Bible Commentaries
Esther 3

Introduction

Esther Chapter 3

Esther 3:1 "After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that [were] with him." We do not know for sure exactly how much later this occurred. We can safely assume that it was several years, however. There had been no mention of Haman, up until this time. There is nothing known about Agagite. For whatever reason, Haman had been elevated up to second in command under the king.

Esther 3:2 "And all the king’s servants, that [were] in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did [him] reverence." It was an oriental custom to bow to the king. Perhaps, Haman had been someone who had not been regarded highly, and the order to bow to him would give him some respect. All of the servants of the king, who were about the level of Mordecai in authority, bowed to Haman. Mordecai refused to bow to him.

Esther 3:3 "Then the king’s servants, which [were] in the king’s gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king’s commandment?" It appears, the servants did not want Mordecai to get into trouble for not bowing to Haman. They asked him why he didn’t just go ahead and bow, and keep down trouble.

Esther 3:4 "Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s matters would stand: for he had told them that he [was] a Jew." It appears, that Mordecai had explained to them that he was a Hebrew, and they were forbidden by their God to bow to a man. When he paid no attention to their warning, they told Haman. They were, probably, afraid if they did not, Haman would punish them. They did not know whether Haman would accept that as an excuse not to bow, or not.

Esther 3:5 "And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath." It is very apparent, to me, that Haman had not ever had much power before, and the power he had, now, as number two man, made him excessively proud of himself.

Esther 3:6 "And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that [were] throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, [even] the people of Mordecai." Haman was a very evil man. He would like to destroy all of the Jews in the kingdom of Persia, instead of just killing Mordecai. In the process, Mordecai and all of his relatives would die.

Esther 3:7, “that [is], the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, [to] the twelfth [month], that [is], the month Ada"In the first month, that [is], the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Purr." This first month was the same as Abib, or our April. Esther married the king on the seventh year, so it appears she had been married to him over 4 years, when this happened. It appears, that Haman cast lots {pur} to see what day and month he would set the massacre of the Jews. Adar would have been the same as our March.

Esther 3:8 "And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws [are] diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it [is] not for the king’s profit to suffer them." There were, probably, a large number of Jews in this area at this time. Many of them had been allowed to go back to their homeland, but some, for one reason or another, had not gone back home. Haman was trying to stir the king up against them, by telling him they did not keep his laws. He was the same as accusing them of being traitors to the king.

Esther 3:9 "If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring [it] into the king’s treasuries." The king had trusted Haman enough, that he made him the next in authority to him. He had no reason to doubt that what Haman said was not true. Haman was trying to prove his sincerity in protecting the king by offering to pay for the destruction of them.

Esther 3:10 "And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy." This is the signet ring of the king. Anything it was stamped on was an order of the king automatically. Haman hated the Jews.

Esther 3:11 "And the king said unto Haman, The silver [is] given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee." Of course, the king would not allow Haman to use his own money for this purpose. Haman could have all the silver he found on these people for himself, after he killed them. The king felt that he could trust Haman, and he told him to do whatever he felt was necessary to do.

Esther 3:12 "Then were the king’s scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors that [were] over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and [to] every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king’s ring." These scribes would draw up the edict that would be sealed with the king’s signet ring. They were always handy, because the king would have them draw up edicts for himself. It seems, in this case, the king did not even know what the wording of the edict was. He trusted Haman with all of that. This was sent to every province, so it had to be sent to Judah, as well.

Esther 3:13 "And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, [even] upon the thirteenth [day] of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and [to take] the spoil of them for a prey." The letters were sent very much like our pony express worked. The letters were taken by horseback. They would be carried, until the horse and rider came to another station, and sent them by horseback from there. The contents of these edicts were that all of the Hebrew people should be killed, even the women and the children. They should be killed on March 13, which was several months away.

Esther 3:14 "The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day." Each province was to do their own killing on that particular day. It is difficult to understand why one person could have that much hate built up within him. He had planned to kill all the Jews. This reminds me of the hate that Hitler had.

Esther 3:15 "The posts went out, being hastened by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed." There was no reason to rush to get the letters out, but Haman wanted to make sure everyone knew. The people of Shushan could not understand this. The Persians had been good to the Jews in the past. Probably, the king was not informed of the exact content of the letters. At least, we have not seen a Scripture where he knew. Remember, he had given his signet to Haman. Haman did the preliminaries. It seemed that Haman and the king were drinking friends.

Esther 3 Questions

1. Who did king Ahasuerus promote to second in command?

2. Who bowed to him?

3. Who was the exception to that?

4. It was an ___________ custom to bow to the king.

5. What question did the other servants ask Mordecai?

6. Why was it so important to Haman, that they bow to him?

7. When did they tell Haman about Mordecai?

8. How did Haman feel about Mordecai not bowing?

9. Who did Haman really want to kill?

10. What does "pur" mean?

11. What month is the same as the first month mentioned in Esther 3:7?

12. What lie did Haman tell the king?

13. Did Haman tell him the people were the Jews?

14. What did Haman suggest they do about this?

15. What did the king give Haman to use, that was a symbol of his authority?

16. What benefit does the king tell Haman will be his?

17. When were the scribes called to write the edict?

18. Who will the edicts be sent to?

19. Why did the king not know what was in the edict?

20. How were the letters sent?

21. Who were to be killed?

22. When was this to happen?

23. After the edict went out, what did Haman and the king do?

24. Why did the people of Shushan not understand this edict?

25. How could the king, possibly, not know what the edict said?

Verses 1-6

Est 3:1-6

Esther 3:1-6

HAMAN’S PLOT TO KILL THE ENTIRE JEWISH RACE;

ASHAMED TO KILL JUST ONE MAN; HAMAN DECIDED TO EXTERMINATE THE WHOLE ISRAEL OF GOD

"After these things did king Ahashuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And all the king’s servants that were in the king’s gate, bowed down, and did reverence to Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence. Then the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king’s commandment? Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. But he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had made known to him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahashuerus, even the people of Mordecai."

"They told Haman" (Esther 3:4). Tale bearers in all generations have deserved the contempt in which they are generally held. These tale bearers were the cause of many thousands of deaths which ultimately resulted from Haman’s hatred. Haman might never have noticed Mordecai’s refusal to bow down, had it not been for the gossips.

The thing that stands out in this paragraph is the egotistical pride of Haman. Only one man in a multitude did not bow down to him; and he was at once angry enough to kill a whole race of people!

Haman would have launched his evil plan at once, but first there was the necessity to get the king’s permission to do so.

"Haman the Agagite" (Esther 3:1). See our introduction to Esther for comment on this. This name of a remote ancestor of Haman should not be viewed as, "A mere epithet to indicate contempt and abhorrence." Haman was indeed a descendant of King Agag, an ancient enemy of Israel in the days of King Saul. The Jewish historian Josephus agreed with this.

The reason why Mordecai would not bow down to Haman was probably due to the fact that, "Haman was demanding not mere allegiance but worship; and Mordecai refused it on the grounds of the First Commandment. Israelites were expected to prostrate themselves before their kings."

E.M. Zerr:

Esther 3:1. After these things means after the events at the close of the preceding chapter. We have no information as to why Haman was given the promotion mentioned. However, since it was a part of the plan being used for the fulfillment of a great prediction, we may justly conclude that the Lord had a hand in it. The fact that is the most significant is that he was an Agagite. This is from AGAGIY which Strong defines, "an Agagite or descendant (subject) of Agag." Next, "Agag" is defined by Strong, "flame, a title of Amalekitish kings." Now read 1 Samuel 15:1-9, then Exodus 17:8-16 and you will begin to see "daylight" in connection with one of the most interesting and important dramas in history. The hand of God will be seen throughout.

Esther 3:2. Bowed and reverenced are practically the same. The first refers specifically to the act of bending the knees, the second is a comment on the first, meaning that in bending the knees they meant to reverence him. The king had commanded the servants to show this attitude toward Haman in recognition of his recent promotion. Mordecai refused to pay the required homage. It was not from the motive of disobedience to the king, for he had already shown much regard for him. Neither could we think of it as being from jealousy, for all of his conduct before and after this event showed him to have been a very humble man. The explanation will appear in the following verses.

Esther 3:3-4. The servants naturally observed the actions of Mordecai. The only point that impressed them was the fact that the king had been disobeyed. They asked him why he had disobeyed the commandment of the king, and his answer was what aroused their curiosity as to the outcome. The last phrase begins with for and ends with Jew. Now we know why he refused to bow to Haman; it was because he (Mordecai) was a Jew. In connection with that we must remember that Haman was a descendant of the Amalekites who were confirmed enemies of the Jews. There was even a standing declaration of war between the Jews and the Amalekites since Exodus 17:14-16, and Mordecai evidently knew about it. To bow to Haman would be like a citizen of one country paying homage to one of another country that was in a state of hostility.

Esther 3:5. Disappointed pride is one of the most active motives for evil. It goaded Haman into plotting two terrible schemes for revenge.

Esther 3:6. When Haman’s attention was called to the attitude of Mordecai, he inquired about him and learned of his nationality. He then recognized him as one of some people scattered all through the provinces of the empire. His feeling of importance was so great that he thought he should have an extraordinary revenge to satisfy his wounded dignity. But it would not amount to much if only this one lone man were put down. He therefore conceived the horrible plot to have all the Jews slain.

Verses 7-11

Est 3:7-11

Esther 3:7-11

HAMAN RECEIVES THE KING’S PERMISSION TO DESTROY ISRAEL

"In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahashuerus, they cast Put, that is, the lot, from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. And Haman said unto king Ahashuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from the laws of every people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those that have charge of the king’s business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries. And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy. And the king said unto Haman, the silver is given thee, and the people also, to do with them as seemeth good to thee."

Critical enemies of the Bible, having no other grounds upon which they may deny or object to the text, sometimes must fall back upon their subjective imaginations that this or that Biblical statement is "unrealistic, unreasonable, or unlikely to have occurred." One may find plenty of such subjective objections to what is written here.

Some ask, "Would any king have given blanket permission to anyone to destroy a considerable percentage of the people in his whole kingdom"? The answer to that is that, "Xerxes certainly did so." And even that was not any more unreasonable or stupid than some other actions of that evil king as reported by Herodotus.

Others have pointed out that it was a terribly foolish thing for Haman to have published a whole year in advance his intention of exterminating the Jews. Archaeology, however, has uncovered dramatic information on how this happened. "Haman’s method for fixing the date for the destruction of the Jews has been revealed by excavations at Susa (Shushan) by M. Dieulafoy, who actually recovered one of those quadrangular prisms engraved with the Numbers 1, 2, 5, 6. The word `pur’ is derived from the Persian puru, that is, `lot’; and it is now known that `they cast Pur’ (Esther 3:7) means that they cast lots." This fully explains why almost a year elapsed between Haman’s decision to massacre the Jews, which he published at once, and the date set for the execution of his ruthless plan.

Significantly, Haman was so sure of receiving the king’s permission, that he actually cast lots for the day he would do it before mentioning the matter to the king. Also, that tremendous promise of ten thousand talents of silver, which was well over $10,000,000.00, which Haman promised to pay into the king’s treasury, was also most likely based upon the presumption by Haman that the king would not accept it.

E.M. Zerr:

Esther 3:7. Having concluded on the fiendish plan for wholesale destruction of the Jews, he resorted to a superstition in settling on the day to select for the mass murder. Pur means "lot," and he began in the first month to cast lots. This was done daily until the decision was indicated in some way by the sign that was connected with the superstitious practice. The lot fell on the 13th day of the twelfth month. That would give him plenty of time to prepare for the terrible event. Such preparation would include the edict of the king and its general proclamation throughout the provinces. Perhaps it would not have required all of that time for the plot of Haman, but the activities on the other side to counteract his wicked design would take some time also. This fact indicates that God took a hand in the lot when Haman resorted to it, and caused it to fall on that distant date in order to give his people opportunity for carrying out their role in this great drama. We know that God did use his enemies even to accomplish his will. He used Pharaoh (Exodus 9:16), Balaam (Numbers 24:1) and the woman of Endor (1 Samuel 28). We are told also that he sometimes used the lot for disposing of questions. (Proverbs 16:33.)

Esther 3:8. There is a certain people. This was as definite as Haman would make his accusation. He might have known the nationality of the queen, and if so, he would not dare risk the results of indirect threat to her life. At any rate, he felt that he would secure the king’s authority for his scheme were he kept in the dark about the whole truth. He contented himself with general but unfavorable reports about the conduct of this certain people. A part of his statement of their history was true, but did not show any disadvantage to the business of Ahasuerus. But one of his accusations was without foundation, for the history of the case shows the Jews to have been obedient to the laws of the realm.

Esther 3:9. Haman then asked for a decree from the king, authorizing the destruction of this certain people. Such a task would require the service of many men and they would need financial support for their time and labor. Haman agreed to furnish this out of his private funds. To bring it into the king’s treasuries meant he would at once place this amount in the royal treasury, to be used in paying the servants for their time and activities in executing the decree.

Esther 3:10. The ring was used as a symbol of authority. Smith’s Bible Dictionary says this about it: "The ring was regarded as an indispensable article of a Hebrew’s attire, inasmuch as it contained his signet. It was hence a symbol of authority." The king expressed his approval of Haman’s proposal by giving him his royal ring.

Esther 3:11. The silver is given to thee was the king’s way of telling Haman to keep his money, but that he was authorized to carry out his patriotic purpose of destroying the enemies of the kingdom. Certainly, such a laudable service should be paid for out of the funds of the nation that would be benefited thereby.

Verses 12-15

Est 3:12-15

Esther 3:12-15

THE DAY WAS SET;

THE DECREE WAS SIGNED;

THE MASSACRE WAS ANNOUNCED

"Then were the king’s scribes called, in the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month; and there was written according to all that Haman commanded unto the king’s satraps, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the princes of every people, to every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, in the name of king Ahashuerus was it written, and it was sealed with the king’s ring. And the letters were sent by posts, into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. A copy of the writing, that the decree should be given out in every province, was published unto all the peoples, that they should be ready against that day. The posts went forth in haste by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was perplexed."

God’s people never faced a more terribile threat than this one. The egomaniac Haman had engineered that which might easily have destroyed the entire race of the chosen people; but there was no way that God would have allowed such a thing to happen; because all of the glorious promises of Messiah to redeem men from their sins were contingent upon the preservation of the Israel of God until that Messiah was born in Bethlehem. God had foreseen this threat. He had foreseen it when king Saul was ordered to destroy the Amalekites. Saul failed to do so; but God did not abandon his people.

God used the drunken request of Xerxes to degrade Vashti the queen; he elevated an orphan Jewish girl to take her place; he planted the name of Mordecai in the chronicles of the king; and he would remind Xerxes of that fact at precisely the proper instant. Oh yes, for all of his power and hatred, Haman had undertaken to do that which was impossible.

"And the king and Haman sat down to drink" (Esther 3:15). A little later in this narrative, we shall read of the execution of Haman by what amounted to his crucifixion; but, sad as a thing like that surely is, it should be remembered that Haman was the kind of man who could condemn unnumbered thousands, perhaps even as many as a million people, to murder by wholesale massacre, and then sit down to drink liquor and enjoy himself. The fate encountered by this servant of the devil was fully deserved.

E.M. Zerr:

Esther 3:12. Having consented to the request of Haman, preparations were made to publish the edict. The work was to be done in a formal manner, and for that purpose the king’s scribes or secretaries were called to "take dictation." The work was done on the 13th day of the first month, and was to be executed or completed the same day of the twelfth month. Lieutenants; governors; rulers. These were the various men that represented the king’s authority in the provinces throughout the vast empire. They differed slightly in rank according as the importance of their individual charges differed. According to the writing thereof means that the edict was written in the languages of the different people of the several provinces. The genuineness of the letters was made sure by being sealed with the king’s ring. I will quote a little more about the ring from Smith’s Bible Dictionary: "We may conclude from Exodus 28:11 that the rings contained a stone engraven with a device or with the owner’s name. The ring was used as a stamp to impress the name of Ahasuerus on the documents.

Esther 3:13. A post is defined in the lexicon as .a runner; today he is called a postman. The terrible edict was so worded that the complete destruction of the Jewish race was to be accomplished, as far as it existed in the realm of Persia.

Esther 3:14. The official document was sent out 11 months before the time of execution. The reason for the general scattering of the edict was that they should be ready by the time the day came for the carrying out of the slaying and pillage.

Esther 3:15. .The posts or runners were urged to publish the information as swiftly as possible. After they had been sent on their mission the king and Haman sat down to drink. We may be sure these two men had different motives for engaging in a round of imbibing. The king thought he was celebrating a fortunate escape from some national disaster at the hands of a gang of evil men. Haman thought he was regaling himself over a fiendish revenge for his wounded pride. There must have been something unusual in the whole proceeding, for the people of the capital city were perplexed. They could not have been aware of any visible reason for the harsh decree. In all of the years that the Jews had been interspersed throughout the empire, there had been no indication of trouble from them. Now to know of such a sudden and drastic decree was very confusing. Of course, the reader will not forget that the king was wholly unaware of the identity of the people against whom he had signed the edict.