Esther 4:3 (YLT)

Passage

And in every province and province, the place where the word of the king, even his law, is coming, a great mourning have the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and lamenting: sackcloth and ashes are spread for many.

Nearby Context

Esther 4:1 And Mordecai hath known all that hath been done, and Mordecai rendeth his garments, and putteth on sackcloth and ashes, and goeth forth into the midst of the city and crieth--a cry loud and bitter,

Esther 4:2 and he cometh in unto the front of the gate of the king, but none is to come in unto the gate of the king with a sackcloth-garment.

Esther 4:3 And in every province and province, the place where the word of the king, even his law, is coming, a great mourning have the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and lamenting: sackcloth and ashes are spread for many.

Esther 4:4 And young women of Esther come in and her eunuchs, and declare <FI>it<Fi> to her, and the queen is exceedingly pained, and sendeth garments to clothe Mordecai, and to turn aside his sackcloth from off him, and he hath not received <FI> them<Fi> .

Esther 4:5 And Esther calleth to Hatach, of the eunuchs of the king, whom he hath stationed before her, and giveth him a charge for Mordecai, to know what this <FI>is<Fi> , and wherefore this <FI>is<Fi> .

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "province", "place", "where", "word", "king", "even", and "coming". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "province" and "place", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "and he cometh in unto the front..." into verse 4's "And young women of Esther come in...", so "province" and "place" 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 "province" and "place" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.