Esther and the King
When king Xerxes (Ahasuerus) of Persia dismissed his wife Queen Vashti. He desired to look for a new queen. So, he appointed officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to the city of Shushan. And he ordered that the virgins be sent to the women’s quarters, under the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch or custodian of the women.
The king also ordered that they receive preparations before they appear before him. And it will be that after the preparation that the young woman that finds favor in his eye will be the one chosen to replace Queen Vashti (Es. 2:1-4). The beautiful virgins went through one year of preparation under the eunuch Hegai. At the end of that year, each virgin would spend a night with the king then move to the house of concubines under the eunuch Shaashgaz (Es. 2:13-14).
So, Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace. And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. And the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king (Es. 2: 16-18).
Some wonder did Esther have an intimate relationship with the king before she got married to him?
Chapter two of the book of Esther implies that she was intimate with the king and this was perfectly acceptable to the Jewish faith since she was already part of the king’s Harem. Any girl that entered the Harem would NEVER be for any other man. And even if she was not selected as a queen, she will continue to be part of the king’s Harem till the end of her life.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
