Esth 4:11

“And they told to Mordecai Esther's, words. The messengers she sent to him. And they told to Mordecai Esther's, words. The messengers she sent to him. Esther 4:13 est 4:13 est 4:13 est 4:13Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther,.... Gave in charge to the messengers what they should say to Esther from him, by way of reply: think not with thyself that thou shall escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews; signifying that her being queen, and in the king's palace, would be no protection to her; and she would be no safer there than the Jews elsewhere, since they had no greater enemies any where than in the king's court; and it was or would be known of what nation she was, and therefore must not expect to escape the fury of the enemy.”

“Into the inner court - We have already seen that the Persian sovereigns affected the highest degree of majesty, even to the assuming of Divine honors. No man nor woman dared to appear unveiled before them, without hazarding their lives; into the inner chamber of the harem no person ever entered but the king, and the woman he had chosen to call thither. None even of his courtiers or ministers dared to appear there; nor the most beloved of his concubines, except led thither by himself, or ordered to come to him. Here was Esther's difficulty; and that difficulty was now increased by the circumstance of her not having been sent for to the king's bed for thirty days. In the last verse of the preceding chapter we find that the king and Haman sat down to drink. It is very likely that this wicked man had endeavored to draw the king's attention from the queen, that his affection might be lessened, as he must have known something of the relationship between her and Mordecai; and consequently viewed her as a person who, in all probability, might stand much in the way of the accomplishment of his designs. I cannot but think that he had been the cause why Esther had not seen the king for thirty days.”

“Inner court, with regard to many others around, though there was one still more retired, (Tirinus) where the king alone could enter. This admitted the light only by the door, before which hung a curtain, so that the king could see (Calmet) who came into the hall of audience, (Haydock) without being seen. None durst come even to this antichamber, without being called. It was also death to appear with their hands out of their sleeves, (Cyrop. ii.) or to sit down, (Diod. xvii.) or look at any of the king’s wives in the face, &c. (Plut. Artax.) — This gloomy retirement was intended to keep up the idea of his majesty being something more than man. (Haydock) — Apud Persas persona regis, sub specie majestatis, occulitur. (Justin. i.) — The king’s secret cabinet (Calmet) resembled, in magnificence, (chap. xv. 9.) the description which Ovid has given us of the palace of the sun. (Tirinus) — It was covered with gold and precious stones. Here he continued, almost inaccessible, and business was despatched slowly. (Calmet) — Agesilaus, king of Sparta, shewed how ridiculous these customs were, by acting quite the reverse, appearing frequently among his subjects, and granting their just requests without delay. (Xenophon) — Thirty. She might apprehend that the king’s affection was beginning to cool. God was pleased thus to try her the more. (Haydock)”

“whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called--The Persian kings surrounded themselves with an almost impassable circle of forms. The law alluded to was first enacted by Deioces, king of Media, and afterwards, when the empires were united, adopted by the Persians, that all business should be transacted and petitions transmitted to the king through his ministers. Although the restriction was not intended, of course, to apply to the queen, yet from the strict and inflexible character of the Persian laws and the extreme desire to exalt the majesty of the sovereign, even his favorite wife had not the privilege of entree, except by special favor and indulgence. Esther was suffering from the severity of this law; and as, from not being admitted for a whole month to the king's presence, she had reason to fear that the royal affections had become alienated from her, she had little hope of serving her country's cause in this awful emergency.”