For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces; for the man Mordecai grew greater and greater.
Parallel translations
- KJV For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.
- BSB For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.
- NKJV For Mordecai was great in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent.
- NASB For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and the news about him spread throughout the provinces; for the man Mordecai became greater and greater.
- NLT For Mordecai had been promoted in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces as he became more and more powerful.
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
Mordecai's greatness in the palace grows, and his fame spreads through all the provinces. His rising power undergirds the Jews' deliverance.
Overview
The narrator notes Mordecai's increasing prominence as the human means by which the Jews are protected. His advancement from the king's gate to wide renown caps his remarkable elevation. The exaltation of the humble servant to greatness echoes the biblical pattern of God lifting up the lowly to accomplish His purposes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 2 Sam 3:1Now there was long war between Saul’s house and David’s house. David grew stronger and stronger, but Saul’s house grew weaker and weaker.
- 1 Chr 11:9David grew greater and greater; for Yahweh of Armies was with him.
- 1 Chr 14:17The fame of David went out into all lands; and Yahweh brought the fear of him on all nations.
- Prov 4:18But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day.
- Josh 6:27So Yahweh was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.
- 1 Sam 2:30“Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before me forever.’ But now Yahweh says, ‘Far be it from me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me will be lightly esteemed.
- Ps 18:43You have delivered me from the strivings of the people. You have made me the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
- Ps 1:3He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that produces its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.
- Zeph 3:19Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict you, and I will save those who are lame, and gather those who were driven away. I will give them praise and honor, whose shame has been in all the earth.
- Matt 4:24The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them.
- Isa 9:7Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on David’s throne, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 9:4 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.