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Esther 1 Bible study: The queen who wouldn't come
The king shows off "the honor of his excellent majesty" (1:4), and Memucan says the decree will make "all the wives" give "their husbands honor" (1:20): in Hebrew the same word. Vashti "refused to come" (1:12), and the sentence is that she "may never again come" (1:19). The text never says why she refused.
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“But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by the eunuchs. Therefore the king was very angry, and his anger burned in him.”
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“The words describing how the king's letters went out in Esther 1:22 come back for Haman's letters in Esther 3.”
Is that in Esther 1, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Everything on show
The book opens, "Now in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even to Ethiopia, over one hundred twenty-seven provinces)" (1:1), "when the King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Susa the palace" (1:2). The first thing he does is give a feast: "he made a feast for all his princes and his servants" (1:3) (tap feast). Then "He displayed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even one hundred eighty days" (1:4) (tap honor). Then a second feast, "a seven day feast for all the people who were present in Susa the palace, both great and small" (1:5). The chapter lingers on the hangings, the couches and the pavement (1:6), and on "royal wine in abundance, according to the bounty of the king" (1:7). One line is easy to pass over: "In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had instructed all the officials of his house, that they should do according to every man’s pleasure" (1:8) (tap law). The first time Esther speaks of law, it is about the drinking.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Esther 1
That was a taste
The rest of Esther 1 is waiting in Favor
- A queen who refused
- One refusal, a law for the whole kingdom
- Words that come back
- "The laws of the Persians and the Medes"
- Glory on show, and glory given
- 8 questions as you read
- 10 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Esther 1 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
מִשְׁתֶּהmishtehsay mish-TEH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "feast" and "drink". Strong's gives it as "from 8354", the verb Brown-Driver-Briggs gives as "drink". Chapter 1 has three feasts: the king's "feast for all his princes and his servants" (1:3), his "seven day feast for all the people who were present in Susa the palace" (1:5), and the queen's: "Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women" (1:9). The word comes 20 times in the Hebrew of Esther, of its 46 in the Hebrew Bible. Esther's own banquets for the king and Haman (Esther 5:4, 7:2) are this word too, where the WEB has banquet, and its last use in Esther is "days of feasting and gladness" (Esther 9:22).
For your group
Esther 1 Bible study questions
- 1The king displayed "the riches of his glorious kingdom" for "one hundred eighty days" (1:4). What do you find yourself putting on show, and what are you hoping it will get you?
- 2When Vashti refused, the king asked what to do "according to law" (1:15), and one refusal became a letter to every province (1:22). When someone tells you no, how do you tend to respond?
- 3The chapter never says why Vashti refused (1:12). When you don't know why someone did something, what do you tend to assume, and what could you do to find out instead?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Esther 1 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home