op ot am ian ▁god dess ▁Is ht ar ▁and / or ▁the ▁Pers ian ▁word ▁st ara , ▁" star ". ▁ ▁The ▁Book ▁of ▁Daniel ▁provides ▁accounts ▁of ▁Jews ▁in ▁ex ile ▁being ▁assigned ▁names ▁rel ating ▁to ▁Bab yl onian ▁gods ▁and ▁" M orde ca i " ▁is ▁understood ▁to ▁mean ▁servant ▁of ▁M ard uk , ▁a ▁Bab yl onian ▁god . ▁" Est her " ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁a ▁different ▁Heb rew ▁interpretation ▁from ▁the ▁Pro to - S emit ic ▁root ▁" star /' mor ning / even ing ▁star ' ", ▁which ▁desc ended ▁with ▁the ▁/ th / ▁into ▁the ▁U gar it ic ▁Ath t ir atu ▁and ▁Arab ian ▁Ath tar . ▁The ▁deriv ation ▁must ▁then ▁have ▁been ▁secondary ▁for ▁the ▁initial ▁ay in ▁to ▁be ▁confused ▁with ▁an ▁ale ph ▁( both ▁represented ▁by ▁v ow els ▁in ▁A kk ad ian ), ▁and ▁the ▁second ▁con son ant ▁desc ended ▁as ▁a ▁/ s / ▁( like ▁in ▁the ▁Ar ama ic ▁ ▁" br ight ▁star "), ▁rather ▁than ▁a ▁/ sh / ▁as ▁in ▁Heb rew ▁and ▁most ▁commonly ▁in ▁A kk ad ian . ▁ ▁Even ▁in ▁Tal m ud ic ▁times ▁it ▁was ▁realized ▁that ▁the ▁name ▁Est her ▁was ▁of ▁foreign ▁origin . ▁According ▁to ▁one ▁opinion ▁mentioned ▁in ▁the ▁Tal m ud ▁( T ract ate ▁Meg illa h ▁ 1 3 a ) ▁and ▁Y alk ut ▁Sh im oni ▁( 1