Esther 3:1

Esther 3:1 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (NIV)After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.

Context of Esther 3:1

After these things King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and established his authority over all the officials who were with him. 2All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate [in royal service] bowed down and honored and paid homage to Haman; for this is what the king had commanded in regard to him. But Mordecai [a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin] neither bowed down nor paid homage [to him]. 3Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why are you disregarding the king’s command?”

Esther 3:1 word by word

אַחַ֣ר׀ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה גִּדַּל֩ הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֜וֹשׁ אֶת־הָמָ֧ן בֶּֽן־הַמְּדָ֛תָא הָאֲגָגִ֖י וַֽיְנַשְּׂאֵ֑הוּ וַיָּ֙שֶׂם֙ אֶת־כִּסְא֔וֹ מֵעַ֕ל כָּל־הַשָּׂרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר אִתּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• these thingsדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
• did kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• Ahasuerusאֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ'ăchashvêrôsh 'achashrôsh · AhasuerusH325
• promoteגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
• Hamanהָמָןhâmân · HamanH2001
• the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Hammedathaהַמְּדָתָאmedâthâ' · HammedathaH4099
• the Agagiteאֲגָגִי'ăgâgîy · AgagiteH91
• and advancedנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: exaltH5375
• him, and setשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
• his seatכִּסֵּאkissê' kissêh · throne: seatH3678
• above all the princesשַׂרώar · rulerH8269

Cross-references for Esther 3:1

• Esther 7:6Esther said, “An adversary and an enemy is Haman, this evil man.” Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen.
• Psalms 12:8The wicked strut about [in pompous self-importance] on every side, As vileness is exalted and baseness is prized among the sons of men.
• Proverbs 29:2When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice; But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh.
• Numbers 24:7Water [that is, great blessings] will flow from his buckets, And his offspring will live by many waters, And his king will be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted.
• 1 Samuel 15:8He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, though he totally destroyed all [the rest of] the people with the sword.
• Esther 1:14and who were close to him [as advisors]: Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media who had access to the king and were ranked highest in the kingdom.
• Genesis 41:40You shall have charge over my house, and all my people shall be governed according to your word and pay respect [to you with reverence, submission, and obedience]; only in [matters of] the throne will I be greater than you [in Egypt].”
• Ezra 7:14For you are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem in accordance with the Law of your God, which is in your hand,
• Daniel 6:2and over them three chief commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, so that the king would have no loss [from disloyalty or mismanagement].

Commentaries on Esther 3:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Haman - the Agagite - Perhaps he was some descendant of that Agag, king of the Amalekites, spared by Saul, but destroyed by Samuel; and on this ground might have an antipathy to the Jews. Set his seat above all the princes - Made him his prime minister, and put all the officers of state under his direction.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The name, Haman, is probably the same as the Classical Omanes, and in ancient Persian, “Umana”, an exact equivalent of the Greek “Eumenes.” Hammedatha is perhaps the same as “Madata” or “Mahadata”, an old Persian name signifying “given by (or to) the moon.” The Agagite - The Jews generally understand by this expression “the descendant of Agag,” the Amalekite monarch of Esther 9:7-9 and his father, would seem to have been a genuine Persian. The Classical…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Haman seeks to destroy the Jews. (1-6) He obtains a decree against the Jews. (7-15) Verses 1-6 Mordecai refused to reverence Haman. The religion of a Jew forbade him to give honours to any mortal man which savoured of idolatry, especially to so wicked a man as Haman. By nature all are idolaters; self is our favourite idol, we are pleased to be treated as if every thing were at our disposal. Though religion by no means destroys good manners, but teaches us…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-15Haman's hatred for Mordecai grows into a plan to kill all the Jewish people.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-151. After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman ... set his seat above all the princes--that is, raised him to the rank of vizier, or prime confidential minister, whose pre-eminence in office and power appeared in the elevated state chair appropriated to that supreme functionary. Such a distinction in seats was counted of vast importance in the formal court of Persia.Read the comment

Topics related to Esther 3:1

• Haman
• Hammedatha
• King
• Minister, Civil

In the dictionaries

• Ahasuerus
• Ahasuerus; Asseurus
• Agagite
• Haman
• Hammedatha
• Aman
• Purim; Pur
• Agag
• Purim

Commentaries on Esther 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings