Essay/Blog 3: Esther and Judith

Amy Smith

WGS 3464/5960

Essay/Blog 3

The characters of Esther and Judith both represent unconventional female behavior in the context of Abrahamic traditions.  Given the patriarchal backdrop in which both narratives exist, the actions of Esther and Judith are extraordinary.  Both characters are assertive and each shows personal agency.  Each woman comes to an elevated position in their communities by their spouse.  Esther achieves status because she becomes queen by the rather emotional command of the king (Esther 2:1-18), and Judith is left with great wealth upon the death of her husband (Judith 8:2-8).  Both women take enormous risks to their own well being by saving the lives of the people of Israel (Esther 8:1-16), (Judith, chapters 10-13).  However, Esther employs more subtle methods (and less violent) in dealing with the king to achieve her goal of saving the Jews from destruction.  As Crawford argues, Esther “…uses her knowledge of the king’s character to attain her goal by appealing to his emotions” (Crawford, 206).  Esther uses hospitality and comfort, in the form of banquets, to appease the king and lull Haman into a false sense of security (Esther 5:1-7). 

Judith’s methods to save Israel from slavery are more explicit when she offers herself for sex with Holofernes, and beheads him when he is very drunk (Judith 12:10-20; 13:1-9).  Judith is portrayed as a warrior in her violent act.  Both Judith and Esther rely on their beauty and femininity to gain literal and figurative access to the powerful men in their lives (Esther 5:1, Judith 12:14).  Only in the Additions to Esther is Esther portrayed with any religious characteristics, as her prayer rituals are preparation for her future actions to save the Jews (Additions to Esther 14).  Judith also engages in prayer rituals to prepare herself to meet and kill Holofernes (Judith 9).  In these passages, both women call on the power of God for help and intervention to stop the potential end of their cultures. 

Judith appears to be less dependent on men for her authority, and when she speaks to the elders in 8:9-35, she almost appears to be a man, or possess leadership qualities.  The elders accept her criticisms and do not seem to acknowledge any male/female hierarchies that existed in this society.  Judith’s traditional female role is ignored by the elders in this passage.  In contrast, Esther role in the Additions is placed firmly within traditional hierarchies of the time.  Her contributions to ending the Jewish genocide become secondary to those of Mordecai, who becomes more of the focal point of the story (Additions 11, 13).  Religiosity in the Additions places Esther in a supportive, traditional female role, but although religion plays a significant part in the story of Judith, Judith status of woman does not marginalize her. 

Crawford, Sidnie White, “Esther”, Women’s Bible Commentary, Carol A. Newsom, Sharon H. Ringe and Jacqueline E. Lapsley, eds., Westminster John Knox Press, 2012, pp. 201-207.