"Crown"(v. 15) should be "turban."Mordecai's clothing reflected his important position in the government.
Evidently Mordecai read the second decree at a public meeting in Susa. Contrast the Jews' reaction here with their response to the first decree (3:15). God had blown the dark cloud that had hung over their heads away.
"Holiday"(v. 17) is literally "a good day"(cf. 9:19, 22). It refers to a religious festival.96This was not the feast of Purim but a celebration in anticipation of it. Many Gentiles became proselytes to Judaism as a result of God's obvious blessing on His people (v. 17). This is the only mention in the Old Testament that Gentiles "became Jews."They became religious Jews, not racial Jews. This testimony to the fact that Gentiles recognized God's blessing on the Jews would have been a great encouragement to the Jews in the postexilic period (cf. Exod. 19:5-6).
