This 19th-century painting of Queen Esther by Jean-François Portaels is housed in the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

These biblical queens played crucial roles in the rise and fall of ancient Israel

Some were heretics and others heroes, but these royal women all took center stage in some of the most important stories in the Old Testament.

Bathsheba, Jezebel, Athaliah, and Esther are all associated with different eras of Jewish history and their tales serve as reminders of Jewish people's covenant with YHWH. Esther, pictured here in a 19th-century painting by Jean-François Portaels, has a scroll of her story that is read every year at Purim.
Bridgeman/ACI
This content is Subscriber-Exclusive
You must have a National Geographic subscription to explore this article.

Read This Next

Is banning fishing bad for fishermen? Not in this marine reserve
SeaWorld allegedly violated the Animal Welfare Act. Why is it still open?
'World’s worst shipwreck' was bloodier than we thought

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet