Esther 4:3
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.
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.
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.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- 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.
- KJV
- 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.
- WEB
- In every province, wherever 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.
- ASV
- 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.
- DARBY
- And in every province, wherever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing: many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
- BLB
- And in every province and province, any place to which the word of the king and his law reached, [there was] great mourning for the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing—sackcloth and ashes were spread out for many.
- ÅB
- Og i hvert eneste landskap, overalt hvor kongens ord og befaling nådde fram, ble det stor sorg blant jødene og faste og gråt og jammer, ja, mange redet seg et leie av sekk og aske.
- OTB
- I hver provins hvor kongens befaling og dekret nådde, var det stor sorg blant jødene, med faste, gråt og klage; mange lå i sekkestrie og aske.
- B1930
- Og i hvert eneste landskap, overalt hvor kongens ord og befaling nådde frem, blev det stor sorg blandt jødene og faste og gråt og jammer, ja, mange redet sig et leie av sekk og aske.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Isaiah 22:12
On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.
Read in contextDaniel 9:3
So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
Read in contextIsaiah 37:1–3
On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.
Read in contextEsther 3:12
On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal scribes were summoned and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded the royal satraps, the governors of each province, and the officials of each people, in the script of each province and the language of every people. It was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the royal signet ring.
Read in contextEsther 4:16
“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!”
Read in contextIsaiah 58:5
Is this the fast I have chosen: a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the LORD?
Read in contextIsaiah 22:4
Therefore I said, “Turn away from me, let me weep bitterly! Do not try to console me over the destruction of the daughter of my people.”
Read in contextMatthew 25:30
And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Read in context