Esther 2:19 (WEB)

Passage

When the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate.

Nearby Context

Esther 2:17 The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

Esther 2:18 Then the king made a great feast for all his princes and his servants, even Esther’s feast; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces, and gave gifts according to the king’s bounty.

Esther 2:19 When the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate.

Esther 2:20 Esther had not yet made known her relatives nor her people, as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther obeyed Mordecai, like she did when she was brought up by him.

Esther 2:21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, who were doorkeepers, were angry, and sought to lay hands on the King Ahasuerus.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "virgins", "gathered", "together", "second", "time", "mordecai", "sitting", and "king". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "virgins" and "gathered", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Then the king made a great feast..." into verse 20's "Esther had not yet made known her...", so "virgins" and "gathered" 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 "virgins" and "gathered" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.