And in every province, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
In every province where the king's command and decree reached, there was deep mourning among the Jewish people. They fasted, wept, and cried out in anguish. Many lay down wearing rough sackcloth and covered themselves with ashes.
This verse describes the Jewish people's overwhelming grief and despair as news of the king's deadly decree against them spread throughout the Persian Empire.
📚 Historical Context
This verse follows Haman's successful manipulation of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) into issuing a decree to destroy all Jews throughout the Persian Empire on a specific date. The news of this genocidal edict had just reached Jewish communities across the vast empire, spanning from India to Ethiopia. Wearing sackcloth and ashes was a traditional ancient Near Eastern way of expressing deep grief, repentance, or distress.
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