No mention of god in the book of esther

And although the book doesnt mention god by name, it mentions that esther prayed and fasted for three days before asking the king to save the jewish people and she also asked the jews to also do the same esther 4. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. It really doesnt matter why gods name was never mentioned in the book of esther but the fact is, the book of esther is canonized and is part of the inspired word of god, so the book of. The book of esther is one of the twentyfour books of the hebrew bible. We know that prayer and fasting is certainly a religious act associated with gods worship. Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and published by seven stories press. I think the primary reason esther is there is to show the hand of god in preserving the line of his messiah. Despite its unclear historicity and literary classification, 5 and while there is no name of god, and no mention of the hebrew religion anywhere, no one reads this book without being conscious of god. Why is the name of god not mentioned in megillat esther. The lesson here is that even though there is no mention of god or of prayer, we know that gods hand was on esther and on mordecai and that his divine timing is always the best, even if we dont see it at the time. Although the church has always regarded the entire thing as an allegory between go. The book of esther and god hidden and revealed lutheran forum. Ultimately, we know that god is the real author anyway, as with all scripture 2 tim 3. Professor blumenthal is also the subject of a book in the series library of contemporary jewish philosophers, ed.

Without esthers intervention the jews would have been destroyed and the line of the messiah crushed. Each book will only take you about half an hour to read, and theyre both really easy reads, too no long genealogy portions. The purpose of the book of esther is to display the providence of god, especially in regard to his chosen people, israel. Mordecai was evidently the inspired writer of the book. I also find it interesting that in the book of esther, both in chapter 3 and chapter 8, scribes were appointed by the king to write the commands of haman, to every province, to the rulers of every people according to the writing thereof, to every people in there own language. Though gods name is not mentioned, all of the events the downfall of vashti and rise of esther, mordecais discovery of the assassination plot, the shortlived exaltation of haman, the insomnia of the king, the book read to the king reminding him of mordecais heroics and the exaltation of the jewish people reflect the providential. Students of the bible know that fasting was done to draw closer to god and was accompanied by heartfelt prayers daniel 9. In short, esther risks her life to prevent an act of genocide against her people. The book of esther is unique among all the books of the old and new testamentthere is no mention of god and no prayers. She was taught to be discreet about her faith and her people. Jul 23, 2017 though gods name is not mentioned, all of the events the downfall of vashti and rise of esther, mordecais discovery of the assassination plot, the shortlived exaltation of haman, the insomnia of the king, the book read to the king reminding him of mordecais heroics and the exaltation of the jewish people reflect the providential.

His name is not written in the book, but his fingerprints, as we say, are all over it. Even the books that dont mention god teach us a lot about gods relationship with his people. Esther is the only book in the bible not to mention the name of god. Gods name in the book of esther his kingdom prophecy posted on december 25, 2011 by angus mackillop september 10, 2012 perhaps since sunday school, i had known the book of esther as being the only book in the bible in which the name of god is missing.

The book of esther, though divinely inspired scripture, doesnt mention god by any name or title. The book covers a period of about 12 years, falling somewhere between the events recorded in the sixth and seventh chapters of ezra. Mar 18, 2016 it really doesnt matter why gods name was never mentioned in the book of esther but the fact is, the book of esther is canonized and is part of the inspired word of god, so the book of. Here are some reasons why gods name may not have been referenced in esther. The author is unknown, but it is evident from the details of the record that he was well acquainted with the persian.

For traditional jewish commentators, the absence of gods name did not mean that god was absent from the book. No the book of esther does not mention god overtly. This has led some modern scholars to claim that the book was originally intended as a purely secular history. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. This is the more remarkable, since, in this short book of only 167 verses, the median king is mentioned 192 times, his kingdom is referred to 26 times, and his name 1 ahasuerus is given 29 times. The book of esther is a 20 movie starring jen lilley as queen esther and joel smallbone as king xerxes. After all the bible came together over a period of 1500 years. Life lessons from the book of esther divine champions for. It was written after the death of king xerxes esth. Apr 25, 2018 the book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention god by name. The book of esther is one of two biblical books that never mention god.

God, in fact, is not mentioned, esther is portrayed as assimilated to persian culture, and jewish identity in the book is an ethnic category rather than a religious. The additions to esther consist of six extended passages 107 verses that have no counterpart in the hebrew version. The fate of gods chosen people is at the very center of the story, but god seems to remain in the shadows. The book of esther records the institution of the feast of purim and the obligation of its perpetual observation. There is no mention of prayer nor dependence upon god in this book. Where does god say the book of esther is perfect scripture. Jan 02, 2020 the book of esther may not directly mention god, yet it clearly reveals god at work.

The book was written no earlier than 470 bc and probably no later than 424 bc, during the reign of xerxes son artaxerxes. Can we learn anything about prayer from such a book. The book of esther is one of only two books in the hebrew bible that never mention god the other is the song of songs. So whether god is ever mentioned or not, this book contains a pivotal story in the march toward the coming of jesus. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. Esther the book of esther is one of the most beautiful stories in all literature. The book of esther and gods providence jack wellman. Though we notice no mention of god in the book of esther, there is ample evidence the hand of god at work. We see the victory of god in the deliverance of israel. It is one of the five books called megilloth rolls and is placed beside the pentateuch in. 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. Why does the book of esther contain no mention of gods personal name, jehovah. Without esther s intervention the jews would have been destroyed and the line of the messiah crushed.

Is god mentioned in the jewish bible in the book of esther. Why is esther in the bible when it doesnt mention god. 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. The reason the book of esther was contested is that there is no mention of god in the book. The fate of gods chosen people is at the very center of the story, but god seems to. Vashti and amestris could be the same person see section 1. Sep 14, 2016 though we notice no mention of god in the book of esther, there is ample evidence the hand of god at work. The book of estherno prayers and no mention of god. It has been observed by many that no divine name or title is found in the book of esther. The catholic book is based on the jewish one, but with some changes to support catholicism. But many of the things that happen in the book could not be just luck. French points out that the book of esther famously bears no mention of god.

While this might be a surprising absence from the point of view of religious belief, the actions of the central jewish characters can likewise appear surprising from what one might expect in terms of. Is it really the inspired word of god if it makes no mention of him. Why is god not mentioned in the book of esther answers. Mordecai sent a message to queen esther which said, do not think. Esther, purim and why it all still matters jews for jesus. A robust treatment of esthers defects would surely include the books famed failure to mention the name of god or to recognize divine providence. These questions are answered and more in the article below, shared from the niv starting place study bible. In time, it became clear that jehovah used esthers marriage as a means of protecting his people. Interesting that the question regarding book of esther, and purity of kjv are presented together here. For the religion of the jews, god appears as a character in the national book, the hebrew bible. At face value, it comes across more like a political novella than a movement in the biblical narrative. Why does the book of esther not mention god answers.

The book of esther may not have gods name stated directly, but his involvement is felt in many ways throughout the story, especially when esther implored the people to seek help through fasting. Oct 06, 2010 the catholic book is based on the jewish one, but with some changes to support catholicism. Dec 25, 2011 gods name in the book of esther his kingdom prophecy posted on december 25, 2011 by angus mackillop september 10, 2012 perhaps since sunday school, i had known the book of esther as being the only book in the bible in which the name of god is missing. Aug 15, 2018 it is true that god is not mentioned at all in the book of esther, but then again it is. That it doesnt mention god is one of the interesting points about it, at least in judaism. One of my favorite books in scripture, and this is an eye opening exposition of the story. Nov 05, 2019 esther was in a hostile environment for jews. Gods name in the book of esther by angus mac killop.

John bright mentions the book by name but that is all. It is true that god is not mentioned at all in the book of esther, but then again it is. Critics of all stripes, whether jewish or gentile, whether ancient rabbis or modern scholars, have asked this question throughout history. Haman in the book of esther by andre lacocque center for jewishchristian studies, chicago theological seminary i. Haman in esther novelle the book of esther, it has often been asserted, is the least religious book of the whole bible. In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the book of esther was illustrated by j. Constables notes on esther 7 of israel makes no mention of it, and geo widengren dismisses it in thirteen lines. Curiously, god is not mentioned in this volume of scripture and there is no indication that god was involved in any way in helping esther and mordecai save the jews of persia from the evil machinations of haman, who planned to kill them. Which book in the bible does not mention the word god. Most scholars today agree that the kjv ahasuerus was the xerxes who reigned 486 b. When a statement is made by mordecai who is a symbol of the holy spirit gods name is found as the first letter of the first few words of the scripture. When we read the book of esther, we never read gods name.

Why does the book of esther never mention god by name. Now youve got to be curious enough to read esther and song of solomon. They are numbered as chaps 1116, designated af, and added to the hebrew text at various places. Even though god was never mention in the book of esther, it is clear throughout every word that esther felt his presence and often leaned on that existence for a deeper understanding of her duties. Take, for instance, the time that king ahasuerus could not sleep and his servant just happened to read the records of the. Why doesnt the book of esther directly mention god. Esther is never quoted in the new testament, nor is there even a casual reference to it.

It would harp on her lack of consideration for classic old testament doctrines such as covenant and circumcision and point out that ultimately she would never be quoted in the new testament, either. There are metaphorical references that can be read into it. It doesnt matter because you can see gods divine fingerprints over everything that happens. The drama of esther is unique among the books of the bible. Indeed, there is no direct reference to god at all. God is never mentioned in the book of esther as originally written. The book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not directly mention god, yet after the reader finishes the book, heshe realizes quite clearly that the israelite god had miraculously.

The book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention god by name. When mordecai first tells her she should speak to the king about hamans plot, she is terrified. This question has been a source of controversy for centuries. Contemplating and using the prayerbook, is a return to his work in jewish spirituality. The book of esther was likely written between 460 and 350 b.