
Study questions, maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study the Old Testament book of Esther.
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Basics
Esther and Ruth are the only books of the Bible centered around women. Esther is also the only book of Scripture that does not mention God, although clearly God’s protection of His people is evident.
Esther’s Hebrew name was Hadassah, “myrtle”. Her Persian name Ester is derived from the Persian word for “star” (stara). The Greek title for this book is Esther (Latin = Hester).
The events of the book of Esther take place between the events of Ezra 6 and Ezra 7, between the first return led by Zerubbabel and the second return led by Ezra, approximately 483-473BC.
Genre: Understanding Narrative
Background & Outlines
- Introduction to the Exile & Return
- Hebrew Calendar
- Chart: Bible History at a glance
- Chronology Ezra-Nehemiah
- Introduction to Exile & Return
- Blue Letter Bible: Old Testament Timeline
- Biblehub: Esther Timeline
- Biblehub: Esther Overview
- Bible Atlas: Persia
- Bible Atlas: Babylon
- Bible Atlas: Jerusalem
- Bible Atlas: Susa/Shushan
- NetBible: Susa – Dictionary article
- Joshua to Job quotes in the New Testament
- Ray C Stedman: Overview of the Book
- John MacArthur: Author, Date, Background
- ESV: Introduction to Esther
- ESV: The Global Message of Esther
- James Van Dine: Analysis of Esther
- David Mallick: An Introduction to the Book of Esther
- JVernon McGee: Esther & Job Introductory Notes
- William Orr: Keys to Esther
- Will Pounds: Chronology of History of Israel
Maps
- Blue Letter Bible: Timeline from Creation to 4thC AD
- Bible Diagrams: Timeline from 499-450BC (Esther written about 465BC)
- NetBible: Map of Susa/Shushan
- Kings & Events of Babylonian, Persian, Greek Dynasties
- Brief History of Powers of Mesopotamia from 13554BC to 165BC
Maps from Studylight.org
The Babylonian Exile
- Judah during the Exile
- The Kingdom of Judah
- Exile; Palestine in the Post-Exilic Period
- Jewish Exiles in Babylon
- Jewish Refugees in Egypt
The Persian Period
- World Powers of the 6th century BCE
- The Conquests of Cyrus the Great
- The Persian Empire
- The Return of the Jewish Exiles to Judah
- Judah in the 5th century BCE
- Palestine after the Exile
The Hellenistic Period
- Alexander the Great’s Empire
- The Division of Alexander’s Empire ca. 275 BCE
- Palestine under the Ptolemies
- The Seleucid Empire and Antiochus III
- Campaigns of Antiochus IV against Egypt
- The Maccabees in 168 BCE
- Selected Events in the Maccabean Revolt
- Jewish Expansion under the Hasmonean Dynasty
- Pompey’s Campaign against Jerusalem
ESV Study Bible
- Chronology of Ezra
- Adversaries Hinder Work in Ezra
- Kings of Persia in Ezra–Nehemiah
- Chronology of Nehemiah
- Chronology in Esther
Key Words
- Banquet/feast – Esther 1:3, 1:5, 1:9, 2:18, 5:4, 5:5, 5:6, 5:8, 5:12, 5:14, 6:14, 7:2, 8:17, 9:17, 9:18, 9:19,9:22
- Jew/Jews – Esther 2:5; 3:4, 6, 10, 13; 4:3, 7, 13, 14, 16; 5:13; 6:10, 13; 8:1, 3, 5, 7,8,9, 11, 13, 16,17; 9:1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 10:3;
- Edict/decree – Esther 1:19, 1:20, 2:1, 2:8, 3:9, 3:14, 3:15, 4:3, 4:8, 8:8, 8:13, 8:14, 8:17, 9:1, 9:13, 9:14
- Fast – Esther 4:3, 16, 9:31
- Destroy/destruction – Esther 3:6, 3:9, 3:13, 4:7, 4:8, 7:4 8:5 8:6 8:11 9:5 9:6 9:12 9:24
- Day, Month, Year – Esther 1:3 2:16 3:7 1:1 1:2 1:4 1:5 1:10 1:18 2:11 2:12 2:16 2:21 3:7 3:12 3:13 3:14 4:11 4:16 5:1 5:4 5:9 7:2 8:1 8:9 8:12 8:13 9:1 9:11 9:15 9:17 9:18 9:19 9:21 9:22 9:26 9:27 9:28 9:31 (See Jewish Calendar)
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Esther
- Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology:
- American Tract Society Esther
- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary Esther
- Easton’s Bible Dictionary Esther
- Fausset Bible Dictionary Esther
- Holman Bible Dictionary Esther
- Hitchcock Bible Names Esther
- Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible Esther
- Morrish Bible Dictionary Esther
- Hawker’s Poor Man’s Dictionary Esther
- Whyte’s Bible Characters Esther
- Watson’s Theological Dictionary Esther
- American Tract Society Esther, the Book of
- Easton’s Bible Dictionary Esther, Book of
- Fausset Bible Dictionary Esther, the Book of
- Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible Esther, Book of
- 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica Esther
- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Esther
- Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Esther Esther book of
- McClintock and Strong’s Bible Encyclopedia Esther
Pur/Purim
- Judaism 101: Purim from a Jewish perspective
- American Tract Society: Purim
- Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Pur, Purim
- Fausset Bible Dictionary: Purim
- Holman Bible Dictionary: Purim
- Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible: Purim
- Hastings’ Dictionary of the NT: Purim
- Hawker’s Poor Man’s Dictionary: Purim
- 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica: Purim
- Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia: Purim
- Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature: Purim
- The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia: Purim
- Wikipedia – Purim
Ahasuerus/Xerxes
- American Tract Society: Ahasuerus
- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary: Ahasuerus
- Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Ahasuerus
- Fausset Bible Dictionary: Ahasuerus
- Holman Bible Dictionary: Ahasuerus
- Hitchcock Bible Names: Ahasuerus
- Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible: Ahasuerus
- Morrish Bible Dictionary: Ahasuerus
- Hawker’s Poor Man’s Dictionary: no listing
- People’s Dictionary of the Bible: Ahasuerus
- Watson’s Theological Dictionary: Ahasuerus
- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Ahasuerus
- Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia: Ahasuerus
- 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia: Ahasuerus
Mordecai
His name means – Little man; bitter bruising; bitterly reduced. Bitterness of my oppression. (The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names. Smith & Cornwall)
- American Tract Society Mordecai
- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary Mordecai
- Easton’s Bible Dictionary Mordecai
- Fausset Bible Dictionary Mordecai
- Holman Bible Dictionary Mordecai
- Hitchcock Bible Names Mordecai
- Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible Mordecai
- Morrish Bible Dictionary Mordecai
- Hawker’s Poor Man’s Dictionary Mordecai
- People’s Dictionary of the Bible Mordecai
- Watson’s Theological Dictionary Mordecai
- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Mordecai
- Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Mordecai
- 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia Mordecai
Haman
His name means Alone; solitar; well disposed. A rioter. The rager; their tumult. (Smith & Cornwall)
- American Tract Society Haman
- Easton’s Bible Dictionary Haman
- Fausset Bible Dictionary Haman
- Holman Bible Dictionary Haman
- Hitchcock Bible Names Haman
- Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible Haman
- Morrish Bible Dictionary Haman
- People’s Dictionary of the Bible Haman
- Watson’s Theological Dictionary Haman
- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Haman
- Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Haman
- McClintock and Strong’s Bible Encyclopedia Haman
- The Nuttall Encyclopedia Haman
- The Jewish Encyclopedia Haman the Agagite
Commentaries
- Best Commentaries on Esther – Tim Challies
- Top 5 Commentaries on the Book of Esther by Keith Mathison
- Best Commentary on Esther – Best Commentaries Reviews
- Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible: –
- Matthew Henry: Esther
- Albert Barnes Notes: Esther
- Reformation Study Bible Notes: Esther
- Geneva Study Bible: Esther
- Precept Austin Commentaries & Sermons: Esther
Articles
- Karen Jobes – “For Such a Time as This”: A Defining Moment in Christian Ministry
- William Shea – Esther and History – 16 page article
- Edwin M. Yamauchi: The Archaeological Background of Esther
- George Little – Addition To The Sum Of Revelation, Found In The Book Of Esther
- Iain Duguid – But Did They Live Happily Ever After? The Eschatology of the Book of Esther
- Bergey, Ronald Bergey – Post-Exilic Hebrew Linguistic Developments In Esther: A Diachronic Approach
- Steven Mathewson – Guidelines for Understanding and Proclaiming Old Testament Narratives
- M Dieulafoy: Book of Esther and the Palace of Ahasuerus
GotQuestions.org
- Book of Esther – Bible Survey
- Why doesn’t the book of Esther mention God?
- Why did Queen Vashti refuse to appear before Xerxes?
- Who was Mordecai in the Bible?
- What should we learn from the life of Esther?
- Did Esther have sex with Xerxes before they were married?
- Who was Haman the Agagite?
Bible Study Helps
- Bible Study 101
- Interpreting Narratives
- Study Software & websites
- More Maps & Charts
- Hebrew word studies by Precepts Austin
- Books on how to study the Bible
Next: Job
Previous: Nehemiah
Resources: by Book of the Bible
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