Esther 4:15 (ASV)

Passage

Then Esther bade them return answer unto Mordecai,

Nearby Context

Esther 4:13 Then Mordecai bade them return answer unto Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king`s house, more than all the Jews.

Esther 4:14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father`s house will perish: and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Esther 4:15 Then Esther bade them return answer unto Mordecai,

Esther 4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

Esther 4:17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "esther", "bade", "return", "answer", and "mordecai". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "esther" and "bade", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "For if thou altogether holdest thy peace..." into verse 16's "Go gather together all the Jews that...", so "esther" and "bade" belong inside that flow. In Esther context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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