Esther 4:1 (DRB)

Passage

Now when Mardochai had heard these things, he rent his garments, and put on sackcloth, strewing ashes on his head and he cried with a loud voice in the street in the midst of the city, shewing the anguish of his mind.

Nearby Context

Esther 4:1 Now when Mardochai had heard these things, he rent his garments, and put on sackcloth, strewing ashes on his head and he cried with a loud voice in the street in the midst of the city, shewing the anguish of his mind.

Esther 4:2 And he came lamenting in this manner even to the gate of the palace: for no one clothed with sackcloth might enter the king's court.

Esther 4:3 And in all provinces, towns, and places, to which the king's cruel edict was come, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, wailing, and weeping, many using sackcloth and ashes for their bed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mardochai", "heard", "things", "rent", "garments", "sackcloth", "strewing", and "ashes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mardochai" and "heard", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "And he came lamenting in this manner...", so "mardochai" and "heard" 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 "mardochai" and "heard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.