King James Version
Esther 4
17 verses with commentary
Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help
When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When Mordecai perceived all that was done, he rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;</strong> Mordecai's response to the decree demonstrates profound grief expressed through traditional mourning practices: tearing clothes, wearing sackcloth, covering himself with ashes, and crying aloud. These were...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
IV.
(1) **Mordecai rent** **his clothes.**—This was a common sign of sorrow among Eastern nations generally. It will be noticed that the sorrow both of Mordecai and of the Jews generally (Esther 4:3) is described by external manifestations solely. There is rending of garments, putting on of sackcloth and ashes, fasting and weeping and wailing: there is nothing said of prayer and entreaty to the Go...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. next unto him builded the men of Jericho, &c.--**The wall was divided into portions, one of which was assigned respectively to each of the great families which had returned from the captivity. This distribution, by which the building was carried on in all parts simultaneously with great energy, was eminently favorable to despatch. "The villages where the restorers resided being mostly men...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
Opposition of Sanballat and others.(1-6)
The designs of the adversaries.(7-15)
Nehemiah's precautions.(16-23)
**Verses 1-6**
Many a good work has been looked upon with contempt by proud and haughty scorners. Those who disagree in almost every thing, will unite in persecution. Nehemiah did not answer these fools according to their folly, but looked up...
Read full commentary →And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.</strong> Mordecai came to the king's gate—his normal workplace (2:19, 21; 3:2-3)—but couldn't enter due to mourning garments. Palace protocol forbade sackcloth within royal precincts, maintaining an aura of celebration and prosperity around the king. This detail is poignant: Mordecai's p...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **None might enter . . .**—That nothing sad or ill-omened might meet the monarch’s gaze, as though by shutting his eyes, as it were, to the presence of sorrow, or sickness, or death, he might suppose that he was successfully evading them.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
Opposition of Sanballat and others.(1-6)
The designs of the adversaries.(7-15)
Nehemiah's precautions.(16-23)
**Verses 1-6**
Many a good work has been looked upon with contempt by proud and haughty scorners. Those who disagree in almost every thing, will unite in persecution. Nehemiah did not answer these fools according to their folly, but looked up...
Read full commentary →And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. many: Heb. sackcloth and ashes were laid under many
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.</strong> The decree's publication sparked empire-wide Jewish mourning. The fourfold description—"mourning, fasting, weeping, wailing"—emphasizes the grief's intensity and universality. The phras...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
Opposition of Sanballat and others.(1-6)
The designs of the adversaries.(7-15)
Nehemiah's precautions.(16-23)
**Verses 1-6**
Many a good work has been looked upon with contempt by proud and haughty scorners. Those who disagree in almost every thing, will unite in persecution. Nehemiah did not answer these fools according to their folly, but looked up...
Read full commentary →So Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received it not. chamberlains: Heb. eunuchs
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received it not.</strong> When servants reported Mordecai's mourning, Esther sent clothing to replace his sackcloth, attempting to restore normalcy. Her response shows concern but also reveals her isola...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **So Esther’s maids . . .**—It is perhaps fair to infer from this, that Esther’s connection with Mordecai was known to those about her, though as yet not to the king.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
Opposition of Sanballat and others.(1-6)
The designs of the adversaries.(7-15)
Nehemiah's precautions.(16-23)
**Verses 1-6**
Many a good work has been looked upon with contempt by proud and haughty scorners. Those who disagree in almost every thing, will unite in persecution. Nehemiah did not answer these fools according to their folly, but looked up...
Read full commentary →Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was. appointed: Heb. set before her
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was.</strong> Esther sent Hatach (a eunuch chamberlain assigned to her service) to learn the cause of Mordecai's mourning. Her initiative in seeking information demonstrates both concern and emerging leadership. The...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
Opposition of Sanballat and others.(1-6)
The designs of the adversaries.(7-15)
Nehemiah's precautions.(16-23)
**Verses 1-6**
Many a good work has been looked upon with contempt by proud and haughty scorners. Those who disagree in almost every thing, will unite in persecution. Nehemiah did not answer these fools according to their folly, but looked up...
Read full commentary →So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king's gate.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king's gate.</strong> Hatach obeyed Esther's command, finding Mordecai in the street before the king's gate—the closest Mordecai could approach while wearing sackcloth (v. 2). This verse demonstrates providence working through faithful servants at multiple levels: Esther seeking information, Hatach serving a...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Street.**—The square or wide open place. Heb., *r’hob.*)
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
Opposition of Sanballat and others.(1-6)
The designs of the adversaries.(7-15)
Nehemiah's precautions.(16-23)
**Verses 1-6**
Many a good work has been looked upon with contempt by proud and haughty scorners. Those who disagree in almost every thing, will unite in persecution. Nehemiah did not answer these fools according to their folly, but looked up...
Read full commentary →And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.</strong> Mordecai gave Hatach comprehensive information: his personal situation and Haman's financial offer (10,000 talents, 3:9) to pay for Jewish extermination. Including the monetary detail emphasized the plot's calcu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall--**or, "double wall," extending from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits in length, formerly broken down by Joash, king of Israel [2Ch 25:23], but afterwards rebuilt by Uzziah [2Ch 26:9], who made it so strong that the Chaldeans, finding it difficult to demolish, had left it standing.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause un...
Read full commentary →Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.</strong> Mordecai sent Hatach back with a copy of Haman's decree, written evidence of the genocide plot. He i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause un...
Read full commentary →And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.</strong> Hatach faithfully delivered Mordecai's message to Esther, completing his assigned role. This brief verse's simplicity belies its importance—the message delivery initiated Esther's awareness of the crisis and her deliberation about response. The narrative's structure emphasizes the back-and-forth communication process: concern,...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause un...
Read full commentary →Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;</strong> The exchange continued with Esther sending her response to Mordecai via Hatach. The word "again" emphasizes the ongoing dialogue—not a single message but sustained communication working toward resolution. Esther's "commandment" to Mordecai might seem presumptuous (commanding her guardian), but likely refers to...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Again.**—There is nothing for this in the original, and it would be better to put *and,* as the statement of Esther 4:10 is clearly continuous with Esther 4:9.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause un...
Read full commentary →All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.</strong> Esther'...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **There is** one **law of** **his . . .**—Literally, *one is his law,* that is, there is one unvarying rule for such. No one who had not been summoned might enter the king’s presence under pain of death.
**The** **golden sceptre**—We are told that in the representations of Persian kings at Persepolis, in every case the monarch holds a long staff or sceptre in his right hand. How forcibly, aft...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. Shallum ... he and his daughters--**who were either heiresses or rich widows. They undertook to defray the expenses of a part of the wall next them.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause un...
Read full commentary →And they told to Mordecai Esther's words.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they told to Mordecai Esther's words.</strong> This brief transitional verse marks Hatach carrying Esther's explanation (v. 11) back to Mordecai. The back-and-forth communication—Esther's concern (v. 4), Mordecai's response (v. 7-8), Esther's explanation (v. 10-11), Mordecai's challenge (v. 13-14)—demonstrates how providence works through deliberation and dialogue. The conversation was...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. the inhabitants of Zanoah--**There were two towns so called in the territory of Judah (Jos 15:34, 56).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause un...
Read full commentary →Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.</strong> Mordecai's response directly challenges Esther's presumed safety. His warning "think not...that thou shalt escape" demolishes any illusion that royal position exempts her from Haman's decree. The phrase "more than all the Jews" emphasizes Jewish iden...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. Beth-haccerem--**a city of Judah, supposed to be now occupied by Bethulia, on a hill of the same name, which is sometimes called also the mountain of the Franks, between Jerusalem and Tekoa.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause un...
Read full commentary →For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? enlargement: Heb. respiration
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KJV Study Commentary
Mordecai's warning opens with a conditional threat: <strong>"For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time"</strong> (<em>ki im-hachareish tacharishi ba'et hazot</em>, כִּי אִם־הַחֲרֵשׁ תַּחֲרִישִׁי בָּעֵת הַזֹּאת). The Hebrew uses an emphatic construction with the infinitive absolute (<em>hachareish tacharishi</em>) meaning "keeping silence you keep silence"—deliberate, stubborn refusal t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Enlargement.**—Literally, *a breathing-space.*
**From another place.**—Although he does not explain his meaning, and, indeed, seems to be speaking with studied reserve, still we may suppose that Mordecai here refers to Divine help, which he asserts will be vouchsafed in this extremity. It does not necessarily follow that we are to see in this declaration a proof of the earnestness of Mordec...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause un...
Read full commentary →Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,</strong> After receiving Mordecai's message with copy of the decree and charge to intercede (v. 7-14), Esther sends her response. The verse introduces her reply, which will reveal her decision: will she risk approaching the king or remain silent? The tension builds as the narrative pauses before her answer. This structural technique emphas...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty--**that is, along the precipitous cliffs of Zion [Barclay].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause un...
Read full commentary →Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. present: Heb. found
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.</strong> Esther's response demonstrates both spiritual dependence and courageous resolve. She calls for corporate fasti...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-23**
We must watch always against spiritual enemies, and not expect that our warfare will be over till our work is ended. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit, which we ought to have always at hand, and never to have to seek for it, either in our labours, or in our conflicts, as Christians. Every true Christian is both a labourer and a soldier, working with one hand, and figh...
Read full commentary →So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him. went: Heb. passed
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.</strong> The chapter concludes with Mordecai's obedience to Esther's instructions. The role reversal is significant: previously Esther obeyed Mordecai (2:10, 20); now he obeys her. This demonstrates her maturation into independent agency and leadership. Mordecai organized the corporate fast among Shushan's Je...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-23**
We must watch always against spiritual enemies, and not expect that our warfare will be over till our work is ended. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit, which we ought to have always at hand, and never to have to seek for it, either in our labours, or in our conflicts, as Christians. Every true Christian is both a labourer and a soldier, working with one hand, and figh...
Read full commentary →