Mordecai and Esther: Who He Was to the Queen
Before Esther was queen, she was an orphaned girl raised by her cousin Mordecai. Esther 2:5–7 tells us who he was to her and where the family came from.
Who Was Xerxes' Father? Esther 1 Gives No Name
The opening of Esther introduces a king called Ahasuerus and describes his vast empire and lavish feast, but it never names his father. Any link between Ahasuerus and the Persian king history calls Xerxes is reconstruction, not something the text states.
What the Name Nehemiah Means in Nehemiah 1:1
The name Nehemiah means something like "the Lord comforts," yet the book opens with grief, not ease. The comfort in the name is a fitting banner over a man who weeps, prays, and then acts.