Esther 4:6
“So Hathach went out to Mordecai, to city square which was before the king’s gate.”
What does Esther 4:6 mean?
Mordecai, a Jewish exile living in the Persian capital, was unable to enter the palace grounds because of the grief and danger surrounding his people, so he stayed in the city square outside the king's gate. King Ahasuerus's recent decree had sentenced all Jews to destruction, and Mordecai was in mourning and distress. When Queen Esther's attendant Hathach went looking for him, this was the only place to find him, which shows how completely shut out Mordecai felt from help or safety at that moment. This small detail of geography actually matters to the story: Hathach had to go to Mordecai where he was, which became the beginning of their crucial communication about a desperate situation that would eventually change everything.