Zethar is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Zethar was one of the seven eunuchs, or chamberlains, who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus. He is named only once in Scripture, in the opening chapter of the Book of Esther, where he appears in a list of seven men: Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas. These men were the king’s personal attendants, entrusted with service in his immediate presence.
The setting is a great royal feast in the third year of Ahasuerus’s reign. The king had been displaying the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty for many days, and on the seventh day of the feast, when his heart was merry with wine, he gave a command to these seven chamberlains. They were to bring Queen Vashti before the king wearing the royal crown, so that the people and the princes might see her beauty, for she was fair to look upon. The text presents Zethar simply as one of the men who received and were expected to carry out this order.
Scripture records nothing else about Zethar—no word, no action, and no outcome attributed to him personally. The command he was given was refused by the queen, and the narrative moves quickly to the king’s anger and the counsel of his wise men. Zethar remains a silent figure in the account, named among the servants of a powerful king at a pivotal moment in the story of Esther.
The Name
The name Zethar is of uncertain meaning. It appears in the Hebrew text of Esther as a transliteration of a Persian name, and like several other names in the book, its precise sense is not clearly recoverable. Various suggestions have been offered, but none is well established enough to state with confidence. What can be said plainly is that the meaning of this name is not clearly known, and Scripture itself gives no interpretation of it.
A Closing Thought
Zethar appears only in a single verse, a servant named in passing among six others. Yet he stood in the presence of a king and was entrusted with a royal command. Most of us will live without fame or a lasting record, our names known to few. Zethar reminds us that faithfulness in the place where we serve—even in obscurity, even when the outcome is not ours to control—is still service rendered before the King of all. God’s story often includes the quietly unnamed and the briefly mentioned.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Esther 1:10 — On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king,