Although some scholars believe the Kish of Esther 2:5 is a Benjaminite who went into captivity to Babylon, I believe it was probably Shimei who went into captivity, and he was a descendant of Kish, a Benjaminite and the father of Saul, Israel’s first king. If the scholars are correct, they can only assume Esther’s and Mordecai’s family was among Jerusalem’s nobility. In the context of my assumption, however, Esther would definitely have been part of one of Israel’s leading families, who was taken to Babylon together with Jehoiachin, king of Judah (2Kings 24:12). At this point in the text, Ahasuerus, the king of Persia, had collected many young virgins from his kingdom for his haram, in his search for a maiden to replace Vashti, his former queen, whom he deposed (Esther 2:8-9; cp. 2:3-4). Esther was among the young virgins taken to the palace in Shushan, but she had not disclosed her national origin, because Mordecai had commanded her not to do so. Therefore, because Esther and Mordecai had Persian names, there is no reason for us not to assume that other folks would have regarded them as Persians.
Mordecai had raised Esther as his own daughter (Esther 2:7), so he was naturally concerned over her welfare, and this is the reason for his daily visits to the court of the women’s house mentioned in the text (Esther 2:11). Moreover, he probably continued these daily excursions for at least a year, which was the time of Esther’s purification, when she was being prepared for the king (Esther 2:12). After 12 months, it would be certain, that, if the maid became pregnant after being with the king, the child would undoubtedly be his, and any male child would become a possible heir to the throne. The 12-month period of the maid’s purification would, therefore, exclude any possibility of the child resulting from a previously unknown union, which the maid might have had prior to being taken to the king.
According to the text, each maid was brought to the king in her turn. She was given anything she desired to take with her, when she went in unto the king. Afterward, she returned to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in authority over his concubines. Unless the king sent for her by name, she could come to him no more (Esther 2:13-14). This was the law of the palace (cp. Esther 4:17).
When it came to be Esther’s turn to go in unto the king, she took nothing with her except that which Hegai had given her, for he was the king’s eunuch, who was in authority of the king’s maids. Moreover, we are told that Esther came into the favor of all who looked upon her, which seems to emphasize the appearance of her natural beauty and grace. In other words, she needed nothing else to make her appear better to the king (Esther 2:15).
So, it was in the seventh year of the king’s reign that Esther was brought to the king, in early winter, in the month of Tebeth (Esther 2:16), the tenth month of the calendar year. Moreover, we are told that Esther pleased Ahasuerus more than any other maid in his harem, and she found favor and grace in his sight, so that she was given the royal crown for her head and made queen instead of Vashti, four years after she was deposed by the king (Esther 2:17; cp. 1:3).
Afterward, the king made a great feast among all his princes and servants to celebrate the crowning of his queen, and he called it Esther’s Feast (Esther 2:18). It was at this time that, so even the common folk would celebrate the joyous event, Ahasuerus granted a release to all of the provinces in his kingdom. This is the same release granted to Ezra and all those with him to go up to Jerusalem from Babylon (Ezra 7:6-9).
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