court, Esther tells how a Jewish orphan becomes queen and, at the risk of her life, foils Haman's plot to exterminate her people. God is never named, yet his providence pervades the story — remembered ever after in the feast of Purim.
Chronological placement: Set during the reign of Xerxes (c. 483–473 BC), in the gap between the two returns described in Ezra 6 and Ezra 7.
Key themes
- God's hidden providence
- Courage
- For such a time as this
- Deliverance of the Jews
- The feast of Purim
Key events
- King Xerxes deposes Queen Vashti for refusing to appear before his guests
- Esther, a Jewish orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai, is chosen as the new queen
- Mordecai uncovers a plot to assassinate the king
- Haman, enraged at Mordecai, plots to destroy all the Jews of the empire
- Mordecai urges Esther to act "for such a time as this"
- Esther risks her life to invite the king and Haman to a private banquet
- The king honors Mordecai; Esther exposes Haman, who is hanged on his own gallows
- The Jews are allowed to defend themselves and are delivered; the feast of Purim is established
“and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”