&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Esthermillais.jpg) The Biblical Queen Esther depicted in a portrait by John Everett Millais. | |
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Hebrew/Jewish |
| Meaning | "Star" |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Estee, Estella, Estelle, Esti, Estrella, Hadassah, Hester, Stella |
Esther (Hebrew: אֶסְתֵּר) is a female given name known from the Jewish queen Esther, eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther.
According to the Hebrew Bible, queen Esther was born with the name הֲדַסָּה Hadassah ("Myrtle"). Her name was changed to Esther to hide her identity upon becoming queen of Persia. The three letter root of Esther in Hebrew is s-t-r (סתר), "hide, conceal". The passive infinitive is (לְהִסָּ֫תֶר), "to be hidden".[1]
The name can be derived from the Old Persian stāra (NPer. ستاره setāra, meaning "star") although some scholars identify Esther with the name of the Babylonian goddess of love Ishtar, given its association with the planet Venus (in its role as the Morning Star and the Evening star; see also the Star of Ishtar).[2]
- ^ Brown, Francis (2012). The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Boston MA: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. ISBN 978-1-56563-206-6.
- ^ The use of Ishtar as the original name of Esther is based on the idea that an old Babylonian myth has been adapted by Judeans in which the gods of Babylon (Marduk [Mordechai] and Ishtar [Esther] fight for the control of the King against the Elamite gods of Hammambam [Hamon] and a god who is transformed into Vashti.[citation needed][1]