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What's in a Name?

What is a Name? Names as Artefact: Esther, Hadassah, and the Power of Hidden Meanings

Names are more than labels in the Book of Esther; they are artefacts of empire, memory, ethnicity, religion, and resistance. The woman at the centre of this story carries not one name but two: Hadassah and Esther. Both names hold a world of meanings, each reflecting the competing identities she navigates. Esther and Hadassah form a powerful artefact that encodes survival strategies, imperial pressure, and the enduring legacy of agency under patriarchy. Esther's Hebrew name, Hadassah, is derived from the myrtle plant., which is a small evergreen shrub with aromatic leaves and star-like blossoms. In the Hebrew Bible and post-Biblical Jewish traditions, the myrtle is a symbol of righteousness, peace, and justice[1]

The myrtle is also one of the four species used during the festival of Sukkot, associated with joy and divine presence. [2] It seems like the name Hadassah roots Esther in her Jewish heritage. It evokes a vision of resilience and quiet beauty, as well as fervour, religious observance, and spiritual wholeness. It is a name of home.

Because she is no longer in the comforting, fragrant space called home and in exile in a distant foreign land, Hadassah is not used, and she becomes Esther.

And now that name Esther artefact becomes more layered and even ambiguous. The writers intended for the description to be vague, to the point of giving Hadassah the allure of the mysterious and exotic.

The origin of the name Esther is unclear; there are two camps debating its meaning, each revealing rich historical and cultural connections. The first camp, which is my favourite, is that Esther is a derivation of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, who was the goddess of love, war, and fertility. [3] Ishtar was a powerful and paradoxical goddess, that is, she was the goddess of love and fertility but also the goddess of war. She is beautiful and dangerous. She is the personification of destruction and creation. Ishtar's mythology is filled with acts of agency, seduction, mourning, vengeance, and cosmic negotiation.

In this origin, the name Esther becomes linguistically and symbolically linked to a goddess who transcends traditional gender roles, commanding both passion and terror. The association with Esther is provocative and fascinating and might put Esther in a different light. While the biblical Esther appears as a submissive figure, selected for her beauty and compliance with court protocols, she eventually reveals extraordinary courage and cunning. She enters the king's court unsummoned, rising death. She constructs a carefully paced narrative to expose Haman. She rewrites her own fate and that of her people. In many ways, her cunning, courage and, yes, beauty reflect the many attributes of this intriguing goddess. Like Ishtar, Esther is underestimated and misjudged, only to be revealed as a force of salvation and survival.

The biblical authors consciously intended this connection, which, if we consider Esther to be related to Ishtar, is impossible to ignore. In being renamed Esther, Hadassah is not merely assimilated into Persian society; she is linguistically linked to an ancient and mythic lineage of power and agency. The name becomes an imperial garment she wears but also one she subverts from within.

The second interpretation of the name Esther connects her to the Old Persian/Median word stara, which means "star." [4] In this reading, Esther is not a goddess but a celestial body, distant, luminous, and quietly guiding. This, too, holds weight; stars in the ancient world were associated with destiny, with divine signs and divine light that persists in darkness. As a literary artefact, the name Esther becomes emblematic of hidden guidance, a fitting symbol for a book in which God is never named but often felt. Esther, like a star, acts from obscurity, revealing her identity at the decisive moment.

The connection to a star also speaks to Esther's role in the Jewish diaspora. As a figure who lives between two worlds —Hebrew and Persian, private and public —her name reminds us of the quiet ways diasporic communities preserve their identity under empire. Esther is hiding in plain sight. She is biding her time; she shines even amid darkness.

Esther and Hadassah, placed together side by side, form a dual artefact, one rooted in Hebrew flora and ritual and the other in imperial mythology and cosmic symbolism. Hadassah is the name of the community, of the plant and of the girl that blooms in exile. Esther is the name of the powerful goddess who is hidden, of the star that is shining in the night skies and of assimilation to the empire that is waiting to act. The two names do not cancel each other out; instead, they coexist in tension, and that defines her story.

Esther and Hadassah are not merely literary figures, but they are the linguistic expression of the book's core themes: concealment and revelation, assimilation and resistance, power and piety. The woman who bears them is not one or the other but both. The names she carries —Hadassah the Myrtle, Esther the star, or the goddess —are the artefacts by which we understand her world and the forces she must navigate to survive and lead.

[1] Chana Raizel Zaklikowski, “What Does the Name Hadassah mean?” https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1769366/jewish/What-Does-the-Name-Hadassah-Mean.htm

[2] Jewish Virtual Library "Israel Environment and Natura: Myrtle "https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/myrtle

[3] Robert Cargill, "Hello My Name is Esther" Bible and Archaeology " https://bam.sites.uiowa.edu/hello/esther

[4] A. S Yahuda, "The Meaning of the Name Esther." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 78, no. 3–4 (1946): 174–78. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00100413.

Read More

Jezebel: Princess, Queen, and Power in the Ancient Near East

Most people recall Jezebel as the notorious queen from 1 & 2 Kings—but what if we shift our gaze from moralizing to historical nuance?

A Phoenician Princess at Israel’s Court

Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal (also spelled Ithobaal I), king of Tyre and Sidon—a connection that made her a valuable political match for King Ahab of Israel (National Geographic, 2017). Her marriage likely served as a strategic alliance, aimed at securing commercial and cultural ties between Israel and Phoenicia (Phoenicia.org, 2019).

Introducing Baal into Israel

Upon her marriage, Jezebel promoted the worship of Baal and Asherah in Israel. She is credited with establishing a temple for Baal in Samaria and supporting a sizeable priesthood of 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (National Geographic, 2017). Her religious influence profoundly reshaped the spiritual landscape of the northern kingdom.

The Naboth Incident: Power and Injustice

Jezebel is infamously linked to the wrongful execution of Naboth, a vineyard owner who refused to sell his ancestral land to King Ahab. Biblical accounts portray her orchestrating false accusations of blasphemy to seize the vineyard (Biblical Archaeology Society, 2023; Theology of Work, 2014). Whether the full details reflect reality or serve theological messaging, the narrative underscores her perceived power and ruthlessness.

Archeology Meets Text: Was Naboth’s Vineyard Real?

Archaeologists have uncovered a 9th-century BCE winery complex near Tel Jezreel—possibly corresponding to Naboth’s vineyard mentioned in the biblical narrative (Kings 21:1). This find suggests that the story may reflect real socio-political conflicts over land and power (Biblical Archaeological Society, 2020).

Jezebel’s Dramatic End

When Jehu led a revolt against the Omride dynasty, Jezebel met a violent end. As foretold by the prophet Elijah, she was thrown from a palace window and trampled by horses, with dogs consuming her remains—fulfilling prophecy in 2 Kings (National Geographic, 2017).

Reframing Jezebel’s Legacy

Though vilified in the biblical text as idolatrous and power-hungry, Jezebel’s story invites reassessment. Some modern scholars interpret her actions as political, rooted in her cultural background, and a bold assertion of agency in a male-dominated court (Phoenicia.org, 2019). She remains a potent symbol of female leadership and the distortion of history through patriarchal eyes.

References

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