Esther’s Real Coronation

Esther 5:2-3

Amichai Lau-Lavie (he/him)

Apr 02, 2025

Esther wasn’t just a beautiful and brave queen. She was also a prophetess.

That moment when she says yes to destiny and risks it all - becomes her epic leap of faith - for the ages.

Future generations will link this liminal moment to the mystery of the High Priest on Yom Kippur - and even to the resurrection of Jesus. What went on there on that third day on which she crossed the threshold and touched the tip of the scepter?

Chapter five picks up the plot line: After three days of fasting and praying, Queen Esther is ready to enter the King’s Inner Court, unannounced, with a plan to save her people. This dramatic entrance is the middle - and dramatic highpoint of the scroll- quite literally the threshold between worlds.

The Anthropologist Victor Turner in his book The Ritual Process has a lot to say about the vital roles of thresholds and liminality in our lives:

"Liminal entities are neither here nor there; they are betwixt and between the positions assigned and arrayed by law, custom, convention, and ceremonial. As such, their ambiguous and indeterminate attributes are expressed by a rich variety of symbols in the many societies that ritualize social and cultural transitions."

Every tiny detail matters in this telling of the transformation, and for generations, readers read deeper to probe each of these details for its mythic, mystical, philosophical and political meanings:

וַיְהִי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וַתִּלְבַּשׁ אֶסְתֵּר מַלְכוּת וַתַּעֲמֹד בַּחֲצַר בֵּית־הַמֶּלֶךְ הַפְּנִימִית נֹכַח בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַמֶּלֶךְ יוֹשֵׁב עַל־כִּסֵּא מַלְכוּתוֹ בְּבֵית הַמַּלְכוּת נֹכַח פֶּתַח הַבָּיִת׃

וַיְהִי כִרְאוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־אֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה עֹמֶדֶת בֶּחָצֵר נָשְׂאָה חֵן בְּעֵינָיו וַיּוֹשֶׁט הַמֶּלֶךְ לְאֶסְתֵּר אֶת־שַׁרְבִיט הַזָּהָב אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדוֹ וַתִּקְרַב אֶסְתֵּר וַתִּגַּע בְּרֹאשׁ הַשַּׁרְבִיט׃

On the third day, Esther put on royal apparel and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, facing the king’s palace, while the king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room facing the entrance of the palace.

As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won his favor. The king extended to Esther the golden scepter that he had in his hand, and Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

Esther 5:2-3

Three is a mythic number and ‘the third day’ is a familiar motif in many folktales and classical mythologies - including the Bible. It took Abraham and Isaac three days to reach Mt. Moriah for the binding; three days were the preparation time needed before the revelation of Torah at Sinai, and the amount of time it took for the fish to vomit the prophet Jonah on dry land. It was also the number of days for the resurrection of Jesus.

What does it mean for her to ‘wear royalty’? While the literal reading is that she put on her finest regal robes, the readers of subtext see more here. The Hebrew term ‘Malchut’ means more than clothing. It is one of the later Kabbalistic Spheres - always referring to the Feminine Divine within one, but even before the mystics came along in the medieval years, there was more about this moment that caught the eyes of seekers. The Talmud reframes it as a moment of prophecy. According to the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Megillah, Esther, based on this moment, becomes one of the seven women-prophets of the Hebrew Bible:

“Esther was also a prophetess, as it is written: “And it came to pass on the third day that Esther clothed herself in royalty” (Esther 5:1). It should have said: Esther clothed herself in royal garments. Rather, this alludes to the fact that she clothed herself with Ruach Ha’Kodesh - a divine spirit of inspiration.”

Midrash Yalkut Shimoni states:

"Just as the High Priest enters the innermost chamber alone, trembling for his life, so too did Esther enter the king’s inner chamber alone, her life hanging by a thread."

Other versions of the Esther story imagine this moment in greater detail. There are several surviving Greek and Aramaic versions of the Scroll of Esther, either composed as translation or interpretations of the version that would eventually make it into the Hebrew Bible. Prof. Elsie Stern details those sources and what they tell us about the socio-political situations of their authors - between the 5th century BCE and the 6th Century CE.

In several of these sources, the Jewish character are very pious, and God is mentioned - a lot. This is in stark contrast to the biblical version we have in front of us, in which God doesn’t appear at all. In several of the Greek versions the moment in which Esther enters the King’s court is preceded by a lengthy pious prayer that is quoted verbatim, and only then dares to enter:

“On the third day, when she ended her prayer, she took off the ashen garments in which she had worshiped, and arrayed herself in splendid attire. ²Then, majestically adorned, after invoking the aid of the all-seeing God and Savior, she took two maids with her; ³on one she leaned gently for support, ⁴while the other followed, carrying her train. ⁵She was radiant with perfect beauty, and she looked happy, as if beloved, but her heart was frozen with fear. ⁶When she had gone through all the doors, she stood before the king. He was seated on his royal throne, clothed in the full array of his majesty, all covered with gold and precious stones. He was most terrifying.

⁷Lifting his face, flushed with splendor, he looked at her in fierce anger. The queen faltered, and turned pale and faint, and collapsed on the head of the maid who went in front of her. ⁸Then God changed the spirit of the king to gentleness, and in alarm he sprang from his throne and took her in his arms until she came to herself. He comforted her with soothing words, and said to her, ⁹“What is it, Esther? I am your husband.^[^e^] Take courage; ¹⁰You shall not die, for our law applies only to our subjects.^[^f^] Come near.”

¹¹Then he raised the golden scepter and touched her neck with it; ¹²he embraced her, and said, “Speak to me.” ¹³She said to him, “I saw you, my lord, like an angel of God, and my heart was shaken with fear at your glory. ¹⁴For you are wonderful, my lord, and your countenance is full of grace.” ¹⁵And while she was speaking, she fainted and fell. ¹⁶Then the king was agitated, and all his servants tried to comfort her.”

In this elaborate and emotional version, the queen, very feminine, frail and faithful, aroused the king’s compassion - perhaps as part of the seduction strategy to get what she wants? It may say more about the people who wrote this version and their political realities than about the story itself.

In more recent years, Jewish feminist voices have preferred to read Esther and her entrance moment in more empowered ways.

Tikva Frymer-Kensky reads Esther’s entrance as a deliberate act of self-empowerment in a world that seeks to silence her. She argues that Esther moves from an object of the king’s desire to an active political agent, using her body and voice strategically:

"Esther, in this moment, ceases to be a pawn and becomes a player. She embodies the paradox of powerlessness turned into strength."

Adele Reinhartz, like many of the readers prior, also sees Esther’s approach to the king as a moment of profound transformation - not just for Jews but also for women:

"Esther walks into the throne room not just as a queen, but as a woman fully aware that her voice and her very presence can change history."

What happens next is indeed the stuff of legends. The queen invites the king to a private party, along with Haman. And while this goes on - Haman and his wife begin to build the gallows on which they plan to hang their enemies.

Coming next - the royal garments make a comeback, as the plot begins to turn. The liminal threshold opens to the deeper dimensions of what this story is about and how each of us, like Esther, are invited to enter beyond and within - becoming our real regal selves, however we get there, and whatever it takes.

Image: Esther and Ahasuerus by Geldorp Gortzius, 1612, Jewish Museum, New York

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Below the Bible Belt

Esther’s Real Coronation

Esther 5:2-3

Esther wasn’t just a beautiful and brave queen. She was also a prophetess.

That moment when she says yes to destiny and risks it all - becomes her epic leap of faith - for the ages.

Future generations will link this liminal moment to the mystery of the High Priest on Yom Kippur - and even to the resurrection of Jesus. What went on there on that third day on which she crossed the threshold and touched the tip of the scepter?

The Anthropologist Victor Turner in his book The Ritual Process has a lot to say about the vital roles of thresholds and liminality in our lives:

Every tiny detail matters in this telling of the transformation, and for generations, readers read deeper to probe each of these details for its mythic, mystical, philosophical and political meanings:

On the third day, Esther put on royal apparel and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, facing the king’s palace, while the king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room facing the entrance of the palace.

As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won his favor. The king extended to Esther the golden scepter that he had in his hand, and Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

Esther 5:2-3

Midrash Yalkut Shimoni states:

"Just as the High Priest enters the innermost chamber alone, trembling for his life, so too did Esther enter the king’s inner chamber alone, her life hanging by a thread."

In more recent years, Jewish feminist voices have preferred to read Esther and her entrance moment in more empowered ways.

Tikva Frymer-Kensky reads Esther’s entrance as a deliberate act of self-empowerment in a world that seeks to silence her. She argues that Esther moves from an object of the king’s desire to an active political agent, using her body and voice strategically:

"Esther, in this moment, ceases to be a pawn and becomes a player. She embodies the paradox of powerlessness turned into strength."

Adele Reinhartz, like many of the readers prior, also sees Esther’s approach to the king as a moment of profound transformation - not just for Jews but also for women:

"Esther walks into the throne room not just as a queen, but as a woman fully aware that her voice and her very presence can change history."

What happens next is indeed the stuff of legends. The queen invites the king to a private party, along with Haman. And while this goes on - Haman and his wife begin to build the gallows on which they plan to hang their enemies.

Image: Esther and Ahasuerus by Geldorp Gortzius, 1612, Jewish Museum, New York

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