English 
Chinese 
Dutch 
Arabic 
Spanish 
Portuguese 
Russian 
French 
Italian 
German 
Japanese 
Continue reading with a subscription
Get unlimited access to all our premium content and exclusive features.
Enjoy unlimited access, cancel anytime.
Summary
- No one in the Bible is named Star, Estrella or Stella.
- Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah, “myrtle” (Esther 2:7), may have a name meaning “star” in Persian, or one taken from the goddess Ishtar.
- The Talmud records Rabbi Nehemya’s view that the nations called her Esther “after Istahar, Venus” (Megillah 13a).
- Estrella is the Spanish word for star; the Reina-Valera Bible of 1909 prints it in capitals in Numbers 24:17, and the Virgen del Carmen is called Estrella del Mar.
- The Hebrew word for star is kokhav; Simon bar Kosiba was called Bar Kokhba, “son of the star,” after Rabbi Akiva applied Numbers 24:17 to him.
- Scripture uses stars as signs of God’s promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:5), and Jesus calls himself “the bright morning star” (Revelation 22:16).
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Behind the Name, “Star,” “Estrella,” “Stella,” “Esther” and “Hadassah,” with United States popularity figures from Social Security Administration data. https://www.behindthename.com/name/esther
- Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 13a, William Davidson Edition, Sefaria. https://www.sefaria.org/Megillah.13a
- La Santa Biblia, Reina-Valera (1909): Numbers 24:17; Psalm 147:4. https://api.getbible.net/v2/valera/4/24.json
- “Virgen del Carmen,” Wikipedia (Spanish). https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgen_del_Carmen
- “Hermandad de la Estrella (Sevilla),” Wikipedia (Spanish). https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermandad_de_la_Estrella_(Sevilla)
- “Simon bar Kokhba” and “Star Prophecy,” Wikipedia, citing the Jerusalem Talmud, Taanit 4:5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_bar_Kokhba
- “Inanna,” Wikipedia, on Ishtar and the planet Venus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inanna
- Strong’s Hebrew 5906, ʿash, Bible Hub. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5906.htm
- Scripture quotations: Esther 2:7; Numbers 24:17; Psalm 147:4; Genesis 15:5; Daniel 12:3; Revelation 1:20; 22:16, English Standard Version. References: Esther 2:20; Matthew 2:2.
Leave a Reply