Esther 4:5

5 Then Esther called Hathach from the king's eunuchs {who regularly attended to her}, and she ordered him [to go] to Mordecai to learn what was happening and why.

Esther 4:5 Meaning and Commentary

Esther 4:5

Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains,
whom he had appointed to attend upon her
Which, according to the Targum, was Daniel ^F1; but it is not likely that Daniel should have lived to this time; however, this officer was not only intrusted with the care of the queen by the king, but she had also an high opinion of him, and therefore employed him in this affair:

and gave a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it
was;
what was the reason of his appearing in sackcloth, and why he did not receive the clothes she sent him.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 So Midrash Esther, fol. 94. 3. & Jarchi in Dan. iv. 5.

Esther 4:5 In-Context

3 In every province [each] place where the king's edict and his law came, there [was] great mourning for the Jews with fasting, crying, wailing, [and] sackcloth; and ashes were spread out as a bed for them.

4 And Esther's maids and her eunuchs came and they told her, and the queen was deeply distressed; she sent garments to clothe Mordecai so that he might remove his sackcloth--but he did not accept [them].

5 Then Esther called Hathach from the king's eunuchs {who regularly attended to her}, and she ordered him [to go] to Mordecai to learn what was happening and why.

6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai, to the public square of the city, which [was] in front of the gate of the king,

7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact amount of money that Haman has promised to pay to the treasury of the king for the destruction of the Jews.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "who stood before her presence"