Esther / Chapter 3

Esther 3

15 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex 1 tradition available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

King Ahasuerus promotes Haman the Agagite above all the other officials and commands everyone at the king's gate to bow before him. Mordecai alone refuses. When Haman learns that Mordecai is Jewish, his fury expands beyond one man — he resolves to destroy all the Jews throughout the empire. Haman casts pur (lots) to determine the date for the massacre, then approaches the king with a proposal: there is a scattered people whose laws differ from every other nation, and they do not observe the king's laws. Haman offers ten thousand talents of silver to fund their annihilation. The king gives Haman his signet ring and tells him to do with the people as he sees fit. Decrees are drafted in every language and script of the empire, sealed with the king's ring, and dispatched by couriers to every province: on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, all Jews — young and old, women and children — are to be killed, and their property plundered. The decree is published in Susa, and the city is thrown into confusion.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The chapter introduces Haman with the most loaded ethnic identifier in the Hebrew Bible: ha-Agagi ('the Agagite'). Agag was king of the Amalekites, the ancestral enemy of Israel whom Saul was commanded to destroy and failed to (1 Samuel 15). The conflict between Mordecai the Benjaminite descendant of Kish and Haman the descendant of Agag is not a personal grudge — it is an ancient war resumed. The casting of lots (pur) to determine the date of genocide is chilling in its calculated patience: Haman is willing to wait eleven months for the cosmically 'right' day to exterminate a people. The entire mechanism of Persian irrevocable law, introduced in chapter 1 for a domestic dispute, now becomes the instrument of genocide. What was absurd is now lethal.

Translation Friction

Mordecai's refusal to bow is never fully explained. The text says the king's servants ask him 'why do you transgress the king's command?' (verse 3), and that he told them he was a Jew (verse 4), but it does not explicitly state whether his refusal was religious, ethnic, or personal. The Hebrew does not indicate that bowing to a human official was inherently prohibited — the patriarchs bowed to others routinely. The connection to Haman's Agagite lineage suggests the refusal may be rooted in tribal memory rather than theology. Haman's speech to the king (verse 8) is a masterclass in antisemitic rhetoric: he describes the Jews without naming them, emphasizes their difference, and frames their existence as a threat to royal order. The king's willingness to hand over an entire people without even asking who they are is one of the most damning portraits of royal indifference in Scripture.

Connections

The Saul-Agag conflict (1 Samuel 15) provides the deep background: Saul's failure to completely destroy the Amalekites now bears fruit in Haman's rise. The pur (lot) that gives the book its name (Purim) connects to the biblical understanding of lot-casting as revealing hidden divine determination (Proverbs 16:33: 'The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD'). Haman's offer of ten thousand talents of silver echoes and vastly exceeds the temple treasures that have been plundered throughout Kings and Chronicles — this is blood money on an imperial scale. The decree structure — written, sealed, irrevocable — mirrors the decree that deposed Vashti (1:19) and will be countered by the decree of chapter 8. **Tradition comparisons:** The LXX Esther adds theological content absent from the Hebrew: The most significant LXX addition is Mordecai's prayer-like explanation for refusing to bow to Haman, stating that he would gladly kiss Haman's feet for Israel's sake but will not give to a mortal the honor that belongs to God. This transforms a p... Addition B (the king's edict of destruction) is inserted after 3:13 in the LXX, giving the full text of Haman's decree and explicitly invoking divine governance. See the [LXX Esther comparison](/lxx-esther/3).

Esther 3:1

אַחַ֣ר ׀ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה גִּדַּל֩ הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֜וֹשׁ אֶת־הָמָ֧ן בֶּֽן־הַמְּדָ֛תָא הָאֲגָגִ֖י וַיְנַשְּׂאֵ֑הוּ וַיָּ֙שֶׂם֙ אֶת־כִּסְא֔וֹ מֵעַ֕ל כׇּל־הַשָּׂרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר אִתּֽוֹ׃

After these events, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, elevating him and placing his seat above all the other officials who served with him.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb giddal ('he made great, he promoted') and vaynasse'ehu ('he lifted him up') are a double elevation — Haman is both promoted in rank and exalted in honor. The identification ha-Agagi ('the Agagite') links Haman to Agag, the Amalekite king spared by Saul in 1 Samuel 15. For a Hebrew audience, this genealogical tag transforms a court appointment into the reactivation of an existential threat. The phrase me'al kol ha-sarim ('above all the officials') gives Haman supreme authority under the king.
Esther 3:2

וְכׇל־עַבְדֵ֨י הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־בְּשַׁ֣עַר הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ כֹּרְעִ֤ים וּמִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִים֙ לְהָמָ֔ן כִּי־כֵ֖ן צִוָּה־ל֣וֹ הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וּמׇרְדֳּכַ֕י לֹ֥א יִכְרַ֖ע וְלֹ֥א יִשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽה׃

All the king's servants at the king's gate would kneel and bow down to Haman, for the king had commanded this regarding him. But Mordecai would not kneel and would not bow down.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The two verbs kor'im u-mishtachavim ('kneeling and bowing down') describe full prostration — not a casual nod but complete physical submission. The double negative applied to Mordecai — lo yikhra ve-lo yishtachaveh ('he would not kneel and would not bow') — mirrors the double action of compliance with a double refusal. The imperfect tense indicates habitual action: this was not a single incident but a daily, visible act of defiance.
Esther 3:3

וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ עַבְדֵ֥י הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־בְּשַׁ֥עַר הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ לְמׇרְדֳּכָ֑י מַדּ֙וּעַ֙ אַתָּ֣ה עוֹבֵ֔ר אֵ֖ת מִצְוַ֥ת הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

The king's servants at the gate said to Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's command?"

KJV Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb over ('to cross over, to transgress') frames Mordecai's refusal as a legal violation: maddu'a attah over et mitsvat ha-melekh ('why are you crossing over the king's command?'). The servants see a man publicly defying a royal decree — a dangerous act in any absolute monarchy. Their question implies both concern and accusation.
Esther 3:4

וַיְהִ֗י כְּאׇמְרָ֤ם אֵלָיו֙ י֣וֹם וָי֔וֹם וְלֹ֥א שָׁמַ֖ע אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם וַיַּגִּ֣ידוּ לְהָמָ֗ן לִרְאוֹת֙ הֲיַעַמְד֣וּ דִבְרֵ֣י מׇרְדֳּכַ֔י כִּֽי־הִגִּ֥יד לָהֶ֖ם אֲשֶׁר־ה֥וּא יְהוּדִֽי׃

When they had spoken to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they reported it to Haman to see whether Mordecai's position would hold, since he had told them he was a Jew.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase yom va-yom ('day and day' — daily) shows persistent pressure, and lo shama aleihem ('he did not listen to them') shows immovable resistance. The servants report to Haman lir'ot ha-ya'amdu divrei Mordekhai ('to see whether Mordecai's words would stand') — they want to test whether his claim justifies his defiance. The critical revelation: ki higgid lahem asher hu Yehudi ('because he had told them that he was a Jew'). Mordecai's Jewish identity is now the stated basis for his refusal.

Greek Esther (LXX, with additions)theological

"LXX: 'For Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew [and would not bow because he would not give to a mortal the honor due to God]'"

The LXX dramatically expands this verse. In the MT, Mordecai simply reveals he is Jewish. In the LXX, Mordecai explains his theological reasoning: he refuses to bow because he will not give to a human being the glory (doxa) that belongs to God alone. This makes Mordecai's act an expression of monotheistic piety.

Esther 3:5

וַיַּ֣רְא הָמָ֔ן כִּי־אֵ֣ין מׇרְדֳּכַ֔י כֹּרֵ֥עַ וּמִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֖ה ל֑וֹ וַיִּמָּלֵ֥א הָמָ֖ן חֵמָֽה׃

When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel or bow to him, Haman was filled with rage.

KJV And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb vayyimmale ('he was filled') with chemah ('fury, venom, heat') describes a consuming anger — Haman is not annoyed but saturated with wrath. The verb male implies there is no room for anything else: fury has displaced every other consideration. This is the emotional trigger for the genocide plot — one man's wounded pride expanding into a plan to destroy an entire people.
Esther 3:6

וַיִּ֣בֶז בְּעֵינָ֗יו לִשְׁלֹ֤חַ יָד֙ בְּמׇרְדֳּכַ֣י לְבַדּ֔וֹ כִּֽי־הִגִּ֥ידוּ ל֖וֹ אֶת־עַ֣ם מׇרְדֳּכָ֑י וַיְבַקֵּ֣שׁ הָמָ֗ן לְהַשְׁמִ֧יד אֶת־כׇּל־הַיְּהוּדִ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֛ר בְּכׇל־מַלְכ֥וּת אֲחַשְׁוֵר֖וֹשׁ עַ֥ם מׇרְדֳּכָֽי׃

But he considered it beneath him to strike at Mordecai alone, since they had told him Mordecai's people. So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire kingdom of Ahasuerus — the people of Mordecai.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb vayyivez ('he despised, he considered contemptible') reveals Haman's megalomania: killing one man is too small a response for his wounded ego. The phrase lishlo'ach yad be-Mordekhai levaddo ('to lay hands on Mordecai alone') uses the same idiom for violence seen in 2:21 (the assassination plot). Haman's ambition leaps from one man to kol ha-Yehudim asher be-khol malkhut Achashverosh ('all the Jews in the entire kingdom of Ahasuerus'). The repetition am Mordekhai ('the people of Mordecai') frames the Jews as Mordecai's people — guilty by ethnic association.
Esther 3:7

בַּחֹ֤דֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן֙ הוּא־חֹ֣דֶשׁ נִיסָ֔ן בִּשְׁנַת֙ שְׁתֵּ֣ים עֶשְׂרֵ֔ה לַמֶּ֖לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֑וֹשׁ הִפִּ֣יל פּוּר֩ ה֨וּא הַגּוֹרָ֜ל לִפְנֵ֣י הָמָ֗ן מִיּ֧וֹם ׀ לְי֛וֹם וּמֵחֹ֛דֶשׁ לְחֹ֥דֶשׁ שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֖ר הוּא־חֹ֥דֶשׁ אֲדָֽר׃

In the first month — the month of Nisan — in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman, from day to day and from month to month, until the twelfth month — the month of Adar.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

פּוּר pur
"lot" — lot, die, fate-determining object

A Persian or Akkadian loanword for a lot cast to determine fate or timing. The narrator glosses it with the Hebrew goral ('lot'). The book of Esther is named for this object through the festival of Purim ('lots'). The irony of the name is that the lot Haman cast to destroy the Jews became the occasion of their deliverance.

Translator Notes

  1. The word pur is a Persian loanword (from Akkadian puru) meaning 'lot' — the narrator translates it for Hebrew readers: pur hu ha-goral ('pur, that is, the lot'). Lots were cast to determine the most auspicious date for the planned massacre. The process runs from Nisan (March-April) through the entire calendar to Adar (February-March) — nearly a full year. The festival of Purim takes its name from this word. The lot falls on the last month of the year, which will give the Jews maximum time to prepare once the counter-decree is issued in chapter 8.

Greek Esther (LXX, with additions)minor

"he cast lots"

The MT provides both the Persian word Pur and its Hebrew gloss 'the lot.' The LXX uses only klērous (lots), omitting the Persian term. The LXX also specifies the purpose: 'to destroy the race of Mordecai in one day.' Some LXX manuscripts add specific dates.

Esther 3:8

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הָמָן֙ לַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ יֶשְׁנ֣וֹ עַם־אֶחָ֗ד מְפֻזָּ֤ר וּמְפֹרָד֙ בֵּ֣ין הָֽעַמִּ֔ים בְּכֹ֖ל מְדִינ֣וֹת מַלְכוּתֶ֑ךָ וְדָתֵיהֶ֞ם שֹׁנ֣וֹת מִכׇּל־עָ֗ם וְאֶת־דָּתֵ֤י הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֵינָ֣ם עֹשִׂ֔ים וְלַמֶּ֥לֶךְ אֵין־שֹׁוֶ֖ה לְהַנִּיחָֽם׃

Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people, scattered and dispersed among the peoples in every province of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not observe the king's laws. It is not in the king's interest to tolerate them.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Haman's speech is a carefully constructed act of persuasion that never names its target. The phrase yeshno am echad ('there exists one people') keeps the Jews anonymous — the king will never ask who they are. The pair mefuzzar u-meforad ('scattered and dispersed') emphasizes their vulnerability: they are everywhere but concentrated nowhere. The three accusations build in severity: (1) their laws are different (dateihem shonot mi-kol am), (2) they do not keep the king's laws (ve-et datei ha-melekh einam osim), and (3) it is not worth it for the king to leave them alone (la-melekh ein shoveh lehaniccham). The third point reframes genocide as fiscal policy.
Esther 3:9

אִם־עַל־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ ט֔וֹב יִכָּתֵ֖ב לְאַבְּדָ֑ם וַעֲשֶׂ֨רֶת אֲלָפִ֜ים כִּכַּר־כֶּ֗סֶף אֶשְׁקוֹל֙ עַל־יְדֵי֙ עֹשֵׂ֣י הַמְּלָאכָ֔ה לְהָבִ֖יא אֶל־גִּנְזֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

If it pleases the king, let a decree be written for their destruction. I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry out the work, to be deposited in the king's treasuries."

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The sum — aseret alafim kikkar kesef ('ten thousand talents of silver') — is staggering. Herodotus reports the total annual tribute of the Persian Empire at about 14,560 talents; Haman is offering two-thirds of the empire's annual revenue. Whether the sum is literal or hyperbolic, it signals both Haman's enormous wealth and the scale of his obsession. The verb eshoqol ('I will weigh out') is the language of commercial transaction — genocide presented as a business deal. The phrase osei ha-melakhah ('those who do the work') is a chillingly bureaucratic term for executioners.
Esther 3:10

וַיָּ֧סַר הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ אֶת־טַבַּעְתּ֖וֹ מֵעַ֣ל יָד֑וֹ וַיִּתְּנָ֗הּ לְהָמָ֧ן בֶּֽן־הַמְּדָ֛תָא הָאֲגָגִ֖י צֹרֵ֥ר הַיְּהוּדִֽים׃

The king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

KJV And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The taba'at ('signet ring') is the instrument of royal authority — documents sealed with it carry the force of the king's own word. By giving Haman the ring, Ahasuerus delegates absolute power over an unnamed people. The narrator now adds a title the king does not use: tsorer ha-Yehudim ('the adversary of the Jews'). This is editorial commentary — the narrator names what the king ignores. The Agagite identification and the 'enemy' label appear together, linking Haman's personal malice to the ancient enmity between Amalek and Israel.
Esther 3:11

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ לְהָמָ֔ן הַכֶּ֖סֶף נָת֣וּן לָ֑ךְ וְהָעָ֕ם לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת בּ֖וֹ כַּטּ֥וֹב בְּעֵינֶֽיךָ׃

The king said to Haman, "The silver is yours, and the people too — do with them whatever seems right to you."

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The king's response is terrifyingly casual: ha-kesef natun lakh ('the silver is given to you') — the bribe is waved away or accepted as a gift — ve-ha-am ('and the people') — an entire nation is handed over in three words — la'asot bo ka-tov be-einekha ('to do with them as is good in your eyes'). The king does not ask which people, how many, or why. He grants Haman both the money and the people as if disposing of surplus inventory. The phrase ka-tov be-einekha ('as seems good in your eyes') gives Haman total discretion.
Esther 3:12

וַיִּקָּרְאוּ֩ סֹפְרֵ֨י הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁ֨ה עָשָׂ֣ר יוֹם֮ בּוֹ֒ וַיִּכָּתֵ֣ב כְּכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֣ה הָמָ֡ן אֶ֣ל אֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנֵֽי־הַ֠מֶּ֠לֶךְ וְאֶל־הַפַּח֞וֹת אֲשֶׁ֣ר ׀ עַל־מְדִינָ֣ה וּמְדִינָ֗ה וְאֶל־שָׂרֵ֤י עַם֙ וָעָ֔ם מְדִינָ֤ה וּמְדִינָה֙ כִּכְתָבָ֔הּ וְעַ֥ם וָעָ֖ם כִּלְשׁוֹנ֑וֹ בְּשֵׁ֨ם הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹשׁ֙ נִכְתָּ֔ב וְנֶחְתָּ֖ם בְּטַבַּ֥עַת הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

The king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated — to the king's satraps, to the governors over each province, and to the officials of each people, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king's signet ring.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The date — the thirteenth of Nisan — is one day before Passover, the festival celebrating Israel's deliverance from Egypt. The irony may be intentional: a decree of destruction is drafted on the eve of the commemoration of liberation. The bureaucratic machinery is described in exhaustive detail: achashdarpnei ha-melekh ('the king's satraps' — a Persian loanword), pachot ('governors'), sarei am va-am ('officials of each people'). The decree goes out medinah u-medinah ki-khetavah ve-am va-am ki-leshono ('to every province in its script and every people in its language') — the same multilingual apparatus that sent the Vashti decree.
Esther 3:13

וְנִשְׁל֨וֹחַ סְפָרִ֜ים בְּיַ֣ד הָרָצִים֮ אֶל־כׇּל־מְדִינ֣וֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ֒ לְהַשְׁמִ֡יד לַהֲרֹ֣ג וּלְאַבֵּ֣ד אֶת־כׇּל־הַ֠יְּהוּדִ֠ים מִנַּ֨עַר וְעַד־זָקֵ֨ן טַ֤ף וְנָשִׁים֙ בְּי֣וֹם אֶחָ֔ד בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁ֥ה עָשָׂ֛ר לְחֹ֥דֶשׁ שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֖ר הוּא־חֹ֣דֶשׁ אֲדָ֑ר וּשְׁלָלָ֖ם לָבֽוֹז׃

Letters were sent by couriers to every province of the king: to annihilate, kill, and destroy all Jews — young and old, children and women — on a single day, the thirteenth of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The three verbs lehashmid laharog ule'abbed ('to annihilate, to kill, and to destroy') are not synonyms used for emphasis — each specifies a different aspect of total destruction. The targets are comprehensive: mi-na'ar ve-ad zaqen taf ve-nashim ('from youth to elder, children and women') — no exception by age or sex. The phrase be-yom echad ('on a single day') requires coordinated, simultaneous violence across 127 provinces. The final clause — u-shelalam lavoz ('and their plunder for spoil') — adds an economic incentive: the killers may keep whatever the victims own.

Greek Esther (LXX, with additions)moderate

"to destroy... and to plunder their possessions"

Both versions describe total destruction. The LXX adds plundering explicitly. After this verse, the LXX inserts Addition B — the full text of the king's decree in seven verses. See addition-B.json.

Esther 3:14

פַּתְשֶׁ֣גֶן הַכְּתָ֗ב לְהִנָּ֤תֵֽן דָּת֙ בְּכׇל־מְדִינָ֣ה וּמְדִינָ֔ה גָּל֖וּי לְכׇל־הָעַמִּ֑ים לִהְי֥וֹת עֲתִדִ֖ים לַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

A copy of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and published to all peoples, so that they would be ready for that day.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The patshegen ha-ketav ('copy of the document') is the official text distributed to every province. The word galui ('open, revealed, public') means the decree is not secret — it is posted for all to see. The phrase lihyot atidim la-yom ha-zeh ('to be ready for that day') instructs the populace to prepare for organized violence. The Jews will read their own death sentence posted in public. This public proclamation is what triggers Mordecai's mourning in chapter 4.
Esther 3:15

הָרָצִ֞ים יָצְא֤וּ דְחוּפִים֙ בִּדְבַ֣ר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וְהַדָּ֥ת נִתְּנָ֖ה בְּשׁוּשַׁ֣ן הַבִּירָ֑ה וְהַמֶּ֤לֶךְ וְהָמָן֙ יָשְׁב֣וּ לִשְׁתּ֔וֹת וְהָעִ֥יר שׁוּשָׁ֖ן נָבֽוֹכָה׃

The couriers went out in urgent haste by the king's command, and the decree was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was in turmoil.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The final verse delivers its verdict through juxtaposition: ve-ha-melekh ve-Haman yashvu lishtot ('the king and Haman sat down to drink') — while ve-ha-ir Shushan navokha ('the city of Susa was thrown into confusion'). The word navokha means 'bewildered, perplexed, in an uproar' — the entire city, not only the Jews, is disturbed by the decree. The contrast between the two men drinking and the population reeling is the chapter's closing image: those who issued the decree are at ease; those who must live under it are in chaos.
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