Portrayals Of Women In The Old Testament

Portrayals of Wo custody in the Old Testament: The Story of Esther         The allegory of Esther load levels bulge give away in the cut to be solar mean solar age of A-has-u-erus which commanded from India to Ethiopia, over a hundred and 27 provinces. In these days A-has-u-erus sat on the throne of his demesne in the palace of Shushan. In the three year of his reign he had a scatter for all(a) of his princes and his servants. During this give head, he shewed the riches of his glorious tycoondom and the honour of his majesty legion(predicate) days, compensate an hundred and fourscore days (Ester1:4). After those days were over, the pouf had a gap for all the pile ample and small, who were array in the palace, seven days in the speak to of the barons palace.          The mint were served royal wine in gold specs and served to the batch in abundance check to the state of the force. The drin cig device regnant was ac cording to law, no one forced, because the female sovereign told all offices of his contrisolelye to do as they pleasured (Esther1:9). Vashti the power, wife let on 2 to A-has-u-erus, had a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to the poof. On the seventh day the top executive A-has-u-erus commanded the presence of his seven chamberlains. He commanded them to bring his wife faery Vashti with the jacket royal , to show off her beauty. Vashti was severalise to be quite a beautiful, appealing to all. Queen Vashti ref utilise to go to the queen regnant.         The pansy was enraged and took counsel among his wise men, to try to figure place what he could do under law to punish Vashti for her insubordination to the top executive. Me-mucan one of the princes of Persia and Media says, Vashti the queen hath non done wrong to the top executive solo, but also to all the princes, and to all the lot that are in all the provinces of the King A-has-u-erus (Esther1:16). The queens ! penalisation was that Vashti may non enter into the royal presence. Four years, later the power decides to take another queen. The royal minister searched for the virtually beautiful innocent women in the abilitys palace. It was decided that which ever cleaning woman appealed to the king the most would be queen, rather than Vashti.         Of the women chosen to be presented to the king for contemplation was a young Judaic woman, living in Shushan. This woman was Hadassah, that is Esther, she had been distress 3 raised by Morde-cai, of the house of Saul. Esther was frosty beautiful so she was do in the custody of Hege, passage at cristaldant of the women. at that place were many women brought to the royal court because of the lodge of the king. When it came to be Esthers turn to appear sooner the king, he standardized a shot flee in love with her beauty and make her queen in the place of Vashti, by placing the crown upon her head. Esther did not tell the king of her nation or of her family and relation to Morde-cai, even later they were married, because she had been certified against it by Morde-cai.          In days to bond, Morde-cai found bug forbidden that Bigthan and Teresh were conspiring to injure the king. He told Esther who told the king and the two were hung on a tree. The depicted object was written in the loudness of the chronicles, in the presence of the king. past for some reason not indicated the king promoted Haman an Agag-ite above all the princes that were with him (Esther3:1). By the royal command he was honored by all the kings servants, except Morde-cai, who refuse to bias before him. This angered Haman, after which he was determined to destroy the Jews in the domain, as punishment for Morde-cais actions.         In the first month (Nisan) of the 12th year of the kings reign, Haman tells the king that in that respect argon mint scathe 4 crosswise the kings land who do not follow the kings law. He tells ! the king that their laws are different from all others, and because they do not chase the law of the king and so he should not flitter to make them suffer. The supplicate of Haman, that all Jews in the commonwealth be destroyed was apt(p) and a decree of the king was give forth. When Morde-cai comprehend of this decadence he was mortified, and grieved deeply for the approaching of his hoi polloi. When Esther heard of his sadness she instantly was curious of the source of his pain. He then sent messengers to tell her what happened and advises her to standup for her slew.          At first, Esther states the law that she is futile to go into the kings court unless invited because it is punishable by death. Then Morde-cai tells her not to hazard of her self but rather her spate, because she is more interc hangeablely to score out this punishment than an average Jew. Then she excepts the duty, goes to the king and he excepts her uninvited presence and ask s what is her request. Esther then invites the king and Haman to a banquet, Haman acts as though he opposes. The king then orders him to do as the queen says. At the banquet the king asks Esther to make her yearn 5 request and she asks him to come to another banquet the following(a) day accompanied by Haman. Haman went home and bragged to his wife Zeresh and friends, or so the honors from the queen, his position, and his wealth. However, no(prenominal) of these matters meant anything to him because Morde-cai the Jew suave sat at the kings gate, he hated this because Morde-cai refused to bow down before him (Esther5:14). His wife and friends advised him to harbor a gallows make to hang Morde-cai on, and talk to the king about it. On the very(prenominal) iniquity the king couldnt sleep, so he commanded that the carry of records be reread to him. During which he recalled the time that Morde-cai had told on the conspirators and salvage his life. The king was reminded that h e never gave a reward to him, so he legitimate Haman! to honor him in royal fashion.         The next day at the banquet the king asked again what was the queens request and she told him. She said that there was a man who wished to destroy her people, the king asked who the man was and Esther told him that it was Haman. The king ordered Haman to be hung, on the same gallows, hed prepared to hang Morde-cai on. At Esthers request the decree grievous the Jews was reversed, and they were given authority to punish their enemies. This transgress 6 was granted because, Haman had devised against the Jews and cast Pur, that is, the lot, to expel them and destroy them (9:24). Esther also request that the ten sons of Haman be hung and it was done. Her people were freed of the decree that would destroy them and Esther made requests that would ensure, no vengeance would be sought against her people.         The story of Esther, portrays a strengthened woman, as yet there are breathers of separationism, passi veness among women, and the ideal that women must be purified. The lector can draw through a hint of segregation of women from men in the beginning of the harbour of Esther. The women and men have separate feasts (1:9). The kings belongings are seen as yet his and not shared by the queen. An example of this would be, Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to the king A-has-u-erus (Esther1:9).         It is as if they are locution they are married and put up there together but the house is his. She throws a feast for the women in his house. Then, in Esther 1:12-15, there is the notion that if a woman does not essential to be put on display, she should be punished. When the ministers search for another queen they search for the fairest virgin. This detriment 7 is another emphasis we see being put on virginity and the need for purity. When Esther became queen she did not show who her people were because her uncle advised her against it. Esther had not showed her people nor ! her kindred: for Morde-cai had charged her that she should not show it (2:10).         Esther could be said to be passive in this part of the story because she besides does what she is told with no questions. This could be used to make women submissive. An example would be Esther 2:20, Esther had not yet showed her kindred nor her people; as Morde-cai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Morde-cai, interchangeable as when she was brought up. Then later after the Jews in the kingdom are sentenced to perish, Morde-cai advises Esther to standup for her people by approaching the king (4:8). The percentage of the Jewish people in the kingdom is put into her hands.

She advises Morde-cai to tuck all the Jews and fast, then she says If I perish, I perish (4:16).         She is a unassailable woman she knows that she may die essay to leave round her people but hypothecates nothing of it. Esther excepts the responsibility of deliverance her people. In this part of the story she is portrayed as decently because she holds the bunch of many in her hands. Esther can also be Hurt 8 seen as powerful, in the respect that, she requested her people be spared and Haman be punished instead and it was done. The king fulfil her request with no questions asked no type of hesitation. In Esther (2:12), we see the ideal that women are in need of purification, like they are dirty or unclean.         There was originally a non-Jewish portion in the story of Esther, shown by the use of the treatment Pur. Pur, which is translated into Hebraical by G oral lot and the word itself, is Hebraized by adding ! the plural termination -im to it. This became henceforth the name of a Jewish feast, which has been celebrated annually ever since as Purim (Osterley134). This is the celebration, two days of storage a time they almost perished and why they didnt. owe doubtless to its very secular character, there were strong protests against Esther being include in the Canon (Osterley137).         The only reason it was include was because it jolly explained the feast of Purim, even so it wasnt secured until around cxx A.D.. Esther gives us a picture of the Jews in exile, of the hostility of their non-Jewish enemies in Persia, and how Esther became the queen of Hurt 9 Ahasuerus. Subsequently risking her life in order to save her people from total destruction. Gods providential electric charge of his people is magnified throughout the story, reflected through the ways in which Esther handled the situation. preferably of allowing the people go into a state of chaos, she tells Morde-cai to reach the people and fast. So we can see that Esther is a spectral women with faith. However, it is fire to know that the word God, never appears in the book of Esther.         In the book of Esther women arent unfeignedly portrayed negatively. The treatment of Vashti could be seen as disrespectful to women. It is cheating(prenominal) that she was tossed aside because she did not want to be showed off to company. It is negative that Vashti was punished because of this and it sends the message that women are to be shown off like trophies. But the book of Esther doesnt really dish to set any stereotypes of women or gender-biased roles. Some sections where it speaks of Esther doing as Morde-cai tells her could be used negatively. The underlying meaning of her not saying anything is to table service her not to hurt her.         Morde-cai is looking out for her best interest, Jews were a really oppressed people during this time. Morde-cai may have been trying to spare her from this type of ! life. I Hurt 10 cerebrate that he told her not to speak about who she was, who her people were, to avail her not to make her submissive. Thats why he came by the palace each day to see how she was. There is an example of this shown, And Morde-cai walked insouciant before the court of the womens house, to know how Ester did, and what should acquire of her (Esther2:11).         I think this book, might be one of the out of date parts of the countersign where women arent portrayed as the whore, the concubine or the temptress. The women in this story are complimented on their beauty but it never goes into explanation about their education or skills they possess. A good thing about the portrayal of women, in the book of Esther, is most of the women are mentioned by name and not just who they are married to. The punishment of Vashti was very much unfair but the boilersuit picture of woman, is seen through the portrayal of Esther. Esther is seen as a strong and able woman who saves not only herself but her people as well with no serve up from anyone. If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: BestEssayCheap.com

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