Nngod is not mentioned in the book of esther

Take, for instance, the time that king ahasuerus could not sleep and his servant just happened to read the records of the. This paper will focus on the usefulness of the book of esther showing the reader how god, though he is not mentioned, saved his people from annihilation. The name of god is not mentioned anywhere in the whole book of esther. Interest in the book of esther has been both negative and positive. Gods name, yhwh, meaning he god is in a state of continuous and eternal being, is not mentioned in the esther scroll. This question has been a source of controversy for centuries. When we read the book of esther, we never read gods name. And this is the only book in the entire bible in which the name of god is not mentioned emphasis added. Opposition to the book of esther is not a modern phenomenon. It is known for its ironic narrative and theological subtlety.

Esther is the only book of the hebrew bible not represented among the dead sea scrolls. The most popular traditions are mordecai a major character in the book of esther, ezra and nehemiah who would have been familiar with persian customs. Even though gods name is not mentioned in this book we can look to his word to see how a person can gain favor in the sight of others. 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. The book of esther is a drama about how two jews risked everything to save their people.

Many of the serious messages of purim are encoded in word play and irony, and the book of esthers seemingly absent god is no exception. So, even though gods name is not directly mentioned, esther is involved in a religious observance meant to supplicate gods mercy. Our beautiful lord and god intended for that to be like that in this book. It is clear that the author was a jew, both from his emphasis on the origin of a jewish festival and from the jewish nationalism that permeates the story. God uses mordecai and esther to thwart hamans evil plan target age group. The book of esther is an intriguing work in the old testament canon. We also see inanimate objects symbolizing our redeemer. This is why many presume that the book was written in the second half of the fifth century bc. The author is unknown, but it is evident from the details of the record that he was well acquainted with the persian. Actually, in the book of esther, god is explicitly mentioned in the catholic bible, and in the greek septuagint which was the bible that our blessed lord used. Biblical fiction queen esther hadassah fiction books about and centered around queen esther and her story.

Martin luther was so hostile to the book of esther that he wished it did not exist at all. The most curious thing about the book of esther is that god is never mentioned. God uses mordecai and esther to thwart hamans evil plan. Consider the following occurrences which at face value appear to be inconsequential. The events mentioned in esther therefore happened between ezra chapter 6 and chapter 7.

Indeed, there is no direct reference to god at all. These socalled additions to the book of esther do not appear in the hebrew. The book of esther does not specifically name its author. Without esther s intervention the jews would have been destroyed and the line of the messiah crushed.

H i w ekhol h annashim y ittenu is the first acrostic of the tetragrammaton, yhwh. Where else besides the book of genesis does the bible mention being made it the image of god. The hidden god of esther scroll of esther from the jewish museum near the dohany synagogue in budapest, hungary. The book of esther showed that random circumstance could not just happen.

One striking feature of the hebrew version of the book of esther is that no divine names or titles are employed here. Esther is that no divine names or titles are employed here. The book of esther, though divinely inspired scripture, doesnt mention god by any name or title. While gods name is not mentioned anywhere in the book of esther, esther is not the hero, god is. While god is not directly mentioned in the book of esther, his personal name is found there four times in acrostic form of the tetragrammaton, jhvh or yhwh, jehovah or yahweh. No mention is made of it in the masoretic text of esther, but in the septuagint at the end of chapter eight we read, and many of the gentiles were circumcised and. The book and the festival of purim, or lots, whose origins are described in the book of esther, continue as an important element in jewish liturgy. God via the persian cyrus had brought a remnant of his people back to their homeland, but not. Unlike the many other books in the bible, throughout whole book of esther, the word god is not mentioned once. It is the only book in the bible where god is hidden like this, but he is there. Why isnt god mentioned at all in the book of esther.

Gods name in the book of esther by angus mac killop. The book of esther and martin luther baptist christian. But many of the things that happened in the book could not be just luck. For the curious thing about the book of esther is that, although it has all the hallmarks of a romance, with its string of coincidences, its artfully told narrative, and its engaging characterisations, it can at no point be unequivocally faulted on historical grounds which cannot, incidentally, be said in the least of the greek book of esther. The story is well known to the jews, and their children love the festival of purim. Author and date although we do not know who wrote the book of esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author and the date of composition. The book was known to ahasuerus and his court, so it had to look like the king saved the jews from haman, and not god. For example, the incident when king ahasuerus could not sleep, and his servant just happened to read the records of the time that mordecai had saved the kings life esther 6. Finally, the book of esther may not mention god because the emphasis is on gods providence. For traditional jewish commentators, the absence of god s name did not mean that god was absent from the book.

So, although god is not personally mentioned there is no reason to say that god is not alluded to in the book of esther. It was written after the death of king xerxes esth. Why doesnt the book of esther directly mention god. Esther is the kind of story you could make into a movie again and again and again. The main people in the book also are symbols for god, god s messiah, israel and the adversary, aka hasatan. It is only in the jewish edition of the hebrew scriptures from centuries after chris. Not long ago, the jews were taken from their land to live as captives in babylon for 70 years. Shushan, the scene of the events recorded in the book of esther were excavated by french. When god does something completely out of the ordinary, the bible credits him for it. God is not mentioned in the book of esther probably for political reasons. He is hinted at when mordecai talks of providence and also when esther fasts, but there is no explicit acknowledgment. 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. Following luthers lead, 19th century german scholarship continued an strongly antijewish assault on both the old and new testaments, attacking the authorship, date.

If you want the book of esther to light up, this is the way in for you. All through the book of esther, we see god working behind the scenes to save the jewish nation. The factor of providence is prominent in the book of esther. The book of esther is a romantic and patriotic tale, perhaps with some historical basis but with so little religious purpose that god, in fact, is not mentioned in it. So whether god is ever mentioned or not, this book contains a pivotal story in the march toward the coming of jesus. 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 word prayer is mentioned frequently in the book of esther. The book tells of a jewish girl, esther, who became the queen of persia. Though gods name does not appear in the entire book of esther, his providence is manifest all through the chapters of this amazing story.

How can a book which fails to mention not only the name of god, but also prayer, worship, the coming messiah, heaven, hell or faith, be included in the canon of the old testament. But esther is a story of human action, and song of solomon focuses on human love. The story is set in susa, the capital of the persian empire. Although it is true that the word god is not mentioned in esther, we clearly see the omnipotent hand of god at work throughout all 10 chapters. Most books of the old testament mention prophets, who speak on gods behalf. The secular character of the book of esther the divine name is never mentioned and its. Is it really the inspired word of god if it makes no mention of him. The name of god is not mentioned in the entire book, an omission that has caused debate about its place in holy scripture. The books of esther and song of songs are the only books in the hebrew bible that do not mention god. Interestingly enough, in the new testament no allusions to esther exist gordis 361. There are two books in the bible that dont belong there, one of them is the book of esther.

Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Why did god judge nineveh so harshly in the book of nahum. If youre not familiar with the story of esther, you can get the big picture here. I think the primary reason esther is there is to show the hand of god in preserving the line of his messiah. Why did god judge edom so harshly in the book of obadiah. This fact has caused some to question its place in the biblical canon, but, in reality, the absence of gods name fits. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. I disagree with texe that the book of esther is fiction. Messianic symbols, message in the book of esther hallel. Martin luther was not the only person to doubt or reject the book of esther as holy scripture, although he may have been the first to ignite massconfusion surrounding the book. Most scholars today agree that the kjv ahasuerus was the xerxes who reigned 486 b. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is. Scholars have suggested that this may also be the reason that there is no copy or even mention of the book of esther among the dead sea scrolls and why the qumran community does not appear to have celebrated the festival of purim established in esther. A favoured representative of the chosen people read the whole book of esther many of the scarlet threads we find in scripture are represented by men.

Take, for instance, the time that king ahasuerus could not sleep, and his servant just happened to read the records of the time that mordecai saved the kings life esther 6. This book focuses on two jews in susa, the capital of the persian empire. Even though the name of god is not mentioned in it, no book of the bible teaches his providence more forcefully. For traditional jewish commentators, the absence of gods name did not mean that god was absent from the book. Yet actually, god is mentioned throughout the account. Apologetics press why is the book of esther in the bible. Many wonder why the book of esther is in the bible, because the name of god is not mentioned in it. Even though the name of god is technically not mentioned in esther, the holy spirit is seen weaving redemptive history thorough its pages esth. God is not mentioned in the song of songs because the book is an allegory of the love between god and the jewish people. The jerusalem talmud megilla 7a says that the prophets section of the hebrew canon and the writings section may come to an end, but not the torah and esther.

Some have even questioned the book s place in the bible because of it. However, at several points in the narrative, the author alludes to gods hand in the events. The greatest truth that leapt out from the esther story for me was surely that of gods providence. Van gorder esther the book of esther is one of the most beautiful stories in all literature. Why in megillat esther is the name of god not mentioned even once, considering that it was the hand of god that altered a near catastrophe for the jewish people living in persia. Today, though we can not physically see god or any miracles,we see the results of his hand stretched out in providence. Not only does it not mention god once, it never mentions prayer to god or thanksgiving for deliverance. But many of the things that happen in the book could not be just luck. Why is the name of god not mentioned in megillat esther. God declared that he would live with his people in israel. Esther helps us see god behind the scenes logostalk. This has led some modern scholars to claim that the book was originally intended as a purely secular history. Some of the smallest details mentioned in the book turn out to be indispensable links in the chain of events. Without esthers intervention the jews would have been destroyed and the line of the messiah crushed.

This would not be unusual in a book whose subject matter or outlook was more secular, but esther is a book in which the religious element is prominent. And in fact, the whole story of esther is a bit like a game of hide and seek first of all, you may have noticed that god himself is hiding in the book of esther he is not mentioned at all. The book of esther takes places between the ministries of ezra and nehemiah. Its so amazing to me that the name of god is never mentioned in the book of esther, but we can see him all in it and the plan of salvation. Book of esther, in the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. The biblical book of esther presents a powerful exhibition of gods providence. One distinguishing characteristic is that its the only biblical book that does not mention god by name. The centrality of the concept of hester panim or the concealed face of god to purim is recognized in the fact thatesther is the only text in the hebrew bible, except for the song of songs,that does not mention the name of god explicitly. Esther, a girl who becomes queen, and her relative mordecai, a member of king ahaseurus guard. There is absolutely no reason to doubt the authenticity of esther.