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EshtaolInsight on the Scriptures, Volume 1
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ESHTAOL
(Eshʹta·ol) [possibly, Place of Making Inquiry [of God]].
A city in the Shephelah, assigned to Judah. (Jos 15:20, 33) It was later listed as a town on Dan’s border. (Jos 19:40, 41) Judge Samson was first impelled by Jehovah’s spirit in this vicinity, and upon his death he was buried there. (Jg 13:25; 16:31) The 5 Danites spying out Laish and the 600 who subsequently captured it departed from Eshtaol and Zorah.—Jg 18:1, 2, 7, 11, 27.
Scholars generally identify Eshtaol with the partially occupied present-day site of Eshwaʽ (Eshtaʼol). It stands on a platform of rock about 21 km (13 mi) W of Jerusalem.
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EshtaolitesInsight on the Scriptures, Volume 1
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ESHTAOLITES
(Eshʹta·ol·ites) [Of (Belonging to) Eshtaol].
The Judean inhabitants of Eshtaol who sprang from Shobal through the families of Kiriath-jearim.—1Ch 2:53.
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EshtemoaInsight on the Scriptures, Volume 1
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ESHTEMOA
(Esh·te·moʹa), Eshtemoh (Eshʹte·moh) [possibly, Place of Listening [that is, for God’s word]].
1. Son of Ishbah or, possibly, a Judean town many of whose inhabitants descended from Ishbah.—1Ch 4:17.
2. A Maacathite and descendant of Hodiah.—1Ch 4:19.
3. A town in the mountainous region of Judah, also called Eshtemoh. Though originally assigned to Judah, it was thereafter allotted, along with its pasture grounds, to the Levites. (Jos 15:50; 21:14; 1Ch 6:57) It corresponds to the modern village of es Samuʽ (Eshtemoaʽ), situated about 15 km (9 mi) SSW of Hebron. Perhaps the same as No. 1.
Eshtemoa was one of the places frequented by David as a fugitive, and after his victory over the marauding Amalekites, he sent a gift from the spoils to friends there.—1Sa 30:26-28.
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EsliInsight on the Scriptures, Volume 1
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ESLI
(Esʹli).
A postexilic ancestor of Christ; the son of Naggai and the father of Nahum.—Lu 3:25.
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EstherInsight on the Scriptures, Volume 1
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ESTHER
(Esʹther).
A Jewish orphan girl of the tribe of Benjamin whose Hebrew name was Hadassah (meaning “Myrtle”); a descendant from among those deported from Jerusalem along with King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) in 617 B.C.E. (Es 2:5-7) She was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai. (Es 2:15) Her guardian was her older cousin Mordecai, one of “the king’s servants that were in the king’s gate” of the palace at Shushan during the reign of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I, in the fifth century B.C.E.). (Es 2:7; 3:2) After Ahasuerus had deposed his queen Vashti for disobedience, he commanded the gathering of all the beautiful virgins for a period of special massage and beauty care, so that the king might select one to replace Vashti as queen. Esther was among those taken to the king’s house and entrusted to the care of Hegai the guardian of the women. At Mordecai’s direction, she kept secret the fact that she was a Jewess. (Es 2:8, 10) Esther was selected as queen in the seventh year of Ahasuerus’ reign. (Es 2:16, 17) All along, she kept in touch with Mordecai, following his counsel. She spoke in Mordecai’s name to the king when Mordecai uncovered a plot against the king.—Es 2:20, 22.
In the 12th year of Ahasuerus, Haman the Agagite, who was prime minister, planned the annihilation of all the Jews in the 127 jurisdictional districts in the empire. He received authorization from the king to issue a decree to carry this out. (Es 3:7-13) Acting on the information and advice of Mordecai, Esther revealed to the king the wicked intent of Haman’s plot. Haman’s reaction added to the king’s rage, and Haman was hanged. (Es 4:7–7:10) The king, at Esther’s request, issued a second decree authorizing the Jews to fight for their lives on the day set for their slaughter. (Es 8:3-14) Because of the king’s edict and for fear of Mordecai, who replaced Haman as prime minister, the governors and officials of the empire helped the Jews to gain a complete victory over their enemies. (Es 9) Mordecai’s instructions, confirmed by Esther, commanded the Jews to celebrate the Festival of Purim annually, a custom kept down to this day.—Es 9:20, 21, 29.
While the book of Esther does not mention the name of God, it is evident from the actions of Mordecai and Esther that they were both faithful servants of the true God Jehovah. Esther displayed the qualities of one trusting in God’s law. She was “pretty in form and beautiful in appearance” (Es 2:7), but more important is the fact that she manifested the adornment of “the secret person of the heart in the incorruptible apparel of the quiet and mild spirit.” (1Pe 3:4) Thus she gained favor before Hegai, the guardian of the women, as well as before the king himself. She did not count showy adornment the important thing and, accordingly, “did not request anything except what Hegai . . . proceeded to mention.” (Es 2:15) She showed great tact and self-control. She was submissive to her husband Ahasuerus, approaching him in a tactful and respectful way when her life and the lives of her people were in danger. She kept silent when it was wise to do so but spoke boldly and fearlessly when it was necessary and at the right time. (Es 2:10; 7:3-6) She accepted counsel from her mature cousin Mordecai, even when following it endangered her life. (Es 4:12-16) Her love and loyalty toward her people the Jews, who were also God’s covenant people, were demonstrated when she acted in their behalf.—See MORDECAI No. 2.
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Esther, Book ofInsight on the Scriptures, Volume 1
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ESTHER, BOOK OF
A book of the Hebrew Scriptures, the title of which is taken from the name of its principal character, although some copies of the Latin Vulgate call it “Ahasuerus” after the Persian king who figures prominently in the account. The Jews call it Meghil·lathʹ ʼEs·terʹ or simply the Meghil·lahʹ, meaning “roll; scroll,” because for them it constitutes in itself a very highly regarded roll.
The Book’s Writer. The Scriptures do not say who wrote the book of Esther. Some scholars credit the book to Ezra, but the weight of evidence points to Mordecai. Mordecai was in position to know all the minute facts that are related in the narrative about the personal concerns of himself and Esther, the doings of the members of Haman’s family, and particularly what went on in Shushan the castle. After his promotion to the prime ministership of the Persian government he would have access to the official documents mentioned in the account, and just as Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah held official positions in the government of Persia during other periods and wrote Bible books describing the relation of the Jews to that world power, so Mordecai, with Jehovah’s blessing, was the most likely one to write the book of Esther.
Historical Circumstances. The account sets the time for its events during the reign of the Ahasuerus who ruled while the Persian Empire extended from India to Ethiopia and included
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