Esther Chapter Three
Haman Plots to Kill All of the Jews
1 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him.
The author now advances the story to a later time period. The king promotes Haman, the son of Hammedatha, above all of his fellow officials (Hebrew ’śarîm’,[1] can be a number of official positions). The author notes that the king set Haman’s throne above these other officials. The Hebrew word translated here as ‘throne’ is ‘kēs’,[2] which can refer to a throne, seat or chair.
There is some debate as to what an ‘Agagite’ is. Some suggest ‘Agag’ is an unknown nation or was a name or title for a king of Amalek, a nation that was a long-time enemy of the Israelites (see Exodus 17:8-15). The historian Josephus records that an Agagite is equivalent to being a Amalekite,
Now there was one Haman, the son of Amedatha, by birth an Amalekite, that used to go into the king; and the foreigners and Persians worshipped him.[3]
2 And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage.
Bowing down before royalty was expected, offering a sign of respect and submission. The king commanded that the same respect be paid to Haman as well, however Mordecai refused as he, being a Jew, only worshipped God (see Exodus 20:3; 34:14). Although he likely that he acknowledged the king, as royalty is often considered to be placed by God, but not those elevated by fellow man.
3 Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?” 4 And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury.
The king’s servants st the gate interpreted Mordecai’s behavior as being disobedient to the king, not to Haman, so they tried to persuade him to reconsider. When their effort failed they went to Haman and told him to see if Mordecai’s excuse of being a Jew was sufficient and of course it was not. So now Haman, who apparently did not notice Mordecai’s lack of paying him homage before, was furious and became very angry.
6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
Now being full of pride and rage over not being acknowledged and properly respected by Haman, becomes enraged with all Jews and begins to think of ways to kill all of the Jews in the kingdom.
7 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
The author offers another “time stamp,” telling us that these events occurred in the first month of the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, nearly five years after Esther becoming queen (see also Esther 1:3; 2:16). Pur is a Persian word, believed to be Akkadian in origin. It refers to a process or object that helps make decisions. Here the author clarifies by telling us that they cast ‘lots’ (Hebrew ‘gôrāl’)[4] by typically throwing a stone or stones to the ground that have some sort of marking or color variation, like one might today throw dice, to make decisions.
They cast Pur is literally “he caused Pur to fall” (so Chouraqui). TEV interprets the unspecified third person subject to be Haman (also FRCL, GECL, ITCL, B.C.). The majority of the versions, however, avoid being explicit by referring to an indefinite “they.”[5]
Haman, apparently a superstitious man, casts lots apparently to choose the day and month to annihilate the Jews. The result was Adar, the month before Nisan occurring in the late winter or early spring, allowing nearly one year for Haman to come up with a plan.
8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them. 9 If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business, that they may put it into the king’s treasuries.”
Haman decides to approach the king with a way to end the ongoing insolence of the Jews. He tells the king “There is a certain people,” not even identifying who they are and then explains that they have their own laws and do not obey the king’s laws. This probably got the king’s attention and solicited some anger and agreed with Haman to have them all killed.
Haman even personally offers money, ten-thousand talents of silver,[6] to the kingdom officials required to carry-out the mission. Seeking a way to prevent this Jewish extermination from not happening, Haman asks the king to make a decree. Haman adds that the silver can then be deposited (banked) into the king’s royal treasury.
10 So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”
With no questions asked, the king agrees with Haman’s plan and hands him his signet ring which granted him authority to do what he needs to do (a signet contained a recognizable design that would confirm that the source was indeed legitimate). Note how the author clearly identifies Haman as the enemy of the Jews. One a side note, whenever this book is read out loud, it is a custom of the Jews to hiss whenever Haman’s name is mentioned! The king then tells Haman to keep the money, he will give him the necessary authority to use whatever personnel and resources he needed when the time comes.
12 Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king’s satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, to every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.
On the 13th day of Nisan, the day before the celebration of Passover was to begin, the decree was written in all of the appropriate languages and sealed with the king’s signet that proclaimed the law that requires the extinction of all Jews in the Persian Empire on the 13th day of the month of Adar, eleven months later. To encourage the slaughter, participants would be allowed to plunder and take possession of anything owned by the Jews. It appears that Haman was planning on soliciting and encouraging all non-Jewish citizens to carry out this annihilation.
14 A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day.
With the decree written in every language and issued in every province probably minimized the chances of any Jew from successfully escaping. Everyone was encouraged to be ready, possibly meaning to obtain appropriate weapons and have a plan of attack ready by that day.
15 The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.
Now with the decree proclaimed, both the king and Haman sat down and drank possibly to celebrate, thinking it was only a matter of time that the Jews would be eliminated. However, the decree immediately brought confusion, tremendous grief and mourning to the citizens of Susa.
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 8269.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 3676.
[3] Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged (p. 299). Hendrickson.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 1486.
[5] Omanson, R. L., & Noss, P. A. (1997). A handbook on the book of Esther: the Hebrew and Greek texts (p. 96). United Bible Societies.
[6] Approximately 75 pounds of silver.