Esther (Persian origin: Star)
(Esther 2:7). 5th century b.c.e.
Esther—whose Hebrew name was Hadassah, "Myrtle"—was a descendant of King Saul who had been exiled by the Babylonians from Jerusalem. Esther, orphaned at an early age, was brought up by her cousin Mordecai. In the third year of his reign, Ahasuerus-usually identified by historians as King Xerxes I of Persia-suggested that beautiful virgins from every province should be brought to the harem in Shushan. The one that the king liked best would be made queen to replace the disobedient Vashti. During the seventh year of King Ahasuerus's reign, it was Esther's turn to be brought to the king. He liked her more than any other girl and made her his queen. When Mordecai refused to kneel or bow to Haman, because he was a Jew, and Jews kneeled and bowed only to God, Haman decided that punishing Mordecai alone was not enough. All the Jews in the empire had to be exterminated. The king approved, so Esther revealed her Jewish background and exposed Haman's true ambitions towards the throne. Ahasuerus executed Haman, replaced him with Mordecai as vizier, and allowed Mordecai and Esther to warn the Jews of impending danger and give them permission to defend themselves. After their successful defense, Esther and Mordecai wrote a letter to all the Jews, wishing them peace and security and directing them and their descendants to celebrate every year a festival to be called Purim, because Haman had chosen the date of the genocide by casting lots, or pur.
Read more biographies from Who's Who in the Jewish Bible.
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