Esther 9:20-28 Meaning: Mordecai's Letters Establish Purim
20Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus, both near and far,
21to enjoin them that they should keep the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month Adar yearly,
22as the days in which the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending presents of food to one another, and gifts to the needy.
23The Jews accepted the custom that they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them,
24because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast “Pur”, that is the lot, to consume them and to destroy them;
25but when this became known to the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked plan, which he had planned against the Jews, should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
26Therefore they called these days “Purim”, from the word “Pur.” Therefore because of all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and that which had come to them,
27the Jews established and imposed on themselves, on their descendants, and on all those who joined themselves to them, so that it should not fail that they would keep these two days according to what was written and according to its appointed time every year;
28and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor their memory perish from their offspring.
20And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,
21To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,
22As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
23And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;
24Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;
25But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
26Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,
27The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;
28And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.
20And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,
21to enjoin them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,
22as the days wherein the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
23And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;
24because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;
25but when the matter came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
26Wherefore they called these days Purim, after the name of Pur. Therefore because of all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and that which had come unto them,
27the Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so that it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to the writing thereof, and according to the appointed time thereof, every year;
28and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the remembrance of them perish from their seed.
20And Mordecai writeth these things, and sendeth letters unto all the Jews who are in all provinces of the king Ahasuerus, who are near and who are far off,
21to establish on them, to be keeping the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and the fifteenth day of it, in every year and year,
22as days on which the Jews have rested from their enemies, and the month that hath been turned to them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning to a good day, to make them days of banquet and of joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the needy.
23And the Jews have received that which they had begun to do, and that which Mordecai hath written unto them,
24because Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, adversary of all the Jews, had devised concerning the Jews to destroy them, and had caused to fall Pur--that is the lot--to crush them and to destroy them;
25and in her coming in before the king, he said with the letter, `Let his evil device that he devised against the Jews turn back upon his own head,' and they have hanged him and his sons on the tree,
26therefore they have called these days Purim--by the name of the lot--therefore, because of all the words of this letter, and what they have seen concerning this, and what hath come unto them,
27the Jews have established and received upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all those joined unto them, and it doth not pass away, to be keeping these two days according to their writing, and according to their season, in every year and year;
28and these days are remembered and kept in every generation and generation, family and family, province and province, and city and city, and these days of Purim do not pass away from the midst of the Jews, and their memorial is not ended from their seed.
20And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters to all the Jews near and far that were in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus,
21to establish [this] among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,
22as the days on which the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month that was turned to them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
23And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written to them.
24For Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the oppressor of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them and to destroy them;
25and when [Esther] came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head; and they hanged him and his sons on the gallows.
26Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore, according to all the words of this letter, and for what they had seen concerning this matter and what had happened to them,
27the Jews ordained and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves to them, so that it should not fail, that they would observe these two days according to their writing and according to their fixed time, every year;
28and that these days should be remembered and observed throughout every generation, in every family, every province, and every city, and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them cease from among their seed.
Meaning in one sentence
Mordecai wrote to all Jews to establish the annual feast of Purim, turning sorrow to joy and mourning to celebration for all generations.
Context
The book of Esther tells of God's hidden hand during the Jewish exile in Persia. Haman, a high official, plotted to destroy all Jews. Through Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai, the king learned of the plot and turned it back on Haman. In chapter 9, the Jews defended themselves and gained rest from their enemies. Mordecai then wrote letters to all Jews in the vast Persian empire, from the nearest provinces to the farthest, to establish a yearly celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth of the month Adar. These days would commemorate their deliverance, turning sorrow into gladness and mourning into a holiday. The Jews accepted this custom and bound themselves and their descendants to keep it forever, so that the memory of God's rescue would never fade.
Key Words
The Hebrew word for rest here is nuach. It means more than just a break from fighting. It carries the sense of settling down in safety, of finally being able to breathe. The Jews had lived under the shadow of a death decree. Now they could rest. That rest was a gift.
The verb haphak means to turn something completely upside down. The month of Adar was turned from sorrow to joy, from mourning to a holiday. This is not a gentle shift. It is a total reversal. What looked like the end became a beginning.
And then there is Pur, the Persian word for lot. Haman had cast lots to choose the day for the Jews' destruction. That pagan practice became the name of a feast celebrating deliverance. God took a symbol of randomness and fear and made it a memorial of His care. Every time the Jews celebrated Purim, they remembered that no lot falls outside God's reach.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read this passage as a clear example of God's providence working through ordinary events. The name of God never appears in the book of Esther, yet His hand is visible in every turn of the story. Many see Purim as a celebration of God's faithfulness to His covenant people, a foretaste of the greater deliverance He would bring through Christ. Jewish readers continue to observe Purim each year with reading the scroll of Esther, feasting, sending gifts, and giving to the poor. For all who read this account, the message is the same: God turns the plans of the wicked back on themselves and brings joy out of mourning.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers assume the feast of Purim was mainly about celebrating the defeat of enemies. In fact, the text repeatedly emphasizes rest from enemies, the transformation from sorrow to joy, and the command to send gifts to the poor. The celebration is not about violence but about deliverance. The focus is on gratitude, community, and care for the needy.
Living This Out
This passage invites you to do two things this week. First, take a specific moment to remember a time when God turned a difficult situation into something good. It might be a small thing or a big one. Write it down or tell someone about it. Second, find a way to share that joy with someone else. The Jews sent gifts to one another and to the poor. You could prepare a meal for a neighbor, send a note of encouragement, or give to a local charity. The point is not the size of the gesture but the act of remembering and sharing. When you do, you are doing what the Jews did: keeping alive the memory that God is the one who turns mourning into dancing.
Main takeaway: God turned the Jews' sorrow into joy, and He calls us to remember His deliverance with celebration and generosity.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God saved the Jewish people from a bad man named Haman. They were so happy that they had a party and gave presents to each other and to people who didn't have much. You can remember that God takes care of you and share your blessings with others.
For ages 9, 12
In this story, God worked behind the scenes to rescue His people from destruction. The Jews celebrated by having a feast, giving gifts, and helping the poor. This teaches us that when God helps us, we should not forget it. We can celebrate His goodness by being generous and by remembering that He turns hard times into good times. You can do something similar by sharing a treat with a friend or donating to someone in need.
Questions People Ask
Why is the feast called Purim?
Purim comes from the Persian word Pur, meaning 'lot.' Haman cast lots to choose the date for the Jews' destruction. The feast is named after this lot to remind everyone that God overturned Haman's plan and turned the day of destruction into a day of deliverance.
Why do Jews celebrate Purim on two different days?
In the book of Esther, the Jews in Susa fought on the 13th and 14th of Adar and rested on the 15th. The Jews in the provinces fought on the 13th and rested on the 14th. Mordecai's letter established both the 14th and 15th as days of celebration, to include all Jews wherever they lived.
What does 'sending portions to one another' mean in Esther 9:22?
This refers to the custom of mishloach manot, where Jews give gifts of food to friends and family on Purim. It is a way of sharing the joy of the holiday and strengthening community bonds. The verse also commands giving gifts to the poor, so that everyone can celebrate.
Why is the name of God never mentioned in the book of Esther?
Many Christians have wondered about this. The absence of God's name is often seen as a literary device to emphasize that God works even when we do not see Him directly. His hand is evident in the coincidences and reversals of the story. This has led some to call Esther a book of 'hidden providence.'
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