Esther 4

Chapter 4 of the Book of Esther marks the transition from the first half of the book to the second. In Esther 3, Haman issued a decree in the king's name to every province, ordering the destruction of the Jews. Chapter 4 portrays the Jews' response to that news and Esther's resolve.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 Mordecai tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth (mourning garments made of coarse cloth) and ashes, and goes out into the city wailing, coming as far as the king's gate. No one clothed in sackcloth was permitted to enter the king's gate. In every province the decree reached, the Jews also fast and mourn.
• Verses 4–9 Esther sends garments, but Mordecai refuses them. When Esther sends the eunuch Hatach to learn what has happened, Mordecai tells him the exact sum of silver Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries, gives him a copy of the decree, and charges Esther to go to the king and plead for her people.
• Verses 10–12 Esther replies that there is a law that anyone who enters the inner court without being summoned is put to death unless the king holds out the golden scepter (the king's staff of gold), and that she has not been called to the king for thirty days.
• Verses 13–14 Mordecai answers that she should not imagine she alone will escape because she is in the king's palace.
• Verses 15–17 Esther asks that the Jews of Shushan be gathered to fast for her, neither eating nor drinking for three days, night and day. She and her maidens will fast as well, and then she will go to the king, contrary to the law. Mordecai does as she commands.

Key Verses

• Esther 4:14 "Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" — widely quoted as linking one's position with one's calling.
• Esther 4:16 "If I perish, I perish." — a phrase that sums up Esther's willingness to risk her life.

Characters and Places

• Esther: A Jewish woman who became queen to the king of Persia.
• Mordecai: Esther's older cousin, who raised her.
• Hatach: A eunuch the king had appointed to attend Esther; he carries messages between the two.
• Haman: The official who devised the decree to destroy the Jews.
• Ahasuerus: In this chapter he appears only as "the king," without being named.
• Shushan (Susa): The city where the royal palace of the Persian Empire stood.

Points for Reflection

• The name of God does not appear directly in the Book of Esther. Many interpreters read the words of verse 14, "then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place," as alluding to the unseen providence of God. Likewise, the fasting of verse 16 appears without any mention of prayer.
• The Septuagint contains Greek additions not found in the Hebrew text, including prayers of Mordecai and Esther that follow this chapter. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include these sections, while Protestant Bibles follow the Hebrew text and omit them.
• The Book of Esther is not directly quoted in the New Testament.

In the Korean Church

Verse 16, "If I perish, I perish," is frequently quoted in sermons calling believers to a decisive commitment of faith. The memoir If I Perish by Ahn Ee-sook, who was imprisoned for refusing Shinto shrine worship, is also said to take its title from this verse. Some churches refer to a three-day fast of prayer for the nation or the church as an "Esther fast."