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Texts -- Esther 3:1-15 (NET)

Context
Haman Conspires to Destroy the Jews
3:1 Some time later King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha , the Agagite , exalting him and setting his position above that of all the officials who were with him. 3:2 As a result, all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate were bowing and paying homage to Haman , for the king had so commanded . However, Mordecai did not bow , nor did he pay him homage . 3:3 Then the servants of the king who were at the king’s gate asked Mordecai , “Why are you violating the king’s commandment ?” 3:4 And after they had spoken to him day after day without his paying any attention to them, they informed Haman to see whether this attitude on Mordecai’s part would be permitted . Furthermore , he had disclosed to them that he was a Jew . 3:5 When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing or paying homage to him, he was filled with rage . 3:6 But the thought of striking out against Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed of the identity of Mordecai’s people . So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai ) who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus . 3:7 In the first month (that is, the month of Nisan ), in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus ’ reign, pur (that is, the lot ) was cast before Haman in order to determine a day and a month . It turned out to be the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar ). 3:8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus , “There is a particular people that is dispersed and spread among the inhabitants throughout all the provinces of your kingdom whose laws differ from those of all other peoples . Furthermore, they do not observe the king’s laws . It is not appropriate for the king to provide a haven for them. 3:9 If the king is so inclined , let an edict be issued to destroy them. I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to be conveyed to the king’s treasuries for the officials who carry out this business .” 3:10 So the king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha , the Agagite , who was hostile toward the Jews . 3:11 The king replied to Haman , “Keep your money , and do with those people whatever you wish .” 3:12 So the royal scribes were summoned in the first month , on the thirteenth day of the month. Everything Haman commanded was written to the king’s satraps and governors who were in every province and to the officials of every people , province by province according to its script and people by people according to its language . In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written and sealed with the king’s signet ring . 3:13 Letters were sent by the runners to all the king’s provinces stating that they should destroy , kill , and annihilate all the Jews , from youth to elderly , both women and children , on a particular day , namely the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar ), and to loot and plunder their possessions. 3:14 A copy of this edict was to be presented as law throughout every province ; it was to be made known to all the inhabitants , so that they would be prepared for this day . 3:15 The messengers scurried forth with the king’s order . The edict was issued in Susa the citadel . While the king and Haman sat down to drink , the city of Susa was in an uproar !

Pericope

NET
  • Est 3:1-15 -- Haman Conspires to Destroy the Jews

Bible Dictionary

  • SEAL

    [ebd] commonly a ring engraved with some device (Gen. 38:18, 25). Jezebel "wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal" (1 Kings 21:8). Seals are frequently mentioned in Jewish history (Deut. 32:34; Neh. 9:38; 10:1...
    [isbe] SEAL - sel (substantive chotham, "seal," "signet," Tabba`ath, "signet-ring"; Aramaic `izqa'; sphragis; verb chatham, (Aramaic chatham); (sphragizo), (katasphragizomai, "to seal"): I. Literal Sense. A seal is an instrument of...
    [smith] The importance attached to seals in the East is so great that without one no document is regarded as authentic. Among the methods of sealing used in Egypt at a very early period were engraved stones, graved stones, pierced th...

  • REVERENCE

    [isbe] REVERENCE - rev'-er-ens: In the Old Testament, "reverence" occurs as the translation of two Hebrew words, yare' and shachah. The root idea of the former is "fear." It is used to express the attitude toward God Himself, as in...

  • Prince

    [ebd] the title generally applied to the chief men of the state. The "princes of the provinces" (1 Kings 20:14) were the governors or lord-lieutenants of the provinces. So also the "princes" mentioned in Dan. 6:1, 3, 4, 6, 7 were ...

  • PURIM; PUR

    [isbe] PURIM; PUR - pur'-rim, pur (purim, "lots"; Septuagint Phrourai): The name of a Jewish festival celebrated on the 14th and 15th days of the month Adar, the final month of the Biblical year, corresponding to February-March. 1....

  • PURIM

    [smith] (lots), the annual festival instituted to commemorate the preservation of the Jews in Persia from the massacre with which they were threatened through the machinations of Haman. (Esther 9:1) ... It was probably called Purim b...

  • Mordecai

    [ebd] the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin. It has been alleged that he was carried into captivity with Jeconiah, and hence that he must have been at least one hundred and twenty-nine years old in the twelfth year of Ahasueru...

  • Massacre

    [nave] MASSACRE Authorized by Moses, Deut. 20:13, 16. Decree to destroy the Jews, Esth. 3. Instances of Inhabitants of Heshbon, Deut. 2:34; of Bashan, Deut. 3:6; of Ai, Josh. 8:24-26; of Hazor, Josh. 11:11, 12; of the cities of ...

  • Lieutenant

    [ebd] (only in A.V. Esther 3:12; 8:9; 9:3; Ezra 8:36), a governor or viceroy of a Persian province having both military and civil power. Correctly rendered in the Revised Version "satrap."

  • Jew

    [ebd] the name derived from the patriarch Judah, at first given to one belonging to the tribe of Judah or to the separate kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 16:6; 25:25; Jer. 32:12; 38:19; 40:11; 41:3), in contradistinction from those belo...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Haman

    [ebd] (of Persian origin), magnificent, the name of the vizier (i.e., the prime minister) of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Esther 3:1, etc.). He is called an "Agagite," which seems to denote that he was descended from the royal fami...
    [smith] (magnificent), the chief minister or vizier of King Ahasuerus. (Esther 3:1) (B.C. 473.) After the failure of his attempt to cut off all the Jews in the Persian empire, he was hanged on the gallows which he had erected for Mor...
    [nave] HAMAN Prime minister of Ahasuerus, Esth. 3:1. Plotted against Esther and the Jews, thwarted by Esther and Mordecai, hanged, Esth. 3-9.

  • Government

    [nave] GOVERNMENT Paternal functions of, Gen. 41:25-57. Civil service school provided by, Dan. 1:3-20. Maintains a system of public instruction, 2 Chr. 17:7-9. Executive departments in. See: Cabinet; King; Ruler; Statecraft. Ju...

  • GUARD

    [isbe] GUARD - gard: (1) sar ha-Tabbachim, "captain of the guard," literally, "slaughterers" (Gen 37:36; 39:1; 40:3,1; 41:10,12); rabh Tabbachim (2 Ki 25:8,11,20; Jer 39:9, etc.); rabh tabbachayyah (Dan 2:14); ratsim, "guard," the ...

  • GOVERNOR

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. nagid, a prominent, conspicuous person, whatever his capacity: as, chief of the royal palace (2 Chr. 28:7; comp. 1 Kings 4:6), chief of the temple (1 Chr. 9:11; Jer. 20:1), the leader of the Aaronites (1 Chr. 12:27...
    [isbe] GOVERNOR - guv'-er-ner: The word "governor" is employed in English Versions of the Bible in rendering a great variety of Hebrew and Greek words. In certain cases strict consistency is neither observed nor possible. 1. In the...

  • EPISTLE

    [isbe] EPISTLE - e-pis'-'-l (epistole, "a letter," "epistle"; from epistello, "to send to"): 1. New Testament Epistles 2. Distinctive Characteristics 3. Letter-Writing in Antiquity 4. Letters in the Old Testament 5. Letters in the ...

  • Captive

    [ebd] one taken in war. Captives were often treated with great cruelty and indignity (1 Kings 20:32; Josh. 10:24; Judg. 1:7; 2 Sam. 4:12; Judg. 8:7; 2 Sam. 12:31; 1 Chr. 20:3). When a city was taken by assault, all the men were sl...

  • AGAGITE

    [ebd] a name applied to Haman and also to his father (Esther 3:1, 10; 8:3, 5). Probably it was equivalent to Amalekite.
    [isbe] AGAGITE - a'-gag-it, ('aghaghi, from, 'aghagh, "a member of the house of Agag"): A title of opprobrium given to Haman (Est 3:1,10; 8:3,5; 9:24). Jewish tradition always assigned the arch-enemies of Israel membership in the h...

  • AGAG

    [smith] (flame), possibly the title of the kings of Amalek, like Pharaoh of Egypt. One king of this name is mentioned in (Numbers 24:7) and another in 1Sam 15:8,9,20,32 The latter was the king of the Amalekites, whom Saul spared cont...

  • ADORATION

    [isbe] ADORATION - ad-o-ra'-shun: Though this word never occurs in English Versions, it represents aspects of worship which are very prominent in the Bible. I. Etymology. The word is derived from Latin adorare = (1) "to speak to," ...

  • ABIB

    [isbe] ABIB - a'-bib ('abhibh, young ear of barley or other grain, Ex 9:31; Lev 2:14): The first month of the Israelite year, called Nisan in Neh 2:1; Est 3:7, is Abib in Ex 13:4; 23:15; 34:18; compare Dt 16:1. Abib is not properly...

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1 Samuel 15; Reverend

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Jews called their first month Abib (v. 2). After the Babylonian captivity they renamed it Nisan (Neh. 2:1; Esth. 3:7). It corresponds to our March-April. Abib means "ear-month"referring to the month when the grain was in ...
  • "In the short pericope 13:7b-15a obedience was the stone on which Saul stumbled; here it is the rock that crushes him."147Chapter 15 records one of the battles Saul had with the Amalekites, Israel's enemy to the south (cf. 14...
  • I. God's preparations 1:1-2:20A. Vashti deposed ch. 11. The king's feast 1:1-92. The queen's dismissal 1:10-22B. Esther elevated 2:1-201. The plan to replace Vashti 2:1-42. Esther's selection 2:5-113. The choice of Esther as ...
  • This chapter records the providential circumstances whereby Esther was able to rise to her influential position with the Persian king."Though no mention is made of God's providence, it nevertheless plays a prominent part, and...
  • Ahasuerus is the Hebrew name of the Persian king, Khshayarsha, whom we know better in ancient history by his Greek name, Xerxes.22He reigned over the Persian Empire from 486 to 464 B.C. and was the son of Darius I (521-486 B....
  • The events we read in chapter 3 took place four years after Esther became queen (cf. 2:16; 3:7).Agag was the name of an area in Media that had become part of the Persian Empire.54However, Agag was also the name of the Amaleki...
  • Haman cast the lot--puris the Persian word for "lot"--to determine the day most propitious to wipe out the Jews. In the pagan ancient Near East it was unthinkable to make plans of this nature without astrological guidance. Th...
  • Perhaps Haman did not mention the Jews by name since Ahasuerus' predecessors, Cyrus and Darius I (Hystaspes), had issued proclamations favorable to them (Ezra 1:1-4; 6:3-5, 8-12). In any case his failure to mention them by na...
  • The imprint of an official's signet ring (v. 10) was the equivalent of his signature in ancient times (cf. Gen. 41:42; Esth. 8:2, 8, 10). Ahasuerus gave permission to Haman to confiscate the Jews' wealth and to put them to de...
  • We can understand why Mordecai reacted to Haman's decree so strongly (v. 1). Undoubtedly he felt personally responsible for this decree (cf. 3:2-5). However we should not interpret Mordecai's actions in verse 1 as a sign of g...
  • The first decree to destroy the Jews had gone out on April 17, 474 B.C. (3:12).93Ahasuerus published this one allowing the Jews to defend themselves on June 25, 474 B.C. The Jews had over eight months to prepare for the day t...
  • "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 respo...
  • Evidently Mordecai issued the decree establishing the feast of Purim some time after the slaying of the Jews' enemies (v. 20). His proclamation united the two days on which the Jews had defended themselves (Adar 13 and 14) in...
  • The personal relationship that Esther and Mordecai had with Yahweh is a very interesting subject of study. The answer to this puzzle explains why God's name does not appear in the book and what God's purpose was in preserving...
  • 1:8-9 Zechariah was serving God faithfully by discharging some temple function as a member of his priestly division. There were so many priests then that the great privilege of offering incense on the golden incense altar in ...
  • 15:11-12 The man in the story had two sons, a younger and an older one (v. 25). Therefore the younger son's inheritance would normally have been one-third of his father's estate since the older son would have received a doubl...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedathna the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. 2. And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate...
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