Ester 4:11

11 «Todos los servidores del rey y el pueblo de las provincias del reino saben que, para cualquier hombre o mujer que, sin ser invitado por el rey, se acerque a él en el patio interior, hay una sola ley: la pena de muerte. La única excepción es que el rey, extendiendo su cetro de oro, le perdone la vida. En cuanto a mí, hace ya treinta días que el rey no me ha pedido presentarme ante él».

Ester 4:11 Meaning and Commentary

Esther 4:11

All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces
do know
Not only the princes and courtiers, but all the king's subjects, the meanest of them; there is scarce a person throughout the whole empire, to whom the following law is not known; this is said, to show how notorious it was:

that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into
the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put
him to death;
according to the former Targum, Human got this law to be made now, to prevent any application to the king about this affair; but then it would not have been so universally known as before declared; and it appears that there was such a law among the Medes, made by Dejoces, that none should go into the king's presence, but all should be done by messengers ^F2; and this was altered among the Persians, for the seven princes that slew Smerdis made an agreement, that whoever of them was chosen king, the rest should have the liberty of going unto him when they pleased, without a messenger to introduce them ^F3; it seems by this account it was death to go into the inner parlour, where the king usually was, without leave, or being called; this was made both for the king's safety, and for awe and reverence of his majesty, and to prevent any insinuations into him by ill-designing persons:

except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that
he may live;
which, whether he would or not, was very precarious; so that a person ran a great risk to go in uncalled:

but I have not been called to go in unto the king these thirty days;
which looked as if the king had not that fond affection for her he formerly had; and therefore there was greater danger in going in to him uncalled, and the less hope of success.

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 Herodot. Clio, sive, l. 1. c. 99.
F3 Herodot. Thalia, sive, l. 3. c. 84.

Ester 4:11 In-Context

9 Hatac regresó y le informó a Ester lo que Mardoqueo había dicho.

10 Entonces ella ordenó a Hatac que le dijera a Mardoqueo:

11 «Todos los servidores del rey y el pueblo de las provincias del reino saben que, para cualquier hombre o mujer que, sin ser invitado por el rey, se acerque a él en el patio interior, hay una sola ley: la pena de muerte. La única excepción es que el rey, extendiendo su cetro de oro, le perdone la vida. En cuanto a mí, hace ya treinta días que el rey no me ha pedido presentarme ante él».

12 Cuando Mardoqueo se enteró de lo que había dicho Ester,

13 mandó a decirle: «No te imagines que por estar en la casa del rey serás la única que escape con vida de entre todos los judíos.