The Additions to Esther are six passages, or about 105 verses, added to the Hebrew text of Esther. The author was the work of a Jewish writer who wanted to add a theological note that was missing from the book of Esther. Some scholars think the additions were originally written in Greek, while others believe they were translated from Hebrew or Aramaic. The exact date is unknown, but most suggest a date of 100 BC. This would be much later than the original book of Esther.
A summary of the additions is as follows:
1. 11:2–12:6: Mordecai’s dream, including the plot against the king’s life. This passage comes before Esther 1:1.
2. 13:1–7: The edict of Artaxerxes. This addition comes after Esther 3:13, where the king is called Ahasuerus.
3. 13:8–14:19: The prayers of Mordecai and Esther. This passage was to be included after Esther 4:17.
4. 15:1–16: The king’s anger at Esther’s appearance, followed by his change of attitude. This was to be added before Esther 5:3 since it it expands on Esther 5:1–2.
5. 16:1–24: The edict of Ahasuerus about the Jewish people. This section follows Esther 8:12.
6. 10:4–11:1: The interpretation of Mordecai’s dream. This addition follows Esther 10:3.
The additions have differences that show they were not originally part of Esther:
Compare Esther 1:19 and 8:8 with 16:17
Compare Esther 2:15–18 with 14:15
Compare Esther 2:16–19 with 11:3–12:1
Compare Esther 2:21–23 and 6:3–4 with 12:5
Compare Esther 3:1 with 16:10
Compare Esther 3:5 with 12:6
Compare Esther 5:4–8 with 14:7
Compare Esther 7:10 with 16:18
Compare Esther 9:20–32 with 16:22
The Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Old Testament) and Old Latin texts included these additions to Esther. Jerome, a fourth-century Christian scholar, placed the additions as an appendix in the Vulgate, his Latin translation of the Bible.