◄ Esther 4:9 ►
So Hathach went back and relayed Mordecai's response to Esther.
Study Bible
So Hathach went back
The name "Hathach" is of Persian origin, indicating the multicultural environment of the Persian Empire. Hathach was a eunuch assigned to serve Queen Esther, highlighting the trust and responsibility placed upon him. His role as a messenger underscores the importance of communication and obedience in fulfilling God's purposes. The act of "going back" signifies diligence and faithfulness in carrying out duties, reflecting the importance of intermediaries in divine plans.

and relayed
The act of relaying information is crucial in the narrative, as it ensures that the message is accurately conveyed. In Hebrew, the concept of relaying or reporting is often associated with the idea of bearing witness or testifying. This emphasizes the importance of truthfulness and integrity in communication, especially when dealing with matters of life and death, as in the case of the Jewish people facing annihilation.

Mordecai’s response
Mordecai, a Jew living in exile, represents faithfulness to God amidst adversity. His response is not merely a personal opinion but a call to action rooted in his understanding of God's covenant with Israel. Historically, Mordecai's position at the king's gate suggests he was a man of influence and wisdom. His response to Esther is a pivotal moment, urging her to recognize her divine appointment and the potential for God to work through her.

to Esther
Esther, whose Hebrew name is Hadassah, is a central figure in this narrative. Her Persian name, Esther, means "star," symbolizing her role as a beacon of hope for her people. The mention of her name here is a reminder of her dual identity as both a Jew and a queen. Esther's position in the palace is not coincidental but divinely orchestrated, highlighting the theme of providence. Her willingness to listen and act upon Mordecai's message is crucial for the deliverance of the Jewish people, illustrating the power of obedience and courage in fulfilling God's will.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Hathach
A eunuch in the service of Queen Esther, tasked with communicating between Esther and Mordecai. His role highlights the importance of faithful service and discretion.

2. Mordecai
Esther's cousin and guardian, a Jew living in Susa, who becomes aware of Haman's plot to annihilate the Jews. Mordecai's actions demonstrate courage and faithfulness to God's people.

3. Esther
The Jewish queen of Persia, who is initially unaware of the decree against her people. Her position and influence become crucial in the unfolding events.

4. Susa
The capital of the Persian Empire, where the events of the Book of Esther take place. It serves as the backdrop for the political and spiritual drama.

5. The Decree Against the Jews
A royal edict orchestrated by Haman to destroy the Jewish people, setting the stage for Esther's intervention.
Teaching Points
Faithful Service
Hathach's role reminds us of the importance of serving faithfully in whatever position God places us, even if it seems insignificant.

Courage in Crisis
Mordecai's actions challenge us to stand firm in our faith and advocate for justice, even when it involves personal risk.

Divine Providence
The account of Esther encourages us to trust in God's unseen hand, orchestrating events for His purposes and our good.

Intercessory Role
Like Esther, we are called to intercede for others, using our influence and resources to advocate for those in need.

Prepared for Purpose
Esther's rise to queenship was not by chance; God prepares and positions us for specific purposes in His kingdom.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Hathach's role as a messenger reflect the importance of faithful service in our own lives?

2. In what ways can Mordecai's courage inspire us to stand up for our faith and values in today's world?

3. How does the concept of divine providence in Esther's account encourage you to trust God in uncertain circumstances?

4. What are some practical ways you can use your position or influence to intercede for others, as Esther did?

5. How can the account of Esther help us understand the importance of being prepared for the purposes God has for us?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Nehemiah 1
Like Mordecai, Nehemiah responds to a crisis facing the Jewish people with prayer and action, showing the importance of interceding for God's people.

Daniel 6
Daniel's faithfulness in the face of a royal decree against prayer parallels Mordecai's and Esther's courage in confronting the king's edict.

Romans 8:28
The unfolding events in Esther demonstrate God's providence, working all things for the good of those who love Him, even when His presence is not overtly mentioned.
Sermons
SympathyW. Dinwiddle Esther 4:4-12
People
Esther, Haman, Hatach, Mordecai
Places
Susa
Topics
Account, Declareth, Esther, Hatach, Hathach, Mordecai, Mor'decai, Mordecai's, Related, Reported
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Esther 4:4-11

     5309   eunuchs

Library
Mordecai and Esther
'For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?'--ESTHER iv. 14. All Christians are agreed in holding the principles which underlie our missionary operations. They all believe that the world is a fallen world, that without Christ the fallen world is a lost world, that the preaching …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Watkinson -- the Transfigured Sackcloth
William L. Watkinson, Wesleyan minister, was born at Hull, 1838, was educated privately and rose to eminence as a preacher and writer. The Rev. William Durban calls him "The classic preacher of British Methodism." "He ranks," says Dr. Durban, "with Dr. Dallinger and the Rev. Thomas Gunn Selby as the three most learned and refined of living preachers in the English Methodist pulpit. Dr. Watkinson is famous for the glittering illustrations which adorn his style. These are for the most part gathered …
Grenville Kleiser—The world's great sermons, Volume 8

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
BY A.E. GRIMKE. "Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not within thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place: but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this. And Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer:--and so will I go in unto the king, …
Angelina Emily Grimke—An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South

Meditations for Household Piety.
1. If thou be called to the government of a family, thou must not hold it sufficient to serve God and live uprightly in thy own person, unless thou cause all under thy charge to do the same with thee. For the performance of this duty God was so well pleased with Abraham, that he would not hide from him his counsel: "For," saith God, "I know him that he will command his sons and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

A Case of Conscience Resolved
WHETHER, WHERE A CHURCH OF CHRIST IS SITUATE, IT IS THE DUTY OF THE WOMEN OF THAT CONGREGATION, ORDINARILY, AND BY APPOINTMENT, TO SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM THEIR BRETHREN, AND SO TO ASSEMBLE TOGETHER, TO PERFORM SOME PARTS OF DIVINE WORSHIP, AS PRAYER, ETC., WITHOUT THEIR MEN? AND THE ARGUMENTS MADE USE OF FOR THAT PRACTICE, EXAMINED. BY JOHN BUNYAN. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. This exceedingly rare tract was first published in 1683, and was not reprinted, either separately, or in any edition of Bunyan's …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Prevailing Prayer.
Text.--The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.--James v. 16. THE last lecture referred principally to the confession of sin. To-night my remarks will be chiefly confined to the subject of intercession, or prayer. There are two kinds of means requisite to promote a revival; one to influence men, the other to influence God. The truth is employed to influence men, and prayer to move God. When I speak of moving God, I do not mean that God's mind is changed by prayer, or that his …
Charles Grandison Finney—Lectures on Revivals of Religion

Of the Discipline of the Church, and Its Principal Use in Censures and Excommunication.
1. Of the power of the keys, or the common discipline of the Church. Necessity and very great utility of this discipline. 2. Its various degrees. 1. Private admonition. 2. Rebukes before witnesses. 3. Excommunication. 3. Different degrees of delinquency. Modes of procedure in both kinds of chastisement. 4. Delicts to be distinguished from flagitious wickedness. The last to be more severely punished. 5. Ends of this discipline. 1. That the wicked may not, by being admitted to the Lord's Table, put …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Of the Public Fast.
A public fast is when, by the authority of the magistrate (Jonah iii. 7; 2 Chron. xx. 3; Ezra viii. 21), either the whole church within his dominion, or some special congregation, whom it concerneth, assemble themselves together, to perform the fore-mentioned duties of humiliation; either for the removing of some public calamity threatened or already inflicted upon them, as the sword, invasion, famine, pestilence, or other fearful sickness (1 Sam. vii. 5, 6; Joel ii. 15; 2 Chron. xx.; Jonah iii. …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Of a Private Fast.
That we may rightly perform a private fast, four things are to be observed:--First, The author; Secondly, The time and occasion; Thirdly, The manner; Fourthly, The ends of private fasting. 1. Of the Author. The first that ordained fasting was God himself in paradise; and it was the first law that God made, in commanding Adam to abstain from eating the forbidden fruit. God would not pronounce nor write his law without fasting (Lev. xxiii), and in his law commands all his people to fast. So does our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

From his Entrance on the Ministry in 1815, to his Commission to Reside in Germany in 1820
1815.--After the long season of depression through which John Yeardley passed, as described in the last chapter, the new year of 1815 dawned with brightness upon his mind. He now at length saw his spiritual bonds loosed; and the extracts which follow describe his first offerings in the ministry in a simple and affecting manner. 1 mo. 5.--The subject of the prophet's going down to the potter's house opened so clearly on my mind in meeting this morning that I thought I could almost have publicly …
John Yeardley—Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel

Sign Seekers, and the Enthusiast Reproved.
(Galilee on the Same Day as the Last Section.) ^A Matt. XII. 38-45; ^C Luke XI. 24-36. ^c 29 And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, ^a 38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. [Having been severely rebuked by Jesus, it is likely that the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign that they might appear to the multitude more fair-minded and open to conviction than Jesus had represented them to be. Jesus had just wrought …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Esther
The spirit of the book of Esther is anything but attractive. It is never quoted or referred to by Jesus or His apostles, and it is a satisfaction to think that in very early times, and even among Jewish scholars, its right to a place in the canon was hotly contested. Its aggressive fanaticism and fierce hatred of all that lay outside of Judaism were felt by the finer spirits to be false to the more generous instincts that lay at the heart of the Hebrew religion; but by virtue of its very intensity …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Esther 4:9 NIV
Esther 4:9 NLT
Esther 4:9 ESV
Esther 4:9 NASB
Esther 4:9 KJV

Esther 4:9 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Esther 4:8
Top of Page
Top of Page