Esther 4:14

Esther 4:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
• New International Version (NIV)For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
• English Standard Version (ESV)For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
• New King James Version (NKJV)For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Context of Esther 4:14

12When Mordecai heard this message from Esther, 13he sent this answer back to her: ‘Do not think that you will be safe because you live in the king's palace. You will not escape when they kill all the other Jews. You must speak now on behalf of all the Jewish people. If you do not, they will receive help from another place to make them safe and free. Then you and your father's family will come to an end. But I think that perhaps you have become queen so that you can help at a time like this.’ 15Then Esther sent this answer to Mordecai: 16‘Tell all the Jews in Susa to meet together. Tell them to fast and to pray for me. They must not eat or drink for three days, during the day and the night. My female servants and I will also do that. After three days, I will go and speak to the king. I know that I will do that against the king's law. But if I must die because of that, I agree to die.’

Esther 4:14 word by word

כִּ֣י אִם־הַחֲרֵ֣שׁ תַּחֲרִישִׁי֮ בָּעֵ֣ת הַזֹּאת֒ רֶ֣וַח וְהַצָּלָ֞ה יַעֲמ֤וֹד לַיְּהוּדִים֙ מִמָּק֣וֹם אַחֵ֔ר וְאַ֥תְּ וּבֵית־אָבִ֖יךְ תֹּאבֵ֑דוּ וּמִ֣י יוֹדֵ֔עַ אִם־לְעֵ֣ת כָּזֹ֔את הִגַּ֖עַתְּ לַמַּלְכֽוּת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For if thou altogetherחָרֵשׁchârash · be quietH2790
• at this timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• shall there enlargementרֶ֫וַחrevach · spaceH7305
• and deliveranceהַצָּלָהhatstsâlâh · deliveranceH2020
• ariseעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: riseH5975
• to the Jewsיְהוּדִיyehûdîy · JewH3064
• from anotherאַחֵר'achêr · anotherH312
• placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
• but thou and thy father’sאָב'âb · fatherH1
• houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• shall be destroyedאָבַד'âbad · to perishH6
• and who knowethיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• whether thou art comeנָגַעnâga‛ · to touchH5060
• to the kingdomמַלְכוּתmalkûth malkûth malkûyâh · royaltyH4438

Cross-references for Esther 4:14

• Genesis 22:14Abraham called that place ‘The Lord will give me what I need.’ People still say today, ‘On the mountain of the Lord, he will give us what we need.’
• Numbers 23:22He brought them out of Egypt. He fights on their behalf, as strong as a wild bull.
• Deuteronomy 32:26I wanted to remove my people completely, so that nobody would ever remember them.
• 1 Samuel 12:22The Lord was pleased to choose you to be his own people. He will show that he is faithful and he will not leave you alone.
• Isaiah 54:17But nobody can make a weapon that will beat you, when your enemies attack you. If people accuse you of bad things, you will show that they are wrong. That is what the Lord will do as a gift for his servants. Yes, I will show that they are right.’ That is what the Lord says.
• Jeremiah 30:11The Lord says, ‘I am with you and I will save you. I have sent you away to live in foreign lands. That was the punishment that you deserved. I will completely destroy the nations where I sent you to live. But I will not completely destroy you. I will certainly punish you, but only as much as you deserve.’
• Jeremiah 33:24‘Some people are saying, “The Lord chose the two nations of Israel and Judah to be his special people. But now he has turned away from them.” You have heard people say those things. They do not think that my people will ever be a nation again.
• Jeremiah 46:28So do not be afraid, descendants of my servant Jacob. I am with you to help you. I may completely destroy all the nations where I send you to live. But I will never completely destroy you. I will certainly punish you, to teach you what is right. But I will do that in a fair way.’ That is what the Lord says.
• Amos 9:8I, the Lord God, am carefully watching you Israelites. I see that you are a wicked nation, so I will remove you from the earth. But I will not completely destroy all the descendants of Jacob.’ That is what the Lord says.
• Matthew 16:18I tell you this. You are called Peter, which means a rock. And I will build my church on this rock. Not even the power of death will destroy my church.
• Matthew 24:22God will cause those days of great trouble to be not so many. If he did not do that, there would be nobody still alive. But God will cause those days to come to an end. He will do that to help the people that he has chosen.
• Ezra 9:9We are still slaves, but our God has not left us alone to serve other people. Because he loves us, he has caused the kings of Persia to be kind to us. He has let us live so that we can build again the temple of our God. It had become a heap of stones, but now we have built it again. He has given us a safe place to live in Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah.
• Job 9:18He would not allow me to breathe quietly. Instead, he would make me very upset.
• Esther 2:7Mordecai was taking care of a young cousin called Hadassah. She was also called Esther. Esther's mother and father were no longer alive. She was the daughter of Mordecai's uncle. When her parents died, Mordecai took care of her, as if she was his own daughter. Esther was very beautiful.
• Judges 14:15On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, ‘Find a way to make your husband tell you the answer. If you do not, we will use fire to destroy your father's house, with you inside it! Did you ask us to come to your marriage party to make us poor?’
• Judges 15:6The Philistines asked, ‘Who did this?’ People said to them, ‘It was Samson, the man who married the young woman in Timnah. He did it because her father gave her to Samson's special friend instead of Samson.’ So the Philistines went and burned the man and his daughter to death.

Commentaries on Esther 4:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14Then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise - He had a confidence that deliverance would come by some means; and he thought that Esther would be the most likely; and that, if she did not use the influence which her providential station gave her, she would be highly culpable. And who knoweth whether thou art come - As if he had said, "Is it likely that Divine providence would have so distinguished thee, and raised thee from a state of abject…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14From another place - i. e. “from some other quarter.” Mordecai probably concluded from the prophetic Scriptures that God would NOT allow His people to be destroyed before His purposes with respect to them were accomplished, and was therefore satisfied that deliverance would arise from one quarter or another. Thou and thy father‘s house shall be destroyed - i. e. “a divine vengeance will overtake thee and thine, if thou neglectest thy plain duty.” Though…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-17Verses 5-17 We are prone to shrink from services that are attended with peril or loss. But when the cause of Christ and his people demand it, we must take up our cross, and follow him. When Christians are disposed to consult their own ease or safety, rather than the public good, they should be blamed. The law was express, all knew it. It is not thus in the court of the King of kings: to the footstool of his throne of grace we may always come boldly, and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13-14Do not imagine...you alone will escape: Mordecai did not back down or excuse her because of the danger. He reminded her that staying silent would be more dangerous. relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place: Mordecai knew God's promises and understood that God would not allow his chosen people to be destroyed (see Genesis 12:3; 22:18; 28:14; Isaiah 60:1–5). perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?: Esther's…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1413-14. Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther--His answer was to this effect, that Esther need not indulge the vain hope she would, from her royal connection, escape the general doom of her race--that he (Mordecai) confidently believed God would interpose, and, if not through her, by some other deliverer, save His people; but that the duty evidently devolved on her, as there was great reason to believe that this was the design of Providence in her…Read the comment

Topics related to Esther 4:14

• Faith
• Readings, Select

In the dictionaries

• Enlarge; Enlargement
• Esther, Book of

Commentaries on Esther 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings