Name pronunciation: hah-DAH-sah
Origin of name: Hebrew
Meaning of name: Myrtle
The Story Behind This Biblical Christian Baby Name
Hadassah was the Hebrew birth name of the woman for whom the book of Esther is named. Hadassah lost her parents at a young age, and was brought up by her cousin Mordecai, who treated her as his own daughter. They both lived in Shushan, the capital city where Ahasuerus reigned as king of Persia and Media.
King Ahasuerus banishes his queen for disobedience and decides to search his kingdom for a new queen. In a story both dramatic and uplifting, Hadassah is chosen as the new queen. She is described as “lovely and beautiful” and the king “loves her above all the other women” that he interviewed for the position. Mordecai advises Hadassah to keep her Jewish heritage hidden from the king, and it seems this is the reason behind changing her name to Esther, which she is called throughout the book.
But the story doesn’t end there. An ambitious politician named Haman notices that Mordecai doesn’t bow before him when he passes by, and an investigation into this offense reveals that it is Mordecai’s Jewish beliefs that prompt him to reserve his homage for the Lord. Haman is so outraged by this that it isn’t enough to punish Mordecai — he petitions the king for permission to wipe out all the Jews in the kingdom. Unaware that his beloved new Queen Esther is a Jew, the king grants Haman’s request.
Esther becomes the heroine of the story when she takes her life in her hands and stands up for her people against Haman’s plan. She uses her influence with the king and the Jews living in the Persian kingdom are saved.
A beautiful movie re-telling of this bible story called “One Night with the King” was released in 2006. It keeps much of the details true to the bible story while using a little artistic license to make the story satisfying to a modern audience.
See also our entry for the name Esther.
Scriptures for the Bible Stories of the Girl Name Hadassah
- Esther 2:7 (the only mention of Esther’s true Jewish name)
- The Book of Esther (formatted for easy reading of the whole story in a modern language translation)
Variations of the girl name Hadassah
Girl names: Hedassah, Hadessah, Myrtle (English)
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Ginethoi meaning and bible story
Thank you for your query, Mary. I found no reference to Ginethoi in the Hebrew or Greek of the Bible. I did find it in an Albanian translation, which led me to a similar name in Nehemiah 12:4 – Ginnethoi. Interestingly, verses 4-6 are omitted from the Septuagint. This name seems to be related to Ginnethon, which is referenced as a name in Nehemiah 10:6 and 12:16. No details seem to be mentioned about these people, but the name in the dictionary is said to mean “gardener”. Hope this helps!