Esther4

Upon learning of Haman's decree to destroy the Jews, Mordecai publicly mourns, prompting Queen Esther's concern. He informs her of the plot and charges her to intercede with the king, despite the severe law against unsummoned entry. Esther, after Mordecai's powerful admonition, bravely resolves to approach the king, requesting a three-day fast from her people and declaring, "if I perish, I perish."
Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Mordecai Mourns the Decree

1
When Mordecai learned of all that had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. ​
2
But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering that gate. ​
3
In every province to which the king’s command and edict came, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

Esther Learns of the Crisis

4
When Esther’s maidens and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, the queen was overcome with distress. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. ​
5
Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs appointed to her, and she dispatched him to Mordecai to learn what was troubling him and why.
6
So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the king’s gate,
7
and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury in order to destroy the Jews.
8
Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for the destruction of the Jews, to show and explain to Esther, urging her to approach the king, implore his favor, and plead before him for her people. ​
9
So Hathach went back and relayed Mordecai’s response to Esther.
10
Then Esther spoke to Hathach and instructed him to tell Mordecai,
11
“All the royal officials and the people of the king’s provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned—that he be put to death. Only if the king extends the gold scepter may that person live. But I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the past thirty days.” ​
12
When Esther’s words were relayed to Mordecai,

Mordecai Challenges Esther

13
he sent back to her this reply: “Do not imagine that because you are in the king’s palace you alone will escape the fate of all the Jews. ​
14
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows if perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” ​
15
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:

Esther's Resolve and Call for Fasting

16
“Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day, and I and my maidens will fast as you do. After that, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish!” ​
17
So Mordecai went and did all that Esther had instructed him.

Study Notes for Esther 4

Verse 1

Rending clothes and donning sackcloth and ashes were traditional ancient Near Eastern signs of extreme mourning, grief, and supplication, usually associated with national catastrophe or deep personal distress.

Verse 2

The strict rule against entering the king’s gate in mourning clothes emphasizes the rigid security and ceremonial protocol of the Persian court, highlighting the isolation of the monarch.

Verse 4

Esther’s initial attempt to solve the problem by sending new clothes reveals her insulation from the immediate crisis. Mordecai’s refusal signifies that the situation required a national response, not a superficial fix.

Verse 8

Mordecai’s charge defines Esther’s moral and national duty, requiring her to use her unique position to make 'supplication' for her people, a politically dangerous act that risked her life.

Verse 11

This verse details the strict protocol of the Persian monarchy: approaching the king unsummoned was punishable by death. The holding out of the golden scepter was the king’s only mechanism for granting pardon.

Verse 13

Mordecai dismisses Esther’s fear of immediate danger within the palace walls, reminding her that Haman’s decree targets all Jews indiscriminately, meaning her identity, if discovered, would seal her fate regardless of her title.

Verse 14

This is the theological high point of the book, suggesting divine providence guides history, even though God is not explicitly named. Mordecai implies that Esther’s royal position may have been specifically ordained by God for this critical moment of deliverance.

Verse 16

The three-day fast (total abstinence from food and drink, night and day) represents an act of complete collective spiritual preparation and dependence on divine favor before undertaking mortal risk. Esther’s phrase, 'If I perish, I perish,' signifies her courageous commitment to the task, regardless of the personal cost.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate
Settings

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Options