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esther

more about esther

esther

 

  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  Esther 
  n  1:  (Old  Testament)  a  beautiful  Jewess  chosen  by  the  king  of 
  Persia  to  be  his  queen;  she  stopped  a  plot  to  massacre 
  all  the  Jews  in  Persia  (an  event  celebrated  by  Jews  as 
  the  feast  of  Purim)  [syn:  {Esther}] 
  2:  a  book  of  the  Old  Testament  that  tells  how  Esther  saved  her 
  people  from  massacre  [syn:  {Esther}] 
 
  From  U.S.  Gazetteer  (1990)  [gazetteer]: 
 
  Esther,  MO  (city,  FIPS  22636) 
  Location:  37.85206  N,  90.49466  W 
  Population  (1990):  1071  (468  housing  units) 
  Area:  1.1  sq  km  (land),  0.0  sq  km  (water) 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Esther 
  the  queen  of  Ahasuerus,  and  heroine  of  the  book  that  bears  her 
  name  She  was  a  Jewess  named  Hadas'sah  (the  myrtle),  but  when 
  she  entered  the  royal  harem  she  received  the  name  by  which  she 
  henceforth  became  known  (Esther  2:7).  It  is  a  Syro-Arabian 
  modification  of  the  Persian  word  satarah,  which  means  a  star. 
  She  was  the  daughter  of  Abihail,  a  Benjamite.  Her  family  did  not 
  avail  themselves  of  the  permission  granted  by  Cyrus  to  the 
  exiles  to  return  to  Jerusalem;  and  she  resided  with  her  cousin 
  Mordecai,  who  held  some  office  in  the  household  of  the  Persian 
  king  at  "Shushan  in  the  palace."  Ahasuerus  having  divorced 
  Vashti,  chose  Esther  to  be  his  wife.  Soon  after  this  he  gave 
  Haman  the  Agagite,  his  prime  minister,  power  and  authority  to 
  kill  and  extirpate  all  the  Jews  throughout  the  Persian  empire. 
  By  the  interposition  of  Esther  this  terrible  catastrophe  was 
  averted.  Haman  was  hanged  on  the  gallows  he  had  intended  for 
  Mordecai  (Esther  7);  and  the  Jews  established  an  annual  feast, 
  the  feast  of  Purim  (q.v.),  in  memory  of  their  wonderful 
  deliverance.  This  took  place  about  fifty-two  years  after  the 
  Return,  the  year  of  the  great  battles  of  Plataea  and  Mycale 
  (B.C.  479). 
 
  Esther  appears  in  the  Bible  as  a  "woman  of  deep  piety,  faith, 
  courage,  patriotism,  and  caution,  combined  with  resolution;  a 
  dutiful  daughter  to  her  adopted  father,  docile  and  obedient  to 
  his  counsels,  and  anxious  to  share  the  king's  favour  with  him 
  for  the  good  of  the  Jewish  people.  There  must  have  been  a 
  singular  grace  and  charm  in  her  aspect  and  manners,  since  'she 
  obtained  favour  in  the  sight  of  all  them  that  looked  upon  her' 
  (Esther  2:15).  That  she  was  raised  up  as  an  instrument  in  the 
  hand  of  God  to  avert  the  destruction  of  the  Jewish  people,  and 
  to  afford  them  protection  and  forward  their  wealth  and  peace  in 
  their  captivity,  is  also  manifest  from  the  Scripture  account." 
 
 
  From  Hitchcock's  Bible  Names  Dictionary  (late  1800's)  [hitchcock]: 
 
  Esther,  secret;  hidden




more about esther