Who was ahasuerus in the book of esther

He ruled over a vast empire that extended from india to ethiopia. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a part of his harem. The other king who some historians believe to be the ahasuerus of the book of esther is the persian king xerxes. The ahasuerus of the book of esther is believed to be xerxes i, the son of the persian king darius the great darius hystaspis. Esther 3 after these things king ahasuerus promoted. Nehemiahs major position within his court and his queen influencing him to order the resumption of the building of the jerusalem temple nehemiah 2.

During this time the enemies of israel hired counselors to bring false accusations to the ears of the different persian kings. The book purports to explain how the feast of purim came to be celebrated by the jews. Although gods name is nowhere mentioned in this book, his providential hand is clearly visible, ruling and overruling in. In chapter 1 he gives a great banquet for his nobles and, after several days of eating and drinking, orders that the queen vashti appear at the banquet so the men there might see her great beauty. The jews of the persian empire were threatened with destruction due to the machinations of haman, the chief minister to ahasuerus. Although gods name is nowhere mentioned in this book, his providential hand is clearly. King ahasuerus agrees to help commit a genocide simply because his wicked counselor suggests doing so. How to pronounce say ahasuerus by bible speak pronunciation. He does not act much like a king, let alone a king known to rule the largest empire ever per population percentage of the day.

Esther is described in the book of esther as a jewish queen of the persian king ahasuerus. The kings chief adviser, haman, is offended by esthers cousin and guardian, mordecai, and gets permission from the king to have all the jews in the kingdom killed. The jews called him ahasuerus, the hebrew form of his persian name. In the narrative, ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, vashti, refuses to obey him, and esther is chosen for her beauty. His powerful empire spread from india to ethiopia esth. May 25, 2011 esther was a jewish woman who was selected by the persian king ahasuerus to be his wife.

Esther hadassah esther is the heroine, the main character. Is xerxes the same person as ahasuerus in the book of esther. The book of esther confirms that darius i is the most likely candidate for esthers king in another way as well. Esther 3 after these things king ahasuerus promoted haman. He allows the officials in his court to make all the decisions, including the dismissal of. Esther 1 international standard version isv the wealth of king ahasuerus. The wealth of king ahasuerus this is a record of what happened during the reign of ahasuerus, the ahasuerus who ruled over 127 provinces from india to cush. At that time king ahasuerus was ruling from susa the capital. The only kings after xerxes ruling from india to ethiopia as mentioned in the book of esther are artaxerxes i and iii. This rules out xerxes as the king ahasuerus of the book of esther. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. As a result, she was banned from the presence of the king and the search for a new. The key personalities are esther, mordecai, king ahasuerus or xerxes, and haman. Esther 110 new king james version nkjv the king dethrones queen vashti.

The massacre had been plotted by the kings chief minister, haman, and the date decided by casting lots purim. Ahasuerus is a name that appears in the bible in association with at least three different persian kings. All we have is the notice that the king loved esther more than all the other women esth 2. The story megillat esther does not tell you how the rabbis came to imagine ahasuerus as a usurper who halted the rebuilding of the temple and his wife vashti as a wicked and grotesque babylonian princess, who lived as a libertine and persecuted jews. The ahasuerus king of persia, referred to in ezra 4. The ahasuerus in the book of esther is probably xerxes i 1. Esther was a jewish woman who was selected by the persian king ahasuerus to be his wife. The story of esther, mordecai, haman and king ahasuerus, is a drama which exhibits the divine supervision of the people of israel. God already had a wife picked out for this heathen king. Ahasuerus is given as the name of a king, the husband of esther, in the book of esther.

The greek book of esther, included in the septuagint, is a retelling of the events of the hebrew book of esther rather than a translation and records additional traditions which do not appear in the traditional hebrew version, in particular the identification of ahasuerus with artaxerxes and details of various letters. Ahasuerus, the persian king of the book of esther, being identified by the rabbis with the one mentioned in dan. This was in all probability the xerxes of profane history, who succeeded his father darius b. Thus, ahasuerus and xerxes are the same individual by different names. Secular history knows him better by his greek name, king xerxes i who ruled persia from 486 to 465 b. The name of the father of darius the mede 2 is also given as ahasuerus. However, if you ever see arguments for artaxerxes as the king during the time of estherdont believe it. Although gods name is nowhere mentioned in this book, his providential hand is clearly visible, ruling and overruling in the affairs of men. The book of esther portrays ahasuerus as easily manipulated by women. Esther 110 nkjv the king dethrones queen vashti now.

Now in shushan the palace there was a certain jew, whose name was mordechai who had been carried away from jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with jeconiah king of judah, whom nebuchadnezzar the king of babylon had carried away esther 2. Ahasuerusit is now generally agreed among learned men that the ahasuerus mentioned in this episode is the xerxes who figures in grecian history. Achashverosh, as his name transliterates from hebrew, was also mentioned in the books of ezra, daniel and tobit. He invaded greece with an army, it is said, of more than 2,000,000 soldiers, only 5,000 of whom returned with him. Queen esther uses her influence with the king to thwart the plot, however, and and the jews were instead given royal sanction to attack their enemies. They are listed, at least as it seems, in chronological dating order. Five things about esther that nobody talks about jews. Five things about esther that nobody talks about jews for jesus. Esther, the beautiful jewish wife of the persian king ahasuerus xerxes i, and her cousin mordecai persuade the king to retract. Ahasuerus xerxes i is shown as ruling over 127 jurisdictional districts, from india to ethiopia. Ahasuerus definition, a king of ancient persia, known to the greeks as xerxes.

He is believed by 19th century commentators to be xerxes i of persia. Jan 26, 2018 xerxes is more common in nonbiblical literature, but ahasuerus is the preferred hebrew rendering cf. So ahasuerus rises up in wrath and has haman executed. He doesnt seem to give it too much thought, but later. In the biblical book of esther, vashti is the wife of king ahasuerus, the ruler of persia. This ahasuerus is probably xerxes of history, esther 1. But esther doesnt, apparently, tell ahasuerus anything he didnt already know other than revealing that she herself is a. The story told in the book of esther takes place during the rule of ahasuerus, who amongst others has been identified as the 5thcentury persian king xerxes i reigned 486465 bc. In the book of esther, why is king ahasuerus so in love with esther. The man of the house was none other than the king of the greatest empire in the world of his day. Perhaps this is why the biblical text actually gives no clear reason for the kings love for esther. In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his officials and ministers, and the military leaders of persia and media, the nobles, and the provincial officials. But esther doesnt, apparently, tell ahasuerus anything he didnt already know other than revealing that she herself is a jew, which is obviously an important piece of information.

Esther, the beautiful jewish wife of the persian king ahasuerus, and her cousin mordecai persuade the king to retract an order for the general annihilation of jews throughout the empire. Mar 30, 2008 god is accomplishing his purposes not in spite of ahasuerus but rather he is using ahasuerus to serve his own great purpose, that is, to protect the nation of israel. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes. If the author had any knowledge of persian history, he could not have referred to xerxes ii, because xerxes ii. She tells ahasuerus that haman is wicked and that he ahasuerus should save the jews. The book of esther describes the jewish heroine esther, who saved the jewish people in persia from annihilation during the reign of king xerxes i ahasuerus of persia, who ruled from 486 to 465 bc. Esther in the picture study bible the book of esther with. He had banished his former wife and chose esther through a contest. It further tells us that this was the persian king who laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea. But it is also a wonderful story of courage and faith. The book of esther described part of the jewish diaspora that stayed behind in persia and did not return to jerusalem during the restoration. He ruled over the kingdoms of persia, media, and babylonia, from india to ethiopia. The book of esther says mordechai was exiled from judah with king jeconiah.

King ahasuerus, the son of darius hystaspes, the husband of queen esther and recorded in the book of esther. The author also displays an accurate knowledge of persian customs and palaces. In the narrative, ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, vashti. The story of esther, mordecai, haman and king ahasuerus, is a drama which. In esther 910 it tells us that the ahasuerus of esther still had 127 provinces in his th year of reign. Mar 18, 2020 linguists believe that the name transcribed from hebrew as ahasuerus is intended to refer to the persian king xerxes i 486 465 bce. He is said to have ruled from india even unto ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces that is, over the achaemenid empire.

Linguists believe that the name transcribed from hebrew as ahasuerus is intended to refer to the persian king xerxes i 486 465 bce. That in the book of tobit may be cyaxares i, destroyer of nineveh. Esther and mordecai under xerxes of persia amazing bible. Apr 18, 2020 ahasuerus appears most prominently in the book of esther, and the intrigues of the kings court provide the biblical origin of the festival of purim. The son of darius hystaspes, the king named in the book of esther. The book of esther is also rich in types and patterns which expound for us, the purpose of god in redeeming mankind from the power of sin.

Esther in the picture study bible the book of esther. Ironically, despite being the namesake of the book, esthers a. So too, greek historians depict xerxes as a shameless skirtchaser, adding that women heavily influenced all the weighty decisions taken by the men of his day. The story of esther takes place in the persian empire during the reign of ahasuerus, known more familiarly to us by the greek form of his name, xerxes i. King ahasuerus is identified as the persian king xerxes i, who was born in 519 bce and became king in 486 bce, at the age of 33. Thats obvious, given that the book is named after her though she gets about the same amount of stage time as some of the other major characters like ahasuerus, haman, and mordecai. But to push esther out of the limelight is to underestimate the power of the story. The city of shushan was his capital during major portions of his rule. Ahasuerus appears most prominently in the book of esther, and the intrigues of the kings court provide the biblical origin of the festival of purim. For such a time as this the story of ahasuerus and esther. King ahasuerus, the son of darius hystaspes, the husband of queen esther and recorded in the book. King ahasuerus threw a grand party but his wife, queen vashti, refused to attend. Xerxes is more common in nonbiblical literature, but ahasuerus is the preferred hebrew rendering cf.

Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible. It further tells us that this was the persian king who laid. King ahasuerus xerxes plays a prominent role in the book of esther. Esther bible story summary what christians want to know. Ahasuerus was the king of persia who according to the book of esther ruled from india to ethiopia. He was the son of darius the great and reigned from 486465 b. The book of esther portrays ahasuerus as a manipulable coward.

The genre of the book of esther is narrative history. Different bible translations may use xerxes or ahasuerus, but they technically refer to the same individual, and are likely different throne names. Here is the story of esther through a summary of each of the 10 chapters. As a supposed descendant of the destroyer nebuchadnezzar ii of the first temple. He divorced his queen vashti for refusing to appear in. But our sovereign god was going to give ahasuerus a great deal more than good looks, whether he wanted it or not. What is not always clear, is how wicked men, especially wicked rulers are used by god to fulfill his plan. Instead, we often pit good versus evil mordecai versus haman and treat esther like the cute jewish cheerleader on the sidelines. In fact, god is not directly mentioned by name in the book of esther. Ahasuerus is given as the name of the king of persia in the book of esther. The army of persia and media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him. Esther 1 isv the wealth of king ahasuerus bible gateway. The book of esther is a romantic and patriotic tale, perhaps with some historical basis but with so little religious purpose the book purports to explain how the feast of purim came to be celebrated by the jews.