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.

ESTHER 9:31KJV
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Esther 9:31 (KJV)

What does Esther 9:31 mean?

Esther 9:31 describes how the Jewish people confirmed the observance of the festival of Purim at set times, following the instructions given by Mordecai and Queen Esther, including the practices of fasting and crying out in prayer. This verse shows that these customs were established not just for that generation, but also for their descendants.

In the story, Mordecai and Esther are leading the Jewish community after their deliverance from danger in Persia. They are making sure everyone understands how and when to celebrate Purim, a new festival remembering their rescue. The verse also mentions fasting and crying out, highlighting that Purim is connected to both joy and the serious prayers that came before their deliverance.

The Hebrew behind Esther 9:31

  • פוּרִים (Purim, H6332): This word means "lots," referring to the lots cast by Haman to choose the date for the Jews’ destruction. Naming the festival "Purim" ties the celebration directly to the events that led to their salvation.
  • צוֹם (fastings, H6685): This word refers to periods of not eating, usually as a sign of mourning or seeking God’s help. Including "fastings" in the decree shows that Purim remembers both the sorrow and the joy of the story.
  • זַעֲקָה (cry, H2201): This word means a loud cry or outcry, often in distress or prayer. Mentioning "their cry" connects the festival to the desperate prayers the Jews made before their deliverance.

Why Esther 9:31 matters

  • Esther 9:31 clarifies that Purim was not just a spontaneous celebration but a carefully established tradition, with specific practices and timing, set for all future generations.
  • The verse emphasizes that Purim includes both celebration and remembrance of the hardship—fasting and crying out in prayer—showing the full emotional journey of the Jewish people in this story.
  • By mentioning Mordecai and Esther’s authority, the verse connects the festival’s observance to respected leaders, giving the tradition weight and legitimacy among the people.

Where else these words appear

“times” Hebrew H2165 · used in 4 verses

  • Nehemiah 2:6 And the king said unto me,(the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
  • Esther 9:27 The 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;
  • Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

“Purim” Hebrew H6332 · used in 7 verses

  • Esther 3:7 In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar.
  • Esther 9:26 Wherefore 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,
  • Esther 9:29 Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.

“cry” Hebrew H2201 · used in 18 verses

  • Genesis 18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
  • Proverbs 21:13 Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
  • Jeremiah 20:16 And let that man be as the cities which the LORD overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide;

“fastings” Hebrew H6685 · used in 22 verses

  • 2 Samuel 12:16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
  • Psalms 35:13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
  • Jeremiah 36:9 And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.