King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, who was given supreme authority, and all were commanded to bow before him. However, Mordecai, a Jew, refused to bow, which filled Haman with wrath. In retaliation, Haman plotted to destroy all Jews throughout the kingdom, obtaining the king's decree to accomplish this widespread extermination.
¶ 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.
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.
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 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.
¶ In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Study Notes for Esther 3
Verse 1
Haman is identified as 'the Agagite,' strongly suggesting he is a descendant of Agag, the king of the Amalekites (1 Sam 15). This ancient, deep-seated ethnic enmity between Amalekites and Israel likely fuels Haman’s intense hatred for Mordecai and the Jewish people.
Verse 2
Mordecai’s refusal to bow is the catalyst for the entire crisis. While the text does not state the reason, it may stem from the Jewish prohibition against giving divine honor to humans, or it could be a specific refusal to honor a descendant of Israel’s ancient enemy, the Amalekites.
Verse 6
Haman’s vengeance escalates from a personal dispute with Mordecai to a plan for ethnic cleansing. This decision sets the stage for the book’s central conflict: the existential threat to the Jewish diaspora.
Verse 7
The casting of the *Pur* (a Babylonian/Persian word for 'lot') was done to determine a propitious date for the mass slaughter. The time gap between the casting (Nisan) and the execution date (Adar, 11 months later) provides the necessary window for Esther and Mordecai to intervene, showing God's providence at work despite the seemingly random process.
Verse 9
The bribe of ten thousand talents of silver was an astronomical sum, estimated to be more than half the Persian Empire's annual revenue. This demonstrates Haman’s immense wealth and his obsessive commitment to the destruction of the Jews.
Verse 10
Giving Haman the royal signet ring transferred the king’s absolute administrative authority, allowing Haman to seal the decree. This action effectively made the decree irrevocable under Persian law, cementing the danger.
Verse 13
The decree’s language is comprehensive and absolute, targeting all Jews regardless of age or gender. The date, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (Adar), becomes the focus of the subsequent conflict and the eventual reason for the celebration of Purim.
Verse 15
This verse presents a sharp contrast: the king and Haman are indifferent, celebrating their political success with a banquet, while the capital city of Shushan is thrown into confusion and despair by the genocidal edict.
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