Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.
Parallel translations
- WEB Esther had not made known her people nor her relatives, because Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make it known.
- KJV Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.
- ESV Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known.
- NKJV Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it.
- NASB Esther did not reveal her people or her kindred, because Mordecai had instructed her that she was not to reveal them.
- NLT Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Esther conceals her Jewish identity at Mordecai's instruction. Her hidden heritage will prove crucial to the plot.
Overview
Mordecai's counsel that Esther keep her people secret shows prudence in a dangerous, uncertain court. The concealment will heighten the drama when her identity is finally revealed at the decisive moment. The detail reminds us that God's people sometimes act with wise discretion while trusting Him to direct the unfolding of events for their good and His glory.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Esth 2:20Esther still had not revealed her lineage or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed. She obeyed Mordecai’s command, as she had done under his care.
- Matt 10:16Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
- Eph 6:1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
- Esth 3:8Then Haman informed King Xerxes, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples of every province of your kingdom. Their laws are different from everyone else’s, and they do not obey the king’s laws. So it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.
- Esth 4:13–14he sent back to her this reply: “Do not imagine that because you are in the king’s palace you alone will escape the fate of all the Jews.
- Esth 2:7And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, because she did not have a father or mother. The young woman was lovely in form and appearance, and when her father and mother had died, Mordecai had taken her in as his own daughter.
- Esth 7:4For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as menservants and maidservants, I would have remained silent, because no such distress would justify burdening the king.”
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Christ at the center
Though God is never named, his hidden hand preserves the people from whom the Messiah will come — a deliverance 'for such a time as this' that anticipates the open deliverance of Christ.
How Esther 2:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.