Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal 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.
- KJV Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.
- BSB Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.
- 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 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.
- Matt 10:16“Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
- Eph 6:1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
- Esth 3:8Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different than other people’s. They don’t keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not for the king’s profit to allow them to remain.
- Esth 4:13–14Then Mordecai asked them return answer to Esther, “Don’t think to yourself that you will escape in the king’s house any more than all the Jews.
- Esth 2:7He brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter; for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her 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 male and female slaves, I would have held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king’s loss.”
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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.