Bible Encyclopedia: Vashti

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

VASHTI

vash'-ti (washti; Astin; Old Persian "beautiful woman"): The former queen of Xerxes, whom he divorced. On the 7th day of a great feast which the king was giving to the assembled nobles of the empire and others, he commanded the seven chamberlains who served in his presence to bring the queen into the assembly. We are told (Esther 1:11) that his purpose was "to show the peoples and the princes her beauty; for she was fair to look on." The king's command was met by Vashti with a mortifying refusal to obey. The reason which is sometimes assigned for her disobedience-that no man but the king was permitted to look upon the queen-is without foundation. Esther invites Haman on two occasions to accompany the king to a banquet at which she was present. Nor can it be said that there was any lack of recognition of Vashti's high dignity; the seven highest officials of the palace were sent to escort her. The refusal had to be visited with a punishment severe enough to reestablish the supremacy which it threatened to overthrow. She was, accordingly, divorced and dethroned.

There is no known reference to Vashti outside of Esther. The suggestion has been made that Vashti was an inferior wife, or one of the royal concubines. There is nothing, however, to support it; and it is, besides, directly opposed to several statements in the narrative. She is always named "queen" (Esther 1:9, 11, 12, 15-18). It is only (Esther 1:19) when the decree is proposed to repudiate and degrade her that she is called merely "Vashti." She also (Esther 1:9) presides at the banquet for the women. It is evident, therefore, that in the palace of the women there was no higher personage than Vashti.

John Urquhart

Strong's Hebrew

2060. Vashti -- queen of Pers.
... 2059, 2060. Vashti. 2061 . queen of Pers. Transliteration: Vashti
Phonetic Spelling: (vash-tee') Short Definition: Vashti. ...
/hebrew/2060.htm - 5k

Library

Queen Esther's Love for Her People
... Vashti, the queen, also gave a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged
to King Xerxes. ... But Queen Vashti refused to come as the king commanded. ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/queen esthers love for her.htm

Esther, the Queen.
... In another part of the palace Vashti, the queen, also made a feast for the women.
On the seventh day the king sent his seven chamberlains ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxxiv esther the queen.htm

The Wall Rebuilt.
... After seven days' feasting, he sent in his pride for Vashti, his queen, to
show her beauty to his companions. It was, as it is still ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xiv the wall rebuilt.htm

Concerning Esther and Mordecai and Haman; and How in the Reign of ...
... of his kingdom. In like manner did Vashti the queen gather her guests together,
and made them a feast in the palace. Now the king ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 concerning esther and.htm

Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther.
... I. Esther Made Queen, Chs.1-2. 1. Queen Vashti dethroned. Ch.1. ... For Study and Discussion.
(1) The character of the king, Vashti, Mordecai, Esther and Haman. ...
/.../the way of salvation in the lutheran church/chapter xi ezra nehemiah and.htm

Esther
... This supposition leaves certain elements unexplained"Vashti, eg, is without Babylonian
analogy, but it is too probable an explanation to be ignored; and it ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/esther.htm

Book 11 Footnotes
... [16] If the Chaldee paraphrast be in the right, that Artaxerxes intended to show
Vashti to his guests naked, it is no wonder at all that she would not submit ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 11 footnotes.htm

Hebrew Captives; Or, Mordecai and Esther.
... The flashing goblet circulated freely, and his brain became wild with "wine and
wassail." As the crowning display of his glory, Vashti, in her jeweled robes ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/hebrew captives or mordecai and.htm

Some General Matters and Some Biblical Characters. The Bible Book ...
... s.1-2. (19) Bathshebah, 2:Sam.11:3. (20) Abishag, 1:K.1:3. (21) Jezebel,
1:K.21:5. (22) Vashti, Esth.1:19. (23) Esther, Esth.2:7. (24) Mary. Mt.1:18; Lu. ...
/.../chapter viii some general matters.htm

Mordecai and Esther
... Mordecai knew what vile passions had been at work to put Esther there, and did not
forget poor Vashti, and we have no need to hide conviction that England's ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/mordecai and esther.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Vashti

that drinks; thread

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Vashti

(beautiful), the "queen" of Ahasuerus, who, for refusing to show herself to the king's guests at the royal banquet, when sent for by the king, was repudiated and deposed. (Esther 1:1) ... (B.C. 483.) Many attempts have been made to identify her with historical personages; but it is far more probable that she was only one of the inferior wives, dignified with the title of queen, whose name has utterly disappeared from history.

ATS Bible Dictionary

Vashti

The queen of Persia, divorced by Ahasuerus or Xerxes her husband for refusing to appear unveiled before his reveling company, Exodus 1:1 22.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Beautiful, the queen of Ahasuerus, who was deposed from her royal dignity because she refused to obey the king when he desired her to appear in the banqueting hall of Shushan the palace (Esther 1:10-12). (See Esther.)

Thesaurus

Vashti (10 Occurrences)
...VASHTI. ... Nor can it be said that there was any lack of recognition of Vashti's high
dignity; the seven highest officials of the palace were sent to escort her. ...
/v/vashti.htm - 12k

Xerxes (24 Occurrences)
... NIV). Esther 1:9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the
royal house which belonged to King Ahasuerus. (See NIV). ...
/x/xerxes.htm - 14k

Ahasuerus (28 Occurrences)
... Esther 1:9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which
belonged to King Ahasuerus. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS). ...
/a/ahasuerus.htm - 17k

Ahasu-e'rus (30 Occurrences)
... RSV). Esther 1:9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the
royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus. (See RSV). ...
/a/ahasu-e'rus.htm - 15k

Memucan (3 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Dignified, one of the royal counsellors at the court of
Ahasuerus, by whose suggestion Vashti was divorced (Esther 1:14, 16, 21). ...
/m/memucan.htm - 8k

Queen (59 Occurrences)
... In the Book of Esther it is the title given to Vashti (1:9) and Esther (2:22); compare
Songs 6:8 f. Another Hebrew word for queen consort is gebhirah ...
/q/queen.htm - 44k

Eunuchs (33 Occurrences)
... Esther 1:12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by the
eunuchs. Therefore the king was very angry, and his anger burned in him. ...
/e/eunuchs.htm - 17k

Pleaseth (13 Occurrences)
... the king, let a royal commandment go from him, and let it be written among the laws
of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no ...
/p/pleaseth.htm - 10k

Conveyed (4 Occurrences)
... guard-chamber. (WBS). Esther 1:12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at
the king's commandment by the eunuchs. Therefore the king ...
/c/conveyed.htm - 7k

Chamberlains (17 Occurrences)
... Esther 1:12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his
chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him. ...
/c/chamberlains.htm - 12k

Bible Concordance

Vashti (10 Occurrences)

Esther 1:9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to King Ahasuerus.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:11 to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the royal crown, to show the people and the princes her beauty; for she was beautiful.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by the eunuchs. Therefore the king was very angry, and his anger burned in him.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:15 "What shall we do to the queen Vashti according to law, because she has not done the bidding of the King Ahasuerus by the eunuchs?"
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:16 Memucan answered before the king and the princes, "Vashti the queen has not done wrong to just the king, but also to all the princes, and to all the people who are in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:17 For this deed of the queen will become known to all women, causing them to show contempt for their husbands, when it is reported,'King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she didn't come.'
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:19 If it please the king, let a royal commandment go from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it cannot be altered, that Vashti may never again come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate to another who is better than she.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 2:1 After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 2:4 and let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." The thing pleased the king, and he did so.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 2:17 The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Vashti

Vashti: Put Away (Divorced) for Refusing to Exhibit Herself at a Royal Banquet

Related Terms

Xerxes (24 Occurrences)

Ahasuerus (28 Occurrences)

Ahasu-e'rus (30 Occurrences)

Memucan (3 Occurrences)

Queen (59 Occurrences)

Eunuchs (33 Occurrences)

Pleaseth (13 Occurrences)

Conveyed (4 Occurrences)