Esther 4:17
in Esther 4So Mordecai went and did all that Esther had instructed him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
KJV
So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
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This verse in Esther 4
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
So Mordecai went and did
The chapter closes on a reversal of authority the narrator leaves without comment. Mordecai, who instructed Esther at 2:10 and 2:20, now "did all that Esther had instructed him". The ward has become the leader, and from this verse forward the book's initiative belongs to the queen.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
But what use is there to recall all the examples of those who, because they prayed as they ought, received great favours from God? Everyone can choose for himself many examples from the Scriptures. Anna obtained the birth of Samuel, who was reckoned with Moses, because when she was barren she prayed to the Lord with faith. And Ezechias, being still childless and having learned from Isaias that he was about to die, prayed and was included in genealogy of the Saviour. Again, when, as a result of a single order arising from the intrigues of Aman, the people were about to be destroyed, the prayer and fasting of Mardochai and Esther were heard, and hence there arose, in addition to the feasts ordained by Moses, the festival of Mardochai for the people.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
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. Here we have an account of the general sorrow that there was among the Jews upon the publishing of Haman's bloody edict against them. It was a sad time with the church.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:26w-of-59
So Mordecai went his way,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Even though it is unlawful. For it is contrary to the law for one who has not been summoned to enter.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖ר | vaiyaavor | and he passed on | H5674 → | 556 times |
| מָרְדֳּכָ֑י | maredokhai | Mordecai | H4782 → | 60 times |
| וַיַּ֕עַשׂ | vaiyaas | and he did | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| כְּכֹ֛ל | kekhol | according to all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| צִוְּתָ֥ה | tzivetah | she had commanded | H6680 → | 494 times |
| עָלָ֖יו | ʾalav | to him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֶסְתֵּֽר׃ ס | ʾester | Esther | H635 → | 55 times |
וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖רand he passed on
vaiyaavorH5674 →556 times
מָרְדֳּכָ֑יMordecai
maredokhaiH4782 →60 times
וַיַּ֕עַשׂand he did
vaiyaasH6213 →2628 times
כְּכֹ֛לaccording to all
kekholH3605 →5413 times
אֲשֶׁר־that
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
צִוְּתָ֥הshe had commanded
tzivetahH6680 →494 times
עָלָ֖יוto him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
אֶסְתֵּֽר׃ סEsther
ʾesterH635 →55 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Esther
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonPersian periodEstherHadassah, the orphan exile who became queen of Persia and, at the risk of "if I perish, I perish," stood between her people and Ha…
- PersonPersian periodMordecaiEsther's cousin and guardian at the gate of Susa, who refused to bow to Haman, uncovered the plot against the king, and was raised…
This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Origen of Alexandria, ON PRAYER 13.2.