Abihail אֲבִיחַ֫יִל
Father of Esther (Hadassah)
Who is Abihail in the Bible?
Abihail was the father of Esther, also known by her Hebrew name Hadassah, as mentioned in Esther 2:15. He lived during the reign of the Persian King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I), when his daughter rose from obscurity to become queen of Persia. Though Abihail himself remains a minor figure in the biblical narrative, his significance lies entirely in being the father of Esther, who became instrumental in saving the Jewish people from the genocidal plot of Haman. When Esther and her cousin Mordecai later wrote a letter to establish the practices of Purim (Esther 9:29), they commemorated the deliverance that stemmed from Esther's courageous intervention with the king, making Abihail an ancestor in one of the Bible's most celebrated stories of Jewish salvation.
Biography
Abihail is mentioned in the book of Esther as the father of Esther, also known as Hadassah (Est.2.15). Esther was a young Jewish woman living in Persia during the reign of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). After Queen Vashti was deposed, Esther was chosen to become the new queen.
When Haman, a high-ranking official in the Persian court, plotted to destroy the Jewish people, Esther courageously intervened and saved her people. She revealed her Jewish identity to the king and exposed Haman's evil plan. As a result, Haman was executed, and the Jewish people were allowed to defend themselves against their enemies.
Esther, along with her cousin and guardian Mordecai, wrote a letter to confirm the practices of Purim, a Jewish holiday commemorating the deliverance of the Jews from Haman's plot (Est.9.29). In this letter, Esther is referred to as "Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail."
Family
In Scripture
1 biblical book ; 1 with study contentEsther 2 verses
- Esther 2:15
"Now Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle from whom Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s trusted official in charge of the harem, had advised. And Esther found..."
Study Esther → - Esther 9:29
"So Queen Esther daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim."
Study Esther →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | אֲבִיחַ֫יִל |