Esther 2:10
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Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
Est 2:10 contains a supplementary remark. This kind and respectful treatment was shown to Esther, because, in obedience to Mordochai's command, she had not shown her people nor her kindred, i.e., her Jewish extraction; for a Jewish maiden would hardly have experienced such friendly usage. Est 2:11 also contains an additional notice, prefixed here to enable what follows to be rightly understood, and repeated in another connection Est 2:19, and on several other occasions: Mordochai walked every day before the court or enclosure of the women's house, to know the welfare (שׁלום) of Esther and what became of her (בּה יעשׂה, properly, what was done to her). Hence Mordochai was in constant communication with Esther. How this communication was effected is not more particularly stated; probably by means of the maids appointed to wait on her. Jewish expositors are of opinion, that Mordochai held high office, and that having consequently free access to the royal palace, he could easily find the means of communicating with his relative.
Open source ↗Two things are recorded in this chapter, which were working towards the deliverance of the Jews from Haman's conspiracy: - 1I. The advancement of Esther to be queen instead of Vashti. Many others were candidates for the honour (Est 2:1-4); but Esther, an orphan, a captive-Jewess (Est 2:5-7), recommended herself to the king's chamberlain first (Est 2:8-11) and then to the king (Est 2:12-17), who made her queen (Est 2:18-20). II. The good service that Mordecai did to the king in discovering a plot against his life (Est 2:21-23).
Open source ↗2:10 Mordecai had probably already experienced some prejudice against Jews. Esther’s Jewish background would later become the key to her exposing Haman’s terrible plot.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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Esther still had not revealed her lineage or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed. She obeyed Mordecai’s command, as she had done under his care.
Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Then Haman informed King Xerxes, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples of every province of your kingdom. Their laws are different from everyone else’s, and they do not obey the king’s laws. So it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as menservants and maidservants, I would have remained silent, because no such distress would justify burdening the king.”
And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, because she did not have a father or mother. The young woman was lovely in form and appearance, and when her father and mother had died, Mordecai had taken her in as his own daughter.