GOD'S HIDDEN HAND IN THE BOOK OF ESTHER

 

As I mentioned in another post (Esther: Introduction to Structural Analysis) there is no mention of God or even prayer in the book. That might be used to show that the events in that book are totally random occurrences taking place outside of God's control. Countering that idea is the literary structure, which highlights a group of fortuitous happenings pointing to the Providence of God, His actions behind the scenes. 

There are, in fact, two additional subtle indications that this is the main point of the  story. Actually, YHWH is in the text four times, as noted years ago by rabbis, but it is hidden – which is the whole theme of the book.

        Hy' Wkl Hnsym Ytnw (1:20)

        Ybw' Hmlk Whmn Hywm (5:4)

        zH 'ynnW swH lY (5:13)

        kY kltH 'lW hr'H (7:7)

There is no special significance to the four passages in which this occurs, but note how the four consonants of God's name are highlighted in the four possible permutations: as the initial letters of these consecutive words reading both forward and backward as well as the final letters read in both those directions.

Rachel Sabua sees another possible instance of the “hidden hand of God” literally portrayed in the Book of Esther. Six times in the Hebrew text the word for Jews, y'hudim, is purposely misspelled with a double yod in place of one. Since the letter yod also means “hand” in Hebrew and YHWH is often abbreviated in Jewish prayer books by a double yod, this provides, in her mind, additional evidence that the intent is to show God's hidden direction behind the Jews' deliverance.