Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.
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.
- BSB Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.
- 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 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 had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him.
- Matt 10:16Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
- Eph 6:1Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
- Esth 3:8And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them.
- Esth 4:13–14Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.
- Esth 2:7And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.
- Esth 7:4For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.