When Mordecai learned: Mordecai did not “learn” something literally as a schoolchild does. He “came to know” or “found out” (FOX) what had happened. The Hebrew is literally “he knew.”
Mordecai rent his clothes: tearing of clothing was a customary way of expressing great emotion such as anger, grief, and humiliation. In this context Mordecai’s emotion is probably “anguish” (Today’s English Version) or mourning. It may be necessary to make explicit the reason why he tears his clothes, as Today’s English Version has done.
Sackcloth and ashes were symbols of mourning and grief. They occur frequently in the Old Testament, accompanied by various actions. The action may be walking as here; often it is sitting (Jonah 3.6); and occasionally it is lying down (4.3 below). Sackcloth was a coarse cloth made out of goat hair or camel hair that was used for making bags or clothing (see Gen 37.34; 42.25; 2 Sam 3.31). Although it was not always a sack, some translations describe it as “sack-clothing,” that is, clothing made from cloth of sacks. In other languages it may be referred to as “mourning cloth.” Ashes were put on one’s head (see 2 Sam 13.19), and this is made explicit in some translations (Today’s English Version, Bible en français courant).
He put on sackcloth and ashes uses the one verb for putting on clothing to refer to two different actions. However, in translation it may be necessary to use two distinct verbs that are appropriate to each gesture. For instance, it may be said, “he dressed [or, wrapped] himself in sackcloth,” and “he sprinkled [or, rubbed] ashes on his head.”
In some societies the meanings of these gestures may not be known. However, instead of making cultural adaptations in the translation, it is preferable to make the meaning clear in the context. For example, it could be said, “he dressed in sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on his head to show that he was sorrowing” or “that he was in great distress.” Another solution may be to use a footnote or a glossary entry to explain these Old Testament practices. In this way as much historical accuracy is retained in the translation as possible.
The midst of the city is not a specific location in the city. It indicates simply that Mordecai walked “through” the city (Today’s English Version, New Jerusalem Bible), wailing or lamenting loudly and bitterly, or “with bitterness.” That Mordecai wept “with bitterness” means that he wept because of the intense misery that he experienced. The Hebrew idiom expresses not primarily a sense of anger but rather the sense of undergoing a severely unpleasant experience. In some languages this may be expressed with an idiom like “with sourness in his heart” or “with a darkened liver.” In other languages it may be better to avoid the figurative language of bitterness and say something like “crying loudly and very sadly” (New Century Version) or “crying out loudly with pain” (La Bible du Semeur).
Septuagint 4.1
The words An innocent nation is being destroyed are not in the Hebrew text. By introducing a direct quotation, citing the very words that Mordecai was proclaiming throughout the city, the author creates a more lively style than in the Hebrew, where the reader can only imagine Mordecai’s cry. The Greek also says literally that Mordecai “ran” through the street of the city.
Innocent here means a nation that “has done no wrong” (so Bible en français courant). The innocent nation is Israel, “a people on whose head there are no words.”
Is being destroyed: the Greek verb of the direct quotation is present tense. Sometimes the present tense is used to describe vividly a future event, as in this verse. Of course the Jews were not yet being destroyed at this very moment. If use of the present tense will suggest that the Jews are already being destroyed while Mordecai is speaking, translators may choose to follow the model of Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, “An innocent people is destined to be massacred,” or Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, “An innocent nation is about to be exterminated!” Another model is “They are about to destroy a people that has done nothing wrong!” Languages that have a verb form to specify action that is about to begin or on the point of beginning may use it here.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Noss, Philip A. A Handbook on the Book of Esther — Deuterocanon: The Greek Text. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .