We come now to the last in our series on the book of esther. Read the new living translation online free nlt bible. Esther free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. This link is provided solely for the users convenience. According to some sources, it is a historical novella, written to explain the origin of the. We can only imagine the thrills and challenges of adjusting. Although we do not know who wrote the book of esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author. The book of esther opens with a description of an enormous 180day party thrown by king achashverosh in his 3rd year as king of the persian empire, ruling over 127 provinces. Esther nlt queen esther is a portrait of a strong and. Esther 5, new living translation nlt the bible app. Esther 1 new international version niv queen vashti deposed. The greek septuagint remedied this situation by adding six passages which include the name of god. It is dated around the late 2nd to early 1st century bc. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so in the days of persecution.
Esther 10 new living translation nlt the greatness of xerxes and mordecai. The genre of the book of esther is narrative history. An asterisk indicates a responsive, choral reading arrangement andor arrangement in a chiastic or other literary pattern. For such a time as this the phrase alone invokes courage and hope among believers. Esthers request to the kingon the third day of the fast, esther put on her royal. Esther 1 nlt the kings banquet these events bible gateway. This summary of the book of esther provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of esther. Although it is never said who wrote the book of esther, from inside evidence it is possible to make some. It is the first book of the bible without a prophecy or any particular message from god by a prophet to israel. Esther 15 nlt the kings banquet these events bible. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her.
It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. Access the free online nlt bible to study gods word in a powerful way. His predecessor was king darius 522485 bc who is mentioned in ezra 4. He asked hathach to show it to esther and explain the situation. Although we are told nothing about those first years, we can be certain they were filled with wonder for this young woman swept into palace life. The new living translation is not only a clearly communicated translation of gods word but a powerful tool for ministry in our world today. Here is the story of esther through a summary of each of the 10 chapters. I am referring to that aha suerus who used to rule over a hundred and twentyseven provinces extending all the way from india to ethiopia. She ordered him to go to mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why he was in mourning. Mordecai gave hathach a copy of the decree issued in susa that called for the death of all jews. His name is not written in the book, but his fingerprints, as we say, are all over it. The book could be opened to any page, but it was opened to the exact page telling the story of mordecai and how he saved the king from assassination. In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the book of esther was illustrated by j.
The book of esther does not mention the name of god. After the death of esthers parents, she was raised by mordecai, an older cousin, who served in the persian rulers palace. The problem with esther was the absence of any direct mention of god. The book of esther takes place in susa modern day iran in the court of a persian king, xerxes or ahasuerus. The book of esther may not directly mention god, yet it clearly reveals god at work. If they encountered bigotry and prejudice, they must act with courage, wisdom and integrity. Esther is encouraged by mordicai to conceal her jewishness. Youll feel more confident about your biblical studies when you see a timeline of the important events as they happened in the bible, have an understanding of the books of the bible and how they are organized, and have a quick reference list of the ten commandments. New king james version for if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the jews from another place, but you and your fathers house will perish. The book belongs to the socalled five scrolls hebr. He overcame the jews and he took many jews to babylon. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this. Esther is the name of a book in the tanakh the hebrew bible and the old testament, and also its title heroine.
Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. Read esther 6 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. Esther explained the difficulty behind this she was only allowed to come to the king when called, and if she came on her own, she could be executed for daring to approach the king without an invitation. The most popular traditions are mordecai a major character in the book of esther, ezra and nehemiah who would have been familiar with persian customs. So the king and haman went to dine with queen esther. Niv study bible, introductions to the books of the bible, esther, zondervan, 2002. As a result, the book of esther is the central story commemorated each year during the jewish festival of purim. Esther 1 commentary commentary critical and explanatory.
Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the kings command and his decree to be executed. Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history 3. He was second only to the king in the most powerful empire of his day. The book of esther described part of the jewish diaspora that stayed behind in persia and did not return to jerusalem during the restoration. These are all of the chapters of the book of esther.
The events in the book of esther occurred from 483 bc to 473 bc, during the first half of the reign of king xerxes, who chose esther as his queen. As the days of feasting draw to a close, he summons his wife, vashti, to show off her beauty by appearing wearing only her crown. The book of esther is the only one not found in the dead sea scrolls. Mordecai asked hathach to show the copy to esther and to explain it to her. And he displa ye d t he riches of his royal glory and t he splendor of. Although we do not know who wrote the book of esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author and the date of composition. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. The events that the first chapter of the book of esther describes happened about 483 bc before christ. Esther 6 commentary matthew henry commentary on the.
The writer of the book of esther probably wanted his readers to realise that god is always in control. The book of esther was likely written between 460 and 350 b. Any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law. Perhaps he would have this book of business read to him that he might improve time and be forming some useful projects. By accepting this message, you will be leaving the website of the united states conference of catholic bishops. Esther summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of esther for bible study or sunday school lessons. Now it came to pass in the days of ahasuerus, this is ahasuerus which reigned, from india even unto ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament.
Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. Esther 4, new living translation nlt the bible app. However several events took place which resulted in tens of thousands of jews being saved from execution. In the narrative, ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, vashti, refuses to obey him, and esther is chosen for her beauty. Many if not all the psalms without asterisks have patterns, too. Esther 110 nlt the kings banquet these events bible gateway. We might even think that he does not care about us. Esther 15 new living translation nlt the kings banquet. The key personalities are esther, mordecai, king ahasuerus or xerxes, and haman. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai. Easytounderstand nlt translation book introductions welcome to the new testament note to readers how to know jesus personally presentation page size. Keep plenty of these affordable new testaments on hand for all your outreach and missionary programs.
In fact, god is not directly mentioned by name in the book of esther. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of vashti. Esther bible story summary what christians want to know. The book of nehemiah kjv audio holy bible high quality and best speed book 16 duration. The one commanded to bring the book could have brought any one book of the records of the chronicles, but he brought one particular book.
On the day that the enemies of the jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the jews themselves overpowered those who. Not only is it a great story with all the drama and. Esther 2 is the second chapter of the book of esther in the hebrew bible or the old testament of the christian bible. The coincidences, the amazing reversals, and the poetic justice that led to the deliverance of the jews in persia all proclaim the presence of god. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. See list under precept ministries inductive study on esther the book of esther is unusual gods name is not mentioned once, yet gods hand is clearly present and active throughout the book, to the extent that many see the book of esther as a veritable treatise on the doctrine of divine providence see separate study. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of esther in.
Finally, it is important to note that most times when the bible says people were hung, this was something that occurred after a person or persons were already dead. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a. Nehemiah yahweh has comforted, is a famous cupbearer, who never appears in scripture outside of this book. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old.
Esther bible book with full chapters new living translation. Study guide for esther 4 by david guzik blue letter bible. The purpose of this short study is to offer information regarding this fascinating part of scripture. She sent clothing to him to replace the burlap, but he refused it. The book of esther does not mention gods name in any chapter. Book of esther simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The events of the book of esther occurred during the reign of king ahasuerus, xerxes i. The prayers of esther and mordecai are especially noteworthy. I grant permission to copy, modify, and otherwise use the ideas in these verses. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. Study the bible online using commentary on esther 6 and more. The dead were hung on a tree or wall as a sign of disrespect, or as a warning to others. The book of esther is a 20 movie starring jen lilley as queen esther and joel smallbone as king xerxes. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this. You walk away from the 10th chapter almost wondering.
And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr. As with most of the ot writings the author of the book of esther esther meaning star is not mentioned. Chances are you were taught very little or almost nothing about esther, the woman who is one of only two the other is ruth females who have a book of the bible named after them. The greek book of esther, included in the septuagint, is a retelling of the events of the hebrew book of esther rather than a translation and records additional traditions which do not appear in the traditional hebrew version, in particular the identification of ahasuerus with artaxerxes and details of various letters.
Dake the book of ruth is the 8th book of the bible. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not mentioned. Gods word is generally difficult for folks to understand, but the nlt cuts through language and phrasing that often pose a barrier to gospel communication.
From the time were first introduced to it from the book of esther, these six simple words inspire us toward that one defining moment we all long for our chance to make a difference. The book of esther does not specifically name its author. Clicking on a chapter will show you the text of that chapter of esther in the bible new living translation. It is one of five ot books that were at one time regarded as antilegomena i. Jan 02, 2020 the book of esther may not directly mention god, yet it clearly reveals god at work. Esther 1 queen vashti deposed 1 this is what happened during the time of xerxes, a the xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from india to cush b.
Hence it belongs to the bestknown otbooks with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. Esther is described in the book of esther as a jewish queen of the persian king ahasuerus commonly identified as xerxes i, reigned 486465 bce. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Over 100 years earlier, nebuchadnezzar the king of babylon had attacked jerusalem. Discover and read bible verses from the nlt translation. Esther 110 new living translation nlt the kings banquet. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star. He asked hathach to show it to esther and explain the situation to. As with the books of ezra and esther, named after his contemporaries, the book recounts selected events of his leadership and was titled after him. This summary of the book of esther provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the. Esther explained the difficulty behind this she was only allowed to come to the king when called, and if she came on her own.
It is clear that the author was a jew, both from his emphasis on the origin of a jewish festival and from the jewish nationalism that permeates the story. He may not always do it in the way we think he should, but the book of esther shows that he is in control even when we dont see him. Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and published by seven stories press. Esther 1 commentary commentary critical and explanatory on. And on the second day, at the banquet of wine, the king again said to esther, what is your petition, queen esther. The book of esther describes the jewish heroine esther, who saved the jewish people in persia from annihilation during the reign of king xerxes i ahasuerus of persia, who ruled from 486 to 465 bc. The very brief 10th chapter tells us that mordecai was great. The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the hebrew text would have been formed by the second century bce. Then the king said to the wise menthese were probably the magi, without whose advice as to the proper time of doing a thing the persian kings never did take any step whatever. Unlike daniel, there seems to be no concern on the part of esther to keep the dietary laws. Watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought.
Esther 1 niv queen vashti deposed this is what bible. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of persia and thwarts a genocide. The book could be opened to any page, but it was opened to the exact page telling the story of mordecai and how he saved the. Esther 1, new living translation nlt the bible app. The enemies of the jews hoped to have power over them by the former edict.