Esther 9:28

These days should be remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, nor should the memory of them fade from their descendants.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Mordecai, alongside Queen Esther, addresses all Jewish communities across every province and city to institutionalize the Purim festival. This directive occurs immediately after the Jews ratify the custom in Esther 9:27 and immediately before the formal written confirmation in Esther 9:29.

The words — The Hebrew terms נִזְכָּרִים וְנַעֲשִׂים (nizka'rim ve-na'asim) literally render "shall be remembered and made into observance." These verbs establish the dual requirement of commemoration and active ritual practice for the festival.

The thread — The command to transmit historical deliverances across generations runs parallel to Exodus 13:8 to explain the Exodus to one's son, Joshua 4:7 to recount the Jordan crossing, and Psalms 78:5 to teach the fathers' testimony to their children. Each passage links communal memory to deliberate intergenerational instruction.

Why it lands — The text requires Jewish communities to actively preserve the Purim observance through annual repetition and explicit teaching. It demands that historical remembrance be institutionalized rather than left to passive tradition.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְהַיָּמִ֣יםve./hai./ya.Mimand/ the/ days הָ֠אֵלֶּהHa./'e.leh<the>/ these נִזְכָּרִ֨יםniz.ka.Rim[were] remembered וְנַעֲשִׂ֜יםve./na.'a.Simand/ observed בְּכָל־be./kholin/ every דּ֣וֹרDorgeneration וָד֗וֹרva./Dorand/ generation מִשְׁפָּחָה֙mish.pa.Chahclan וּמִשְׁפָּחָ֔הu./mish.pa.Chahand/ clan מְדִינָ֥הme.di.Nahprovince וּמְדִינָ֖הu./me.di.Nahand/ province וְעִ֣ירve./'Irand/ city וָעִ֑ירva./'Irand/ city וִימֵ֞יvi./Meiand/ [the] days of הַפּוּרִ֣יםha./pu.Rimthe/ Purim הָאֵ֗לֶּהha./'E.leh<the>/ these לֹ֤אlo'not יַֽעַבְרוּ֙ya.'av.Ruthey will pass away מִתּ֣וֹךְmi./Tokhfrom/ among הַיְּהוּדִ֔יםhai./ye.hu.Dimthe/ Jews וְזִכְרָ֖םve./zikh.Ra/mand/ remembrance/ their לֹא־lo'-not יָס֥וּףya.Sufit will cease מִזַּרְעָֽם׃ סmi./zar.'A/mfrom/ offspring/ their

King James Version

And 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.

Cross-references

Exodus 13:8 And on that day you are to explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
Joshua 4:7 you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.”
Psalms 78:5 For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children,
Psalms 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds—
Exodus 12:17 So you are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. You must keep this day as a permanent statute for the generations to come.
Zechariah 6:14 The crown will reside in the temple of the LORD as a memorial to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and the gracious son of Zephaniah.