Esther Chapter 4 — For Such a Time as This
Mordecai informs Queen Esther of Haman's plot against the Jews and asks her to intervene. Esther calls for a city-wide fast and decides to risk her life by approaching the king.
1Now when Mordecai found out all that was done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, and wailed loudly and bitterly.
2He came even before the king’s gate, for no one is allowed inside the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
3In 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.
4Esther’s maidens and her eunuchs came and told her this, and the queen was exceedingly grieved. She sent clothing to Mordecai, to replace his sackcloth, but he didn’t receive it.
5Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, whom he had appointed to attend her, and commanded him to go to Mordecai, to find out what this was, and why it was.
6So Hathach went out to Mordecai, to the city square which was before the king’s gate.
7Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.
8He also gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given out in Susa to destroy them, to show it to Esther, and to declare it to her, and to urge her to go in to the king to make supplication to him, and to make request before him for her people.
9Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai:
11“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that whoever, whether man or woman, comes to the king into the inner court without being called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except those to whom the king might hold out the golden scepter, that he may live. I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
12They told Esther’s words to Mordecai.
13Then Mordecai asked them to return this answer to Esther: “Don’t think to yourself that you will escape in the king’s house any more than all the Jews.
14For if you remain silent now, then relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Who knows if you haven’t come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
15Then Esther asked them to answer Mordecai,
16“Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Susa, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day. I and my maidens will also fast the same way. Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
17So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Esther 4:14
“For if you remain silent now, then relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Who knows if you haven’t come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
This verse suggests that Esther's royal position was purposeful and that her choice would determine her and her family's future.
Esther 4:16
“Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Susa, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day. I and my maidens will also fast the same way. Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
This statement marks Esther’s transition from fear to a courageous commitment to save her people regardless of the cost.
Chapter Summary
Upon hearing of Haman’s decree to destroy the Jews, Mordecai mourns publicly in sackcloth and ashes. Queen Esther hears of his distress and sends her attendant, Hathach, to investigate. Mordecai provides evidence of the plot and the king's decree, urging Esther to plead with the king for her people. Esther initially hesitates, noting the danger: anyone approaching the king in the inner court without being summoned faces execution unless the king extends his golden scepter. Mordecai responds by emphasizing that Esther will not be safe even in the palace and suggests she was placed in her royal position for this specific crisis. Moved by his words, Esther requests that all Jews in Susa fast for three days and nights along with her and her maidens. She resolves to approach the king regardless of the law, famously stating, 'If I perish, I perish.' Mordecai then proceeds to follow Esther's instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mordecai wore sackcloth and ashes as a traditional sign of deep mourning and distress after learning of Haman’s decree to destroy all the Jews in the Persian Empire.
The law stated that any person who entered the king's inner court without being summoned would be put to death, unless the king held out his golden scepter to them.
Esther requested a three-day fast to seek communal support and preparation before she performed the dangerous task of approaching the king uninvited.
Study Note
Mordecai's mention of 'relief and deliverance coming from another place' in verse 14 is often interpreted as a subtle allusion to divine providence in a book where God is not explicitly named.
Related Chapters
Esther Chapter 3
This chapter provides the context for Haman's decree that causes the mourning in chapter 4.
Esther Chapter 5
This chapter follows Esther's decision as she prepares to approach King Ahasuerus.
Daniel Chapter 9
This chapter provides another example of a biblical figure using fasting and mourning to intercede for their people.
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