Esther

From Namespedia - Names Meaning and Origins

Name: Esther

Gender: Feminine

Location: Asia

Language: Jewish

Thematic: Biblical

Meaning: Star, myrtle

Comments: Esther is the central character of the Book of Esther in the Bible. She was a Jewish queen of the Persian Empire, the queen of Ahasuerus (traditionally identified with Xerxes). Esther's original Hebrew name was Hadassah, which means 'myrtle'. Esther was her Persian name and is most commonly understood to be related to the Median word astra, meaning 'myrtle', and the Persian word setarah, meaning 'star'. (The myrtle blossom actually rather resembles a twinkling star.) It is sometimes claimed that Esther derives from the similar-sounding (at least in English) Ishtar, the chief Babylonian goddess. This claim is not taken seriously by scholars. Ishtar's name in Hebrew is Ashtoreth, which is phonetically unrelated to Esther despite the superficial similarity when transliterated into English. Esther can also be understood to mean 'hidden' in Hebrew, and her name is interpreted thus in one midrash, where it is noted that at first, on her father's advice, Esther hid her Jewish ethnicity. Because the methods and aims of God are believed to be similarly hidden, the Book of Esther, on this interpretation, can be understood as 'The Book of Hiddenness', representing God's hiddenness in the story. (The Book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that makes no mention of God.) But this interpretation, although theologically profound and valid enough on that level, is clearly retrospective.