Esther 4

Esther · Chapter 4

Esther 4:3

1When 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;2And came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.3And 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.4So 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.5Then 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.6So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king’s gate.7And 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.8Also 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.9And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.10Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;11All 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.12And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words.13Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.14For 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?15Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,16Go, 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.17So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
3And 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.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.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.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and in everyוּבְכָל־u-ve-KHOL-H3605
all

כֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

provinceמְדִינָ֣הme-di-NAHH4082
province

מְדִינָה (me.di.nah) 1) province, district 1a) district 1b) province Aramaic equivalent: me.di.nah (מְדִינָה "province" H4083)

and provinceוּמְדִינָ֗הu-me-di-NAHH4082
province

מְדִינָה (me.di.nah) 1) province, district 1a) district 1b) province Aramaic equivalent: me.di.nah (מְדִינָה "province" H4083)

[the] placeמְקוֹם֙me-kOmH4725
place

מָקוֹם (ma.qom) 1) standing place, place 1a) standing place, station, post, office 1b) place, place of human abode 1c) city, land, region 1d) place, locality, spot 1e) space, room, distance 1f) region, quarter, direction 1g) give place to, instead of

of whereאֲשֶׁ֨ר'a-SHERH0834A
which

אֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when

[the] word ofדְּבַר־de-var-H1697G
word

דָּבָר (da.var) : word/speech/command 1) speech, word, speaking, thing 1a) speech 1b) saying, utterance 1c) word, words 1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)

the kingהַמֶּ֤לֶךְha-ME-lekhH4428G
king

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430)

and law hisוְדָתוֹ֙ve-da-TOH1881
law

דָּת (dat) 1) decree, law, edict, regulation, usage 1a) decree, edict, commission 1b) law, rule Aramaic equivalent: dat (דָּת "law" H1882)

[were] reachingמַגִּ֔יעַma-GI-a'H5060
to touch

נָגַע (na.ga) 1) to touch, reach, strike 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to touch 1a2) to strike 1a3) to reach, extend to 1a4) to be stricken 1a4a) stricken (participle) 1b) (Niphal) to be stricken, be defeated 1c) (Piel) to strike 1d) (Pual) to be stricken (by disease) 1e) (Hiphil) to cause to touch, reach, approach, arrive 1e1) to cause to touch, apply 1e2) to reach, extend, attain, arrive, come 1e3) to approach (of time) 1e4) to befall (of fate)

mourningאֵ֤בֶל'E-velH0060
mourning

אֵ֫בֶל (e.vel) 1) mourning 1a) for the dead 1b) for rites of mourning (metaph) 1c) mourning garb 1d) period of mourning

greatגָּדוֹל֙ga-dOlH1419A
great: large

גָּדוֹל (ga.dol) adj 1) great 1a) large (in magnitude and extent) 1b) in number 1c) in intensity 1d) loud (in sound) 1e) older (in age) 1f) in importance 1f1) important things 1f2) great, distinguished (of men) 1f3) God Himself (of God) subst 1g) great things 1h) haughty things 1i) greatness Also means: ga.dol (גָּדוֹל ": old" H1419K) § Haggedolim = "the great one" (CLBL) Haggedolim, the great man?, father of Zabdiel

[belonged] to the Jewsלַיְּהוּדִ֔יםlai-ye-hu-DIMH3064
Jew

יְהוּדִי (ye.hu.di) Someone descended from Judah (H3063) and possibly other tribes, first mentioned at 2Ki.25.25 § Jew

and fastingוְצ֥וֹםve-TZOMH6685
fast

צוֹם (tsom) fast, fasting

and weepingוּבְכִ֖יu-ve-KHIH1065
weeping

בְּכִי (be.khi) a weeping, weeping

and wailingוּמִסְפֵּ֑דu-mis-PEDH4553
mourning

מִסְפֵּד (mis.ped) wailing

sackclothשַׂ֣קsakH8242
sackcloth

שַׂק (saq) 1) mesh, sackcloth, sack, sacking 1a) sack (for grain) 1b) sackcloth 1b1) worn in mourning or humiliation 1b2) same material spread out to lie on

and ash[es]וָאֵ֔פֶרva-'E-ferH0665
ashes

אֵ֫פֶר (e.pher) 1) ashes 2) (CLBL) worthlessness (fig.)

it was spread as a bedיֻצַּ֖עyu-TZA'H3331
to lay

יָצַע (ya.tsa) 1) to spread out, make a bed 1a) (Hiphil) to lay, spread out 1b) (Hophal) to be laid, be spread out

by the many [people]לָֽרַבִּֽים׃LA-ra-BIMH7227A
many

רַב (rav) adj 1) much, many, great 1a) much 1b) many 1c) abounding in 1d) more numerous than 1e) abundant, enough 1f) great 1g) strong 1h) greater than adv 1i) much, exceedingly

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.