Esther is a unique book. It is the only book in the Bible that never mentions God, although His presence is implied due to Mordecai’s allusion to divine providence (4:14) At times the book seems rather secular; historically this has contributed to questions regarding its place in the bible. Esther is tightly connected with specific historical events, yet it is also a piece of literature, a narrative with all the literary features necessary to make it a great story. It is a book whose purposes are not always explicitly stated but are derived from the story as a whole.
