Queen Vashti of Persia

Vashti (Hebrew: וַשְׁתִּי; Persian: وَشتی آ) is a figure in the Hebrew Bible’s Book of Esther. She was the wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia. Her father, Otanes, was one of the seven noblemen who helped Darius I secure the throne, and her mother was the sister of Darius I. With her prominent family background, she had a strong personality.

Vashti refused to obey the king’s command to appear at the royal banquet to display her beauty. (Vashti’s refusal may have been because she felt it was undignified to show herself, or possibly because she was pregnant. The future King Artaxerxes, who succeeded Ahasuerus, was born that very year). King Ahasuerus decided to punish her for her disobedience to prevent all the women in the kingdom from imitating her and defying their husbands. Consequently, he deposed her, and her position as queen was later filled by Esther.

Another important figure in the Book of Esther is Haman (also known as Haman the Agagite, המן האגגי, or Haman the wicked, המן הרשע). Haman was the son of Hammedatha the Agagite. In the 5th century BCE, Haman was a nobleman and official in the Persian Empire under King Ahasuerus. King Ahasuerus promoted Haman and commanded all his royal officials to kneel down and pay him honor. However, Esther’s guardian, Mordecai, would not kneel or pay him honor. As a result, Haman and his wife, Zeresh, plotted to exterminate all the Jewish people throughout the Persian Empire. Haman persuaded King Ahasuerus to have Mordecai and all the Jews in the kingdom killed.

Haman’s plot to murder the Jews appeared to be his own scheme, but it was actually a satanic attack on the entire Jewish nation. It was against this backdrop that Esther entered the royal palace and replaced Vashti as queen. Secular Jewish historians record that eighteen years later, Vashti’s son Artaxerxes ascended to the throne. The deposed queen made a comeback and had a long-lasting influence on the court. Esther’s brief but timely rise to power is an even greater testament to God’s ultimate sovereignty.