Esther 4:3 - Exposition

And in every province . As fast as the news spread, as province after province received the decree, the Jews spontaneously did as Mordecai had done—everywhere there was great sorrow, shown commonly by fasting, weeping, and wailing , while in numerous instances the mourners even went the length of putting on sackcloth and ashes . Thus an ever-increasing cloud of grief overshadowed the land.