Was Esther Taken Forcefully In Sex Trafficking?

"So it came about when the command and decree of the king were heard and many young ladies were gathered to Susa the capital into the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s palace into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women". (Esther 2:8).

I’m intrigued by the passive tense and the verb

itself: “was taken.” In fact, this verb can mean “taken by

force,” and is so rendered in other parts of the Old

Testament. Some Jewish scholars give that interpretation in

this passage. I don’t know if there was coercion involved;

we’re not told that Esther was “forced” to go. But I think it

would be fair to say there was reluctance on her part. Just

stop and think:

Why would a young Jewess want to get

involved in a plan that would force her to leave the only

family she had, under the guardianship of one she

respected and loved, Mordecai?

Why would she want to

spend a year shut away in a harem, culminating in a night

with a heathen king that might result in the possibility of

intermarriage outside her race?

No question, I think it’s safe

to say she went reluctantly.

- Chuck Swindoll, Esther: Woman of Strength and Dignity