Ester 2

And he brought up Hadassah, that is , Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.
O nome Hadassa (מַּרְדֳּכַי) vem do hebraico para 'murta', enquanto Ester deriva possivelmente do persa 'stāra' (estrela) ou da deusa Ishtar. O ocultamento da identidade judaica será crucial para o desenrolar da trama.