3:2Mordecai’s determination came from his faith in God. He did not take a poll first to determine the safest or most popular course of action; he had the courage to stand alone. Doing what is right will not always make you popular. Those who do right will be in the minority, but to obey God is more important than to obey people (Acts 5:29).
Life Application Study BibleEstherChapter 3
Esther 3
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 773, 774
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
3Esther 3
3Then the palace officials at the king's gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?” 4They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai’s conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew. 5When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes. 7So in the month of April,* during the twelfth year of King Xerxes’ reign, lots were cast in Haman’s presence (the lots were called purim) to determine the best day and month to take action. And the day selected was March 7, nearly a year later.* 8Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. 9If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks* of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.” 10The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11The king said, “The money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit.” 12So on April 17* the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. It was sent to the king’s highest officers, the governors of the respective provinces, and the nobles of each province in their own scripts and languages. The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire, giving the order that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated ona single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7 of the next year.* The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them. 14A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and proclaimed to all peoples, so that they would be ready to do their duty on the appointed day. ‘SAt the king’s command, the decree went out by swift messengers, and it was also proclaimed in the fortress of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa fell into confusion.
Textual footnotes
- the months of April and May 474 8.c.; atso see note on 2:16.
- day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar (see also 3:13). Hebrew reads in the twelfth month, of the ancient Hebrew
- lunar calendar. The date selected was March 7, 473 8.c.; aiso see note on 2:16.
- 3:7a Hebrew in the first month, the month of Nisan. This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred within
- 3:7b As in Greek version, which reads the thirteenth
- 3:9 Hebrew 70,000 talents, about
- 3:12 Hebrew On the thirteenth day of the first month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was April 17,
- 3:13 Hebrew on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, of the
- 3:375 tons or 340 metric tons in weight.
Life Application Notes 8 notes
3:2-4Mordecai refused to kneel down before Haman. Jews did bow down to government authorities, at times, as a sign of respect (Genesis 23:7; 1 Samuel 24:8), but Haman’s ancestors were ancient enemies of the Jews. Israel had been commanded by God to “destroy the Amalekites and erase their memory from under heaven” (Deuteronomy 25:17-19; see also Exodus 17:16). Mordecai was not about to kneel before wicked Haman and, by his act, acknowledge Haman as a god. Daniel's three friends had the same convictions (Daniel 3). We must worship God alone. We should never let any person, institution, or government take God’s place. When people demand!oyalties or duties from you that do not honor God, don't give in. It may be time to take a stand.
3:5,6Why did Haman want to destroy all Jews just because of one man’s action? (1) Haman was an Agagite (3:1), a descendant of Agag, king of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:20). The Amalekites were ancient enemies of the Israelites (see Exodus 17:16; Deuteronomy 25:17-19). Haman’s hatred was directed not just at Mordecai but at all the Jews. (2) As second-in-command in the Persian Empire (3:1), Haman loved his power and authority and the reverence shown him. The Jews, however, looked to God as their final authority, not to any man. Haman realized that the only way to fulfil his self-centered desires was to kill all those who disregarded his authority. His quest for personal power and his hatred of the Jewish race consumed him.
3:5,6Haman enjoyed the power and prestige of his position, and he was enraged when Mordecai did not respond with the expected reverential bow. Haman's anger was not directed just toward Mordecai, but toward what Mardecai stood for-—the Jews’ dedication to God as the only authority worthy of reverence. Haman’s attitude was prejudiced: He hated a group of people because of a difference in belief or culture. Prejudice grows out of personal pride—considering oneself better than others. In the end, Haman was punished for his arrogant attitude (7:9, 10). God will harshly judge those who are prejudiced or whose pride causes them to look down on others.
3:7Haman cast lots to determine the best day to carry out his decree. Little did he know that he was playing into the hands of God, for the day of death was set for almost a year away, giving Esther time to make her plea to the king. The Persian word for “tots” was purim, which became the name for the holiday celebrated by the Jews when they were delivered, not killed, on the day appointed by Haman.
3:9Haman must have hoped to acquire this tremendous sum of money by plundering the homes and businesses of the Jews who would be killed through his decree.
3:10-12Officials in the ancient world used signet rings as personal signatures. The ring’s surface had a raised imprint made of metal, wood, or bone; Xerxes’ was probably made of silver or gold. Each individual had his own imprint. Letters were sealed by pressing the ring into soft wax, and official documents were certified by using the royal signet. By giving Haman his signet ring, Xerxes gave him his personal signature and with it the authority to do whatever he wished. Little did the king realize that his own ring would sign the death warrant for his queen, Esther.
3:13Haman’s death decree was against all Jews in the Persian Empire; thus, it would have included the land of Israel. If his decree had been carried out, all of God’s chosen people could have been exterminated, and God’s plan to send his Son to earth as a Jew could have been ruined. But Gad’s pians cannot be stopped. Haman was doomed to fait.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 773
GOD BEHIND THE SCENES IN ESTHER Although God's name is not mentioned in the Hebrew text of Esther, he makes himself known in these ways:
Indirect References 2:17.... Esther, who worshiped God, became queen.
4:14.... God’s existence and his power over the affairs of people are assumed.
4:16.... Fasting was a distinct spiritual activity usually connected with prayer.
Divine Incidents...... 2:21, 23.... Mordecai overhears a death plot and saves The book of Esther the king’s life.
is filled with divine 6:1.... Xerxes can’t sleep and decides to read a history book. interventions
6:2.... Xerxes reads the exact page needed for the moment, reminding him of an unpaid reward to Mordecai.
7:9, 10.... Haman’s plan is exactly reversed—the intended victims are the victors.
Why was God’s name hidden in the book of Esther? There were many gods in the Middle East and Persian Empire. Usually, their names were mentioned in official) documents in order to control the peoples who worshiped those particular gods. The Jews were unique in being the people of one God. A story about them was naturally a story about God, for even the name “Jew” carried with it the connotation of one who worshiped Yahweh.