Esther 2:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It is clear that Esther, whose name is understood as 'a place of refuge' (she also had the name Gadassa, meaning 'compassion'), represents the Church of the nations. The Church, through its sincere faith, finds favor with God in the depths of His heart, gaining more mercy and grace than the Jewish synagogue, which the prophet Hosea justly labeled as lacking compassion due to its wrongdoing. Mardochaeus, being a spiritual figure, took Esther as his own child, having been left orphaned. Who else could Mardochaeus symbolize but the teachers of the Gentiles? Notably, the Apostle Paul, who also identified with the tribe of Benjamin, as he stated himself (Philippians 3:5-6). When he transformed from a persecutor to an apostle, he was entrusted with the Church of the nations.

During that period in Persia, Mardokhai, a Jewish man, found himself imprisoned alongside his uncle's daughter, Gadassa, known as Esther in the Persian tongue. Due to her exceptional beauty, Esther was brought to the royal court and gained favor with Hegai. She received seven attendants to assist her, and to enhance her attractiveness, she was provided with various beauty treatments. Esther was assigned to the finest quarters for women within the palace (Esther 2:5-9). The two names of Esther mentioned have significant meanings: the first name, Hadassah, has roots in both Chaldean and Hebrew, relating to the word for myrtle (see Is. 41:19, Zech. 1:8, Nehem.