Esther 4 1

Esther 4:1 kjv

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;

Esther 4:1 nkjv

When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry.

Esther 4:1 niv

When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.

Esther 4:1 esv

When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.

Esther 4:1 nlt

When Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on burlap and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter wail.

Esther 4 verses

Esther 4 1 Meaning

Esther 4:1 describes Mordecai's immediate and extreme reaction upon learning of Haman's decree to annihilate the Jews. His actions of tearing his clothes, putting on sackcloth and ashes, and crying out loudly in the city, signify profound grief, despair, humiliation, and a public protest against the impending national catastrophe. It represents a common ancient Near Eastern custom of expressing deep lamentation and a desperate appeal for divine intervention in the face of insurmountable peril.

Esther 4 1 Context

Esther 4:1 marks a critical turning point in the book. Prior to this, Haman had successfully deceived King Ahasuerus into issuing a decree to annihilate all Jews throughout the Persian Empire (Esther 3). This decree, irreversible and sealed with the king's signet ring, was sent to all provinces, causing great dismay. Mordecai, until this point focused on the palace affairs and subtly watching over Esther, now learns the full scope of the catastrophic decree. His public display of extreme mourning is a direct and dramatic response to the news, serving to communicate the immense peril to the Jewish community and to prompt action, specifically from Queen Esther, who is still unaware of the immediate danger to her people. Historically, public lamentation was a deeply significant act in the ancient Near East, symbolizing national catastrophe and an appeal to both earthly and heavenly powers.

Esther 4 1 Word analysis

• When Mordecai: Hebrew: מָרְדֳּכַי (Mordekai). This immediately identifies the primary actor. Mordecai, a loyal Jew at the king's gate, is specifically named, highlighting his central role in the unfolding drama. His identity as a Jew means the decree applies directly to him.
• learned: Hebrew: יָדַע (yada'). To know, understand, or perceive. It signifies full comprehension of the decree's scope and implications, not just hearsay. It implies a clear, undeniable realization of the impending doom.
• all that had been done: Hebrew: הָיָה (hayah). Implies something that "had become" or "taken place." This phrase emphasizes the completed and published nature of the edict. It wasn't a threat; it was a devastating reality that had already been executed in terms of its issuance. This complete knowledge necessitates his extreme reaction.
• he tore his clothes: Hebrew: קָרַע בְּגָדָיו (qara' beghadav). A powerful ancient custom signifying extreme grief, sorrow, distress, or horror. It was a visible and universally understood sign of profound personal or national calamity. It often preceded prayer or lamentation, indicating an immediate, visceral response to devastating news.
• and put on sackcloth and ashes: Hebrew: וַיִּלְבַּשׁ שַׂק וָאֵפֶר (vayilbash saq va'efer). Sackcloth: a coarse, rough, dark fabric made of goat's hair, symbolizing mourning, humility, repentance, or lament. Ashes: sprinkled on the head or body, indicating dust, desolation, degradation, worthlessness, or deep despair. This combination of garments and physical adornment was a universally recognized symbol of abject sorrow and urgent supplication in the ancient world.
• and went out into the midst of the city: Hebrew: וַיֵּצֵא אֶל־תּוֹךְ הָעִיר (vayyetse' el-tokh ha'ir). Mordecai did not mourn in private. His public display, entering the very heart of the capital city, Shushan, demonstrates the public nature of the threat and his desire to raise awareness and incite a corporate response. It was an open lament and a silent, yet powerful, appeal.
• and cried out: Hebrew: וַיִּזְעַק (vayyiz'aq). A strong verb indicating a loud, public outcry or a piercing shriek. It's an urgent call for attention, often signifying extreme distress, appeal to authorities, or a desperate plea to God for help and justice against injustice.
• with a loud and bitter cry: Hebrew: זַעֲקָה גְדֹלָה וּמָרָה (za'aqah gedolah u-marah). This phrase intensifies the preceding verb. "Loud" (gedolah) emphasizes the public and emphatic nature of his lament, ensuring all could hear. "Bitter" (marah) conveys the deep anguish, suffering, and intense emotional pain experienced, reflecting the truly desperate and hopeless situation from a human perspective. It speaks to the utter despondency facing an edict of complete destruction.

• "Mordecai... learned all that had been done": This group of words emphasizes that Mordecai was not simply reacting to a rumor, but to verified, complete information about the decree. His knowledge of the totality of Haman's wicked plot is the trigger for his dramatic and public actions.
• "tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes": These are ancient Israelite and ANE (Ancient Near Eastern) customary signs of deep lamentation, national calamity, and sometimes, profound repentance or horror. These are acts of self-abasement, indicating spiritual brokenness and a stripping away of pride, preparing for earnest supplication. It implies both outward expression and an inward state of utter despair.
• "went out into the midst of the city and cried out with a loud and bitter cry": This phrase details the public and desperate nature of Mordecai's lament. He performs these rituals in the public square, at the heart of the city where the decree would have been made known. The loud and bitter cry serves to express intense suffering and serves as a public alert, galvanizing the Jewish community and setting the stage for Esther's involvement. It is a sign that human solutions have seemingly failed, and now only divine intervention, or extraordinary human courage, remains.

Esther 4 1 Bonus section

• The emphasis on "all that had been done" signifies that Mordecai understood the irreversible nature of the decree (sealed by the king's signet ring), which heightens the desperation and prompts a direct spiritual appeal or human intervention beyond standard political means.
• Mordecai's public mourning also likely serves as a crucial signal to Queen Esther. As royal protocols restricted such expressions within the palace, Mordecai's outward display became a desperate form of communication to his cousin about the magnitude of the danger, indirectly forcing her hand to confront the issue.
• The absence of an explicit mention of prayer or crying to God in this verse, while implied by the custom of sackcloth and ashes, aligns with the broader characteristic of the Book of Esther, where God's name is not explicitly written. Nevertheless, Mordecai's actions are steeped in religious meaning, reflecting a people turning in deep distress towards divine intervention.
• The "bitter cry" indicates not just sorrow, but possibly lament over injustice, a plea for vindication, and the realization of imminent death for himself and his entire people.

Esther 4 1 Commentary

Esther 4:1 provides the immediate, heart-wrenching reaction to the gravest crisis faced by the Jews in the Persian Empire. Mordecai's actions are not merely a personal expression of grief but a profound, public performance designed to convey the immense scope of the impending genocide. His tearing of clothes, donning of sackcloth, and scattering of ashes were deeply symbolic, culturally recognized acts of utter despair, humiliation, and desperate petition in the ancient Near East. This primal, unreserved outpouring in the city square signifies that human recourse has reached its limit and now calls for an extraordinary intervention. This powerful scene initiates the critical chain of events leading to the deliverance of the Jews, as Mordecai’s highly visible distress is intended to and eventually does reach Queen Esther within the palace, stirring her to action. His actions are thus an urgent alarm bell, signaling both the immediate danger and implicitly setting the stage for God's providential work, even though God's name is notably absent from the book of Esther.