When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;
When Mordecai learned about everything that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on rough sackcloth with ashes. He went out into the middle of the city and cried out loudly with deep anguish.
Mordecai was overwhelmed with grief and despair when he discovered the king's decree to destroy all the Jewish people, expressing his pain through traditional mourning rituals.
📚 Historical Context
This verse follows Haman's successful plot to convince King Ahasuerus to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all Jews throughout the Persian Empire on a specific date. In ancient Middle Eastern culture, tearing clothes, wearing sackcloth (rough cloth made from goat hair), and putting ashes on oneself were traditional ways to express extreme grief, mourning, or repentance during times of crisis.
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