The story in I Kings 20-21 about בן הדד and אחאב continuing into כרם נבות has many phrases in common with the book of Esther:
| מלכים א כ:יד | שרי המדינות | This phrase occurs only here and in Esther. The word מדינה is rare outside of the late books of the the Bible |
| מלכים א כ:כד | ושים פחות | The word פחה occurs most frequently in the post-exilic books, but does occur in some of the earlier books of the Bible as well |
| מלכים א כ:לט | ככר כסף תשקול | The only other place in תנ”ך that the phrase ככר כסף is followed by the root שקל is in Esther 3:9 |
| מלכים כ:מג | וילך מלך ישראל על ביתו סר וזעף | The connection here to Esther is more tenuous. This phrase recalls המן when he is angry and frustrated with מרדכי, but the language here is not exactly the same as in Esther |
| מלכים כא:ח | ותכתב ספרים בשם אחאב ותחתם בחתמו ותשלח [ה]ספרים אל הזקנים | This phrase is almost verbatim what we have several times in Esther. Esther is the only other book in the Bible that uses the phrase שלח ספרים. We also have the queen sealing with the king’s signet ring, a recurring phrase (and theme) in Esther |
| מלכים א כא:ט | קראו צום | Esther also calls on the people to fast |