vashti Summary and Overview

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 T0001254.)

(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. #Es 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.

VASH'TI (Persian, a beautiful woman), queen of Persia, and the repudiated wife of Ahasuerus. Esth 1:9. See Esther.

Queen of Ahasuerus or Xerxes (Esther 1 and Esther 2). Refused to appear at the king's command, to exhibit her beauty before the king's guests at a banquet; was therefore deposed and repudiated lest a precedent should be given for insubordination of wives to husbands. Vashti may answer to Amestris the queen consort throughout Xerxes' reign, and queen mother under his son and successor -Artaxerxes. But more probably she and Esther were only "secondary wives" with the title "queen." Plutarch (Conjug. Precept. c. 16, in agreement with Herodotus v. 18) says the Persian kings had their legitimate wives to sit at table, but when they chose to drink and revel they sent away their wives and called in the concubines, it was when his "heart was merry with wine" that he sent for Vashti as a concubine; but she, looking on herself as a legitimate wife, would not come. Esther 5:4; Esther 5:8; Esther 5:12, shows that it was no impropriety for wives to be at banquets in front of other men (besides their husbands).