Esther 2:16-18 So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.
It was about Dec. 15, 479 B.C. that the virgin Esther was brought to the divorced Emperor. It had been four years since the divorce. Esther was made queen once Xerxes met her. He also took advantage of the ancient pagan holiday holding it in Esther's honor.
Xerxes had just returned from a powerful military campaign against the Greeks, suffering a couple humiliating defeats. As he retreated to his palace, Esther provided a delightful escape to him from the realities of defeat.
Esther had spent a year in being prepared to come before the King. When it became time to stand before him, she was offered as was to any eligible girl any jewelry, makeup and costumes. She refused them all, preferring to appear in plain simple clothing. This simple honesty impressed the Great Xerxes.
Examples of Jewelry from Esther's time from the ruins of a Persian Capital
Unfortunately, this relationship did not last long, for we read that there was a second gathering of virgins after Esther. Xerxes was a polygamist. He would never be satisfied with just one wife. His lustful appetite was never satisfied. This is what made it hard for Esther to approach the King later. She had been sent to the Harem, and was not being called by Xerxes. Leaving the Harem to approach her husband could stir up hatred toward her and hence her execution.
Picture of the unearthed stairway in the Palace where Esther lived with Xerxes.
As the Book of Esther explains, God intervened to revive a love toward Esther, and the King gladly gave her his time and an audience. Esther was able to penetrate the barriers around the king so that policy could be made to protect the Jewish people in the world who were facing sure annihilation. She was also elevated to Queen once again.
The Crown Prince Xerxes standing before Darius with Xerxes' guard behind him.
Sources
Picture of Jewelry & Stairway: Cathe L. Hoerth. Parsons Bible Pictures (Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Electronic Edition STEP Files, Parsons Technology, Inc. 1999).
C.F. Pfeiffer. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary: Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press, 1962. Es 2:16.
R.E. Brown, J. A. Fitzmyer, & R. E. Murphy. The Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1996, c1968. Es 2:16.
