Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. The Feast of Ahasuerus and the Feast of Vashti (Esther 1)

3. Esther Is Taken to the King (Esther 2)

4. The Attempted Rebellion against the King (Esther 2:21–23)

5. “Some Time Afterward”: The Promotion of Haman (Esther 3:1–6)

6. The Casting of the Lot (Esther 3:6–7)

7. Did the King Know of Haman’s Decree? (Esther 3:8–11)

8. The Secret Turning Point (Esther 4)

9. Esther’s Plan (Esther 5:1–8)

10. The Gallows (Esther 5:9–14)

11. Mordecai on Horseback (Esther 6)

12. Haman’s Advisers: Fate versus Divine Providence (Esther 6:12–13)

13. Esther’s Second Party (Esther 6:14–7:10)

14. Mordecai Appointed over Haman’s House, and Esther before the King Again (Esther 8:1–8)

15. Mordecai’s Letters (Esther 8:9–16)

16. “Not One Good Thing Was Lacking” (Esther 8:17–9:4)

17. Stages of the Festival’s Acceptance (Esther 9:15–32)

18. The Greatness of the King and the Greatness of Mordecai (Esther 10)

19. Conclusion

Indexes

Reviews

“[Grossman] coins the phrase ‘theological carnivalesque’ to describe the Esther narrative, asserting that the story is meant to emphasize the instability of life in general in which no human being, however powerful, truly knows what is going on. [Grossman]’s study reads easily and is full of intriguing and suggestive observations about the text of Esther, particularly in noting echoes of other biblical writings.”—Deborah W. Rooke Journal for the Study of the Old Testament