| THE LIE The Book of Esther is a story about the genocide of 75,000 Persians by Jews, which is why it is the only book of the Bible that does not mention God. |
| THE TRUTH The Book of Esther—one of only two books in the Bible that never mentions God’s name—tells the story of the Jewish people’s survival of a Persian plot to annihilate them. The omission of God’s name is intentional. The Book of Esther teaches that God works behind the scenes, His hand hidden within the fabric of seemingly ordinary events. |
| BACKGROUND On April 1, Reverend Franklin Graham prayed at a White House Easter event, invoking the Book of Esther and asking God to grant President Donald Trump victory over Iran. (Forbes) Rev. Graham drew a parallel between ancient Persia’s genocidal threat to the Jews and the modern Iranian regime’s stated aim to destroy Israel.The next day, Tucker Carlson accused Graham of praying for America to kill innocent “kids and women.” (Tucker Carlson) Tucker then claimed the Book of Esther is a story about the genocide of 75,000 Persians — and, as proof of its moral darkness, declared it the only book of the Bible that doesn’t mention God. |
| TRUTH EXPLAINEDFranklin Graham at no point prayed for the deaths of innocent women and children. On the contrary, his prayer included an explicit plea for the Iranian people’s protection. (Forbes) The Book of Esther is not a story about the genocide of 75,000 Persians. It is about the attempted genocide of the Jewish people, planned by the Persian official Haman and authorized by King Ahasuerus (widely identified as Xerxes I). (Jewish Virtual Library) The 75,000 Persians killed were not innocent civilians — they were aggressors who mobilized under a royal decree specifically issued to massacre Jews and seize their property. (Jewish Virtual Library) Killing less than 1% of a population in direct self-defense against a state-sanctioned pogrom does not meet any reasonable definition of genocide.The Jews’ restraint is explicitly documented in the Book of Esther itself, which records three times that they did not touch their enemies’ property or take spoils — even though the royal decree legally permitted them to do so. (Jewish Virtual Library) Tucker claimed the Book of Esther is the only book in the Bible without God’s name — ignoring the Song of Solomon, which also omits it. (Bible Gateway) The Book of Esther deliberately omits mentioning God to highlight His providential, behind-the-scenes work through human actions rather than direct miracles. The omission emphasizes God’s sovereign control over seemingly normal “coincidences,” demonstrating His presence and protection even when He seems absent. (Bible Project) |
| QUOTES “On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but quite the opposite happened. It was the Jews who overpowered their enemies. The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the king’s provinces to attack anyone who tried to harm them.” Esther (9:1-2) |
| TAKEAWAY Tucker Carlson calls himself a devout Christian, yet took a Bible story about God’s hidden hand saving His people from annihilation and turned it into a hit piece on the Jews. Faithful readers see God’s divine providence and protection throughout the Book of Esther. Tucker sees another weapon for his anti-Israel obsession. |
