2:17 above all the women. Although the book of Esther contains no mention of God, it abounds with implicit testimonies to providential leading and provision for His people. Under Persian law, Esther had no choice but to obey the king’s decree. She herself retained her own virginity until she became the king’s chosen wife. She was in a polygamous household, but this was common and accepted in the culture of the times (note the many wives of such godly men as Gideon, David, et al.). God actually used Esther in this somewhat unhappy position to preserve the Jewish people from probable annihilation It is likely that Haman’s proposed pogrom would have extended even to the land of Israel and every place inhabited by Jewish people.