Esther 4:1 (ASV)

Passage

Now when Mordecai knew 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;

Nearby Context

Esther 4:1 Now when Mordecai knew 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 4:2 and he came even before the king`s gate: for none might enter within the king`s gate clothed with sackcloth.

Esther 4:3 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 sackcloth and ashes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mordecai", "knew", "done", "rent", "clothes", "sackcloth", and "ashes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mordecai" and "knew", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "and he came even before the king...", so "mordecai" and "knew" should be read forward into that movement. In Esther context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "mordecai" and "knew" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.