Esther 4:2

When More-dek-eye got near to the gates of the king's big house, the palace, he stopped. No-one was allowed to go inside the palace yard if they were wearing rubbish clothes.

Barkly (portions)

In The King James Version

And came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.

In Context

1When More-dek-eye found out what was going to happen to all the Jews, he did what Jewish people did when they were really upset. He ripped his clothes and then put on rubbish clothes made from old sacks. He put ashes from a fire all over his face and he walked around the town and cried out loudly just like people cry when a relation dies.

3When all the Jewish people in every part of the country found out about the law that the king had sent out, they got really upset too. They stopped eating and they cried out loud just like they did when a relation died. A lot of them were so sad that they put ashes all over themselves and lay down on their beds in rubbish clothes.

Read all of Esther 4

Matthew Henry on Esther 4:2-5

Great Mourning among the Jews. ( b. c. 510.) 1 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; 2 And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. 3 And in every province, whithersoever 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… Read the whole commentary →

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