Esther 2:20 (YLT)

Passage

Esther is not declaring her kindred and her people, as Mordecai hath laid a charge upon her, and the saying of Mordecai Esther is doing as when she was truly with him.

Nearby Context

Esther 2:18 and the king maketh a great banquet to all his heads and his servants--the banquet of Esther--and a release to the provinces hath made, and giveth gifts as a memorial of the king.

Esther 2:19 And in the virgins being gathered a second time, then Mordecai is sitting in the gate of the king;

Esther 2:20 Esther is not declaring her kindred and her people, as Mordecai hath laid a charge upon her, and the saying of Mordecai Esther is doing as when she was truly with him.

Esther 2:21 In those days, when Mordecai is sitting in the gate of the king, hath Bigthan been wroth, and Teresh, (two of the eunuchs of the king, the keepers of the threshold,) and they seek to put forth a hand on king Ahasuerus,

Esther 2:22 and the thing is known to Mordecai, and he declareth <FI>it<Fi> to Esther the queen, and Esther speaketh to the king in the name of Mordecai,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "esther", "declaring", "kindred", "people", "mordecai", "hath", "laid", and "charge". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "esther" and "declaring", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And in the virgins being gathered a..." into verse 21's "In those days when Mordecai is sitting...", so "esther" and "declaring" 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 "declaring" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.