Esther 2 commentary commentary critical and explanatory. Old testament tanakh trivia the book of esther, also called the scroll in hebrew, tells the story of the hebrew girl born as hadassah, but now known as esther, who became queen of persia and saved her people from genocide. Its main concern, the very reason for its existence, is to establish purim as a jewish holiday, for all generations. Some small parts of the tanakh were written and thus recorded in aramaic. This commentary approaches the book of esther from a fresh literary pointofview. The story forms the core of the jewish festival of purim, during which it is read aloud twice. The christian bible is the product of countless steps taken by humble men and women both jews and christians who served the lord with all their hearts, all their souls, and all their strength. 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. Esther does not reveal her origins the book of esther relates that esther told no one of her jewish origins, as mordecai had ordered her. After these things, when the wrath of king ahasuerus was appeasedon recovering from the violent excitement of his revelry and rage, the king was pierced with poignant regret for the unmerited treatment he had given to his beautiful and dignified queen. 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, for some denominations, in a. Erica brown offers us a close textual and thematic reading of this beloved story of courage and heroism.
However, the talmud in baba batra 15a ascribes the book. The rabbis accordingly relate her to the matriarch rachel, the mother of the tribe of benjamin. The commemoration is based on the biblical story thats familiar to most churchgoers. As almost all halachot in this book this halacha is a rambams paraphrase of chazal conclusions. Esther the books of the king james bible for android free. Aug 31, 2018 ive read that esther took a while to be adopted into the tanakh, and that before that, song of songs and ecclesiastes were the subject of a bit of rabbinic dispute. Tanakh audio recording by rabbi dan beeri book by book. The terms book of esther and tanakh are listed as related. Tanakh the pentateuch, prophets and hagiographia torah scholars.
Power, fate and fragility in exile maggid studies in tanakh. The name is an acronym formed from the initial hebrew letters of the masoretic texts three traditional subdivisions. But, according to the law, which made the word of a persian. Tanakh, an acronym derived from the names of the three divisions of the hebrew bible. Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew bible, provides the story of the origin of purim, the blueprint for its celebration, and the authorization for its observance in perpetuity. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll, is a book in the third section of the jewish tanakh and in the christian old testament. The king in question is astyages, king of the medes, and nebuchadnezzars brother in law through his sister amytis. Behold, once before was thy father removed from the vicinity of human beings and compelled to eat herbs and grass like the beasts of the field for seven years. The book of esther, alone of all the canon of the tanakh, was in a curiously gray position regarding its spiritual inspiration in both judaism and christianity right up through the third century. The 24 books of the hebrew bible whiteboard bible study. Did maimonides consider esther the most important book in.
Is the longest word in the bible in the book of esther. Esther glanced up, and reading his anger in his eyes, became greatly terrified, and leaned heavily upon the handmaid who supported her. According to rashi on chapter 9, verse 20 of the book, mordecai was the author. God saw her failing motion, and, pitying the distress of the orphan, he gave her grace before the king. But the people refused to anoint him as ruler, and they said to him. The jewish publication societys highly acclaimed bible commentary series provides a linebyline commentary of the original hebrew bible text, complete with vocalization and cantillation marks, alongside the jps english translation this commentary approaches the book of esther from a fresh literary pointofview. A wise and trusted jewish courtier expands his platform of influence, and a vulnerable minority facing death becomes a powerful people in a land not their own. The jewish bible, audio version is a recorded version of the jps tanakh, the most widely read english translation of the hebrew, or jewish, bible produced and recorded for the jewish publication society jps by the jewish braille institute jbi, this oimplete, unabridged audio version of the book of psalms features over four and a half hours of readings by seven na. Their fathers cyaxerxes and nabopolassar were alli. Five things about esther that nobody talks about jews for jesus. For this reason, if for no other, esther should be considered a religious book. King ahasuerus, in the midst of a drinking banquet with his noblemen. Haman, the conniving chief minister at ahasuerus court, decreed to kill all the. The book of esther serves as the authorizing document for purim, a holiday that is not mentioned in the torah.
In fact, martin luther would raise the question as to whether it should be considered canon in the 15th century. Book of esther and tanakh are related terms tanakh has related meaning to book of esther. This book offers new insights into esther, one of the more intriguing figures in jewish history. The first part of christian bibles is the greek old testament, which contains, at minimum, the above 24 books of the tanakh but divided into 39 books and ordered differently.
These texts are almost exclusively in biblical hebrew, with a few passages in biblical aramaic instead in the books of daniel and ezra, the verse jeremiah 10. Today, that query may not loom quite as large in america, but it definitely does in many other places throughout the world the middle east, burma, the congoand about a dozen or more other places. The book of esther reflects this idea, by referring to vashti as queen vashti 1. The first wife of ahasuerus xerxes i, reigned 485465 b. Hidden treasures in the book of esther the return of. Is the jewish book of ester in the tanakh, the old testament. He didnt include the books of the maccabees, other books were excluded too. We have highlighted 10 archeological proofs that the greek tanakh was 100% complete and that the septuagint was the standard pulpit bible in every synagogue. The tanakh is also known as the masoretic text or the miqra. Erica brown is one of the great teachers of our generation. Did maimonides consider esther the most important book in the. She has a unique ability to blend torah teachings in all their forms with contemporary challenges. The book of esther forms part of ketuvim writings which is the third section of the tanakh, or hebrew bible.
Power, fate, and fragility in exile koren publishers. And it came to pass when nebuchadnezzar died, that his son, evilmerodach, claimed the kingdom. Law torah these are the books of teaching, the main character of which is moses. Yet esther, of all the biblical books outside of the torah, is the only one that addresses the origin of a new festival. Erica brown offers us a close textual and thematic reading of this beloved story of. The challenge of reading megillat esther is to reveal the hidden messages veiled within the exciting plot. Encyclopedia of jewish and israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from antisemitism to zionism. The agent of that deliverance is esther, one of the most famous heroines of the old testament. For word nerds, the book of esther contains a special treat the longest word in the tanakh. It is careful not to say that god commanded the observance of purim. She was crowned about 55 years after the destruction of the first. But the megillahs mandate differs from the torah s in one crucial respect. Bible jps tanakh 1917 esther 9 esther 9 jps tanakh 1917.
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 of her people. The tanakh book count and subdivisions instead gives plenty of attention to other biblically significant numbers, especially 3 the patriarchs, 5 the torah, and 12 the tribes. Megillat esther, the book of esther in the form that we have it in the hebrew bible, provides the story of the origin of. Esther was the heroine and central figure in the biblical book of esther, which is the source of the jewish festival of purim. The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is better viewed as imaginative storytelling, not unlike others that circulated in the. The reader recorded two incomplete versions of the tanakh, which are freely available on the internet.
The book of esther takes us to the heart of destiny moments. He didnt include the books of the maccabees, other books were excluded too the only book that was inserted to the bi. In hebrew, the books are often referred to by their prominent first words. The book of esther belongs to ketuvim writings, which is the third division of the tanakh the hebrew bible. What is the jewish tradition concerning esther answers. The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is. Tracing the history of the book of esther and jewish. Mar 19, 2017 the book of esther belongs to ketuvim writings, which is the third division of the tanakh the hebrew bible. It teaches us about esther and, as we read, about ourselves. But, similar to much of the tanakh, the book of esther has much. Esther was a jewish queen of the persian king ahaverosh. 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. 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.
Ahaverosh is traditionally identified with xerxes i during the time of the achaemenid empire. In english translations of the hebrew bible, this section is usually titled writings. Jps tanakh, book of esther by the jewish publication society. In these books, god chooses israel to be his special people.
Produced and recorded for the jewish publication society jps by the jewish braille institute jbi, this complete, unabridged audio version of the book of esther features approximately 34 minutes of readings. The hebrew bible, also called the tanakh, tenakh, tenak, tanach or mikra, is the canonical collection of hebrew scripture, which is also the textual source for the christian old testament. These texts are composed mainly in biblical hebrew, with some passages in biblical aramaic in the books of daniel, ezra and a few others. This is one book of the bible you could easily read while marinating in a bubble bath, without feeling. Mar 02, 2015 i would contend that the book of esther is a historical record set around 570bc. The book of esther or the megillah is the basis for the jewish celebration of purim. No, the book of esther is found in the old testament between the book of nehemiah and the book of job. Torah instruction, or law, also called the pentateuch, nevi. Tracing the history of the book of esther and jewish festival. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. These texts are composed mainly in biblical hebrew, with some passages in. The king is angered by with his queen vashti refusal to obey his orders and he has here replaced with esther. Its full text is read aloud twice during the celebration, in the evening and again the following morning.
As queen, esther hides her religious identity and maintains her jewish practices keeping kosher and observing the laws of shabbat and family purity in secret. Its also heavy on action, drama, and game of thronesstyle intrigue, while being notably lacking in legal codes, commandments, theologyall that kind of thing. Mar 18, 2011 the book of esther, alone of all the canon of the tanakh, was in a curiously gray position regarding its spiritual inspiration in both judaism and christianity right up through the third century. The book of esther is one of the books of the ketuvim writings of the tanakh the hebrew bible and of the historical books of the old testament. Power, fate and fragility in exile maggid studies in.
Esther is the name of a book in the tanakh the hebrew bible and the old testament, and also its title heroine. The hebrew bible, which is also called the tanakh t. What is book of esther about and why should i care. There is no attempt by artscroll in its biblical commentaries to offer readers the plain meaning of the bible text. Designation normally used for jewish scriptures tanak protestant christian old testament. The book of esther is one of the books of the ketuvim writings of the tanakh the hebrew bible. Power, fate and fragility in exile maggid studies in tanakh erica brown on. The book of esther has a james bondish, tickingtimebomb plot. The second part is the greek new testament, containing 27 books. Megilla, scroll, is related to the word ligalot, which means to reveal. Esther book of esther is the fifth of the five megillot scrolls of ketuvim writings the last section of the tanakh bible. May be that most people know this but i want to make it clear.
Technically, vhaachshadrapanim and its eleven letters makes it the length champion of the. The jewish bible, audio version is a recorded version of the jps tanakh, the most widely read english translation of the hebrew, or jewish, bible. The jewish publication societys highly acclaimed bible commentary series provides a linebyline commentary of the original hebrew bible text, complete with vocalization and cantillation marks, alongside the jps english translation. Hidden treasures in the book of esther the return of benjamin. I would contend that the book of esther is a historical record set around 570bc. At first glance, the story seems to be one of royal intrigue, power, wealth and politics. The book of esther provides one possible answer to that question, tough cookie though it is. This is a beautifullooking commentary on the biblical book esther that is designed, as all artscroll books, biblical and nonbiblical, to teach ultraorthodox judaism.
275 134 1171 1102 1167 674 17 611 353 1054 1053 1171 38 139 672 993 520 1373 1277 1491 1673 1560 399 1629 1124 829 1594 1272 429 1051 837 397 146 117 1321 744 1255 652