Welcome! This is a dedication site to the historical Queen Esther of ancient Susa, Persia. Some photos/graphics representing Queen Esther are courtesy of Gener8xion website and the One Night With the King film-maker MySpace site.
Other Info:
Gener8xion website & "One Night With the King" movie:
www.8x.com
My original name is Hadassah, or Hadasseh, but I am better known as Queen Esther.
Hadassah is my Jewish name that means "flowering myrtle". Myrtle is a type of the redeemed who have sought the LORD and have been abundantly pardoned. see Isaiah 55:6-7
Esther is my Persian name, "astar" which means star. The beautiful flower of the myrtle tree is also star-shaped. There is also a dual meaning of my name, in Hebrew "satar" means to hide or conceal. The "Book of Esther" is full of hidden meanings and concealments.
flowering myrtle in Israel
This is the lineage of my ancestors:
My family comes from the tribe of Benjamin. My father's name is Abihail, which means "father of might", or "father of strength". I was orphaned at a young age. His cousin, Mordecai, raised me as his own daughter. His name shows that he is a man of refinement and nobility, and derives from two Hebrew words; "mor" means myrrh, and "decai" means pure. Mordecai literally means "pure myrrh", indicating that he descended from a royal lineage of kings, and he is born of the noble blood of princes; the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, who is the father of King Saul. see Mordecai
I live in the city of Susa, ancient Persia. It is considered to be one of the oldest cities in the world, with people living in the acropolis since 5000 B.C. This was one of King Darius the Great's favorite residences. Later it was the palace his son, King Xerxes.
a recreation of the great apadana of King Xerxes palace in Susa
It was in the third year of reign of King Ahasuerus that he held a magnificent banquet in the capital of Susa. Ahasuerus is a Hebrew title for the king meaning "ruler of heroes". This is transliterated to the word Achashverosh, and he is called King Xerxes by the Greeks. see Ahasuerus
The king's banquet was extravagant. He displayed the glorious wealth of his kingdom, and the splendorous beauty of his majesty for 180 days. Then he gave a great feast in his palace garden for 7 days for the entire city of Susa.
The drinks were filled in various golden vessels with his royal wine. The palace was full of beautiful hangings of white, green and blue, held by cords of linen and purple wool to silver rods, and to the marble pillars.
The divans were of gold and silver, and the floors were made of black marble and alabaster, with other precious stones of colors of red, blue and white.
