Index : E : Esther

Structure Sub-topic of: Old Testament - Tanakh Interesting Questions, Facts and Information There are a total of 20 general entries. Frequently Asked Questions & Answers There are 5 user-asked question matches ( goto )

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

Esther

Xerxes had approved Haman's plot to destroy the Jews and not even he could repeal the law. Who did he have write a law to overturn the decision?

The Biblical Story of Esther (GypsyQueen)


Mordecai. Mordecai was given a signet ring and the power to 'un-decree' Xerxes' hastily approved law. Because of his courage and quick thinking, Mordecai was able to stop the destruction of the Jews, and the Jews rose up and destroyed those who hated them, but they did not loot or steal any of the booty. After this, they celebrated what has become the holiday of Purim.



Xerxes chose Esther as his queen. Of what nation was Xerxes king?

Delving into Esther (skylarb)


Persia. His reign began in 486 BC and he was followed by Artaxerxes I. According to the Book of Esther, Xerxes divorced his wife, Vashti, because she refused to appear when summoned. He took Esther from his harem and made her queen in Vashti's stead.



Why did the king decide to hang Haman?

Delving into Esther (skylarb)


Because he appeared to try to rape Esther. At the banquet, Esther announced that her people had been sold to be killed by Haman. The king rose and left in anger. Haman then fell upon Esther's bed to plead for his life. The king, happening upon Haman in this compromising position and thinking he would rape Esther, decided to hang him.



Who suggested to Haman to have a gallows built on which he should have Mordecai hanged?

The Biblical Story of Esther (GypsyQueen)


His wife and friends. Esther 5:14.



Who said, 'Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.'?

The Biblical Story of Esther (GypsyQueen)


Esther. Esther wanted to speak with Xerxes about Haman's hatred toward the Jews. But to approach the king without being summoned was not only illegal, but it could very well result in death for impertinence. Even though she was the queen and the favorite of Xerxes, Esther was taking a great risk in deciding to go to him. Esther 4:11-16.



Who in this book was "hoist on his own petard," so to speak?

Delving into Esther (skylarb)


Haman. The phrase, which comes from Shakespeare's "Hamlet," means to be destroyed by one's own devices. Haman is hanged on the very gallows he builds for Mordecai.



When Esther appeared before Xerxes unsummoned, she knew he could kill her for her defiance. But what did he do instead?

Delving into Esther (skylarb)


Extended his scepter. Esther dressed nicely and stood in the king's inner court, for which he could have had her killed; but instead, he held out the golden scepter to her, a sign of pardon and permission, which allowed her to speak. She asked that the king and Haman both come to a banquet and hear her request.



What does Esther's Hebrew name mean?

Delving into Esther (skylarb)


Myrtle. Esther's Hebrew name was Hadassah, which means "myrtle." Her Persian name, Esther, means "star."



Unlike rain on your wedding day (which is just bad luck), the Book of Esther is truly ironic. In it, Haman told the king that if he wished to honor a man, the king ought to parade that man about in royal apparel. Who did the king then honor in this way?

Delving into Esther (skylarb)


Mordecai. One night, the king was reading his chronicles, and he saw that Mordecai had foiled a plot against his life. He determined to reward Mordecai, and just then Haman entered the court to ask the king if he could hang Mordecai. The king asked him: "What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor?" Haman, thinking the king meant him, suggested he be paraded on a horse and adorned with royal apparel. The king then told him to make haste and to do just that for Mordecai. So Haman was forced to parade the very man he detested.



This event of deliverance is still commemorated today in what Jewish feast?

Delving into Esther (skylarb)


Purim. The name comes from the fact that Haman had "devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them" (9:24).



Mordecai uncovered a plot to assassinate the king. He told Esther, who told Xerxes. What happened to these conspirators (named Bigthan and Teresh)?

The Biblical Story of Esther (GypsyQueen)


They were hanged. Esther 2:21-22.



Haman, an Agagite, was blessed with King Xerxes' favor. Mordecai refused to do something for Haman that everyone else did. What was this?

The Biblical Story of Esther (GypsyQueen)


Bow to him. According to his religion, Mordecai was not to bow to anyone but the Lord God. This was what made Haman decide to exterminate the Jews. Esther 3:2.



Haman suggested to the king that he honor a noble in his court by giving him fine robes and a horse, and proclaiming 'This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!' What did the king decide to do?

The Biblical Story of Esther (GypsyQueen)


Make Haman honor Mordecai this way. Imagine Haman's shock when the king ignored the suggestion that Haman himself deserved the honors, and forced Haman to pay respect to a Jew, whom he hated! Even his own wife, Zeresh, predicted his downfall. Esther 6:12-13.



Esther was a young woman who was commissioned by King Xerxes as a candidate for marriage. Who raised Esther as his own daughter, as she had no parents of her own?

The Biblical Story of Esther (GypsyQueen)


Her cousin, Mordecai. Mordecai was Esther's cousin. Her father, Abihail, had died and Esther was raised by Mordecai, who was Jewish and thus in the Persian minority. When she went to the king, she was not to reveal her background for fear that it would put her in a negative light. Esther 2:5, 2:10.



Esther bravely told Xerxes about Haman's plot to destroy the Jews, and the king had Haman killed. What did Xerxes give Esther after this?

The Biblical Story of Esther (GypsyQueen)


Haman's estate. Haman was hanged on the gallows which he had built for Mordecai! After his death, Xerxes gave Esther the estate of Haman, and she permitted Mordecai to rule over it (Esther 8:1).



Before Esther, who was the queen of Persia?

The Biblical Story of Esther (GypsyQueen)


Vashti. Xerxes' wife was named Vashti. She disobeyed him, so he had her banished and he decreed that all men were the leaders of their households. Esther 1:19-22.

• How many children did Zeb and Esther Walton have? ( goto )



• Who was the actress who played Aunt Esther on the tv comedy Sanford and Son? ( goto )



• In Esther Williams' screen debut "Bathing Beauty" (1944), which short, dark haired actress played the leader of the schoolgirls? ( goto )



• Out of the following, who was the only child born in the White House: John Kennedy, Esther Cleveland, Amy Carter, or John Quincy Adams? ( goto )



• Back in the 1980s, which flavour of potato crisp was withdrawn from public sale in Britain following negative publicity caused by an item on Esther Rantzen's 'That's Life' programme? ( goto )