Bible Strands
Esther 9:31
in order to confirm these days of Purim at their appointed time, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established them and had committed themselves and their descendants to the times of fasting and lamentation.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The verse operates as a narrative bridge between Mordecai’s letters (Esther 9:30) and Esther’s official decree (Esther 9:32), explaining how the Jewish leadership formally instituted the Purim observances. It addresses the Jewish communities throughout the Persian empire immediately following their deliverance.
The words — קִיַּם (ki.Yam) = he had imposed/established [H6965]. The text uses this verb to describe the formal ratification of the Purim days and their linked fasts.
The thread — The text ties the newly confirmed fasting and lamentation directly to the earlier mourning commands in Esther 4:3 and Esther 4:16, while mirroring the royal proclamation structure seen in Jonah 3:2.
Why it lands — The text states that religious observances require deliberate establishment and transmission to descendants. It asks the reader to recognize that communal memory depends on documented commitment rather than spontaneous reaction.
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
King James Version
To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.
Cross-references
- Esther 4:3 In every province to which the king’s command and edict came, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
- Esther 4:16 “Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day, and I and my maidens will fast as you do. After that, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish!”
- Jonah 3:2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you.”