Esther 3:11 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.
Esther 3:11 nkjv
And the king said to Haman, "The money and the people are given to you, to do with them as seems good to you."
Esther 3:11 niv
"Keep the money," the king said to Haman, "and do with the people as you please."
Esther 3:11 esv
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."
Esther 3:11 nlt
The king said, "The money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit."
Esther 3 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 41:42 | And Pharaoh took off his signet ring... and put it on Joseph's hand. | Pharaoh grants Joseph ultimate authority. |
| Est 8:2 | The king took off his signet ring... and gave it to Mordecai. | Reversal of Haman's authority later. |
| Est 8:8 | Write also concerning the Jews... and seal it with the king's signet ring. | The binding nature of a sealed decree. |
| Hag 2:23 | I will make you like a signet ring... for I have chosen you. | God designates Zerubbabel with His authority. |
| Jer 22:24 | Though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim... were a signet ring... yet I would pluck you off. | God revokes delegated authority. |
| Dan 6:8, 17 | A decree established by royal edict... sealed with the king's signet. | Illustrates the binding power of a royal seal. |
| 1 Kin 21:8 | Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal. | Abuse of king's authority for evil purposes. |
| Ex 17:14-16 | The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. | Divine declaration of eternal enmity against Amalek. |
| Deut 25:17-19 | Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt. | Command to utterly blot out the memory of Amalek. |
| 1 Sam 15:2-3, 32-33 | Go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction... Saul spared Agag. | Saul's disobedience in dealing with Agag. |
| Ps 83:4-7 | They have said, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation." | Nations conspiring against God's people. |
| Prov 21:1 | The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. | God's sovereign control over rulers' decisions. |
| Prov 14:15 | The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought. | King Ahasuerus's lack of discernment. |
| Prov 28:26 | Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool. | Warning against overconfidence, applicable to the king's rash decision. |
| Rom 13:1 | For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. | All authority, even abused, is permitted by God. |
| Gen 50:20 | As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. | God's ability to turn evil intentions for good. |
| Rom 8:28 | And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good. | God's ultimate purpose in seemingly dire situations. |
| Eph 6:12 | For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers. | Highlights spiritual dimension behind human conflict. |
| 1 Pet 5:8 | Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion. | The underlying spiritual adversary at work through agents like Haman. |
| Rev 12:17 | Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring. | Satan's ongoing war against God's people. |
| Matt 28:18 | All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. | Contrast Haman's delegated power with Christ's ultimate authority. |
Esther 3 verses
Esther 3 11 Meaning
Esther 3:11 describes King Ahasuerus's swift and casual transfer of immense power to Haman, the antagonist, without due diligence or inquiry. By giving Haman his personal signet ring, the king granted him full imperial authority to issue decrees in the king's name, signifying an abdication of royal responsibility and setting the stage for Haman's genocidal plot against the Jewish people to become official royal policy. This act is the formal authorization of evil.
Esther 3 11 Context
Esther chapter 3 introduces Haman, a high official whom King Ahasuerus elevates above all other princes. Haman demands universal obeisance, but Mordecai, a Jew, refuses to bow down due to his faith, provoking Haman's wrath. Rather than targeting only Mordecai, Haman determines to destroy all Jews throughout the Persian Empire. He deceitfully informs the king that the Jews are a scattered people whose laws differ from all others and that they do not keep the king's laws, suggesting their existence is unprofitable and disruptive to the empire. He then offers a substantial sum of silver to the royal treasury if the king permits their annihilation. Esther 3:11 follows directly from Haman's proposal, depicting the king's casual and immediate consent without further investigation. This action empowers Haman with royal authority, allowing him to legally carry out his genocidal plans. Historically, King Ahasuerus (likely Xerxes I) was an absolute monarch, often depicted as capricious and easily swayed by his courtiers. The immense power of his word, amplified by the use of his signet ring, meant that his decisions, even when made rashly, held irrevocable imperial decree.
Esther 3 11 Word analysis
- And the king: Ha-melech (המלך). Refers to Ahasuerus (Xerxes). Highlights his absolute power within the Persian Empire and his willingness to delegate it. His actions are definitive, yet portrayed here as passive or indifferent concerning a grave matter.
- took off: Vayyasar (ויסר). Signifies a deliberate act of removing. More than merely relinquishing, it implies a formal divestment of a personal symbol.
- his signet ring: Tappahat ha-melech (טבעת המלך). Tabba'at refers to a ring. The signet ring was a powerful tool in ancient monarchies, equivalent to the king's personal signature. It symbolized the king's authority, identity, and ultimate power, used to seal official decrees, making them binding and irrevocable.
- from his hand: Miy-yado (מידו). Indicates the physical, personal transfer. Emphasizes that this power comes directly from the king himself.
- and gave it: Vayyitnaha (ויתנה). Directly gave it without hesitation. Conveys the king's ready and unquestioning trust in Haman, lacking any real scrutiny or concern for the implications of Haman's request.
- to Haman: Le-Haman (להמן). The recipient. Already characterized as filled with rage and pride (Est 3:5).
- the son of Hammedatha: Standard identification of a person by their father's name.
- the Agagite: Ha-Agagi (האגגי). This is a crucial genealogical detail. It links Haman directly to Agag, the king of the Amalekites, whom King Saul was commanded to utterly destroy (1 Sam 15). The Amalekites were perennial, divinely cursed enemies of Israel (Ex 17:16, Deut 25:17-19), embodying deep-seated animosity. This lineage reveals the ancient spiritual conflict underlying Haman's hatred, identifying him as an heir to an anti-God lineage opposing God's chosen people. It implies a continuation of spiritual warfare.
- the enemy of the Jews: Tsorer ha-Yehudim (צורר היהודים). Tsorer means adversary, oppressor, one who persecutes and distresses. This is an explicit, authoritative description of Haman's core nature and purpose in the narrative. It pre-empts any ambiguity about his intentions.
Words-group analysis:
- "And the king took off...and gave it to Haman": This sequence highlights the swift and almost thoughtless delegation of authority. The king grants sweeping power to an official who had just presented a genocidal proposal, indicating profound indifference or even complicity, rather than wise governance.
- "his signet ring...the Agagite": The most potent symbol of imperial authority (the signet ring) is transferred to the most deeply ingrained historical and spiritual enemy of God's people (the Agagite). This stark juxtaposition underscores the immense danger and the theological significance of the act. The ring, symbolizing legitimate power, is given to the embodiment of ancient, illegitimate hatred.
Esther 3 11 Bonus section
The act of the king handing over his signet ring without a second thought highlights the profound irresponsibility and lack of discernment often present in human leadership. It serves as a stark contrast to how a truly wise or God-fearing ruler would act, emphasizing that human power, when unchecked by wisdom or righteousness, can become an instrument for great evil. Furthermore, the irrevocability of a decree sealed with the signet ring underscores the desperate situation of the Jews; only an even greater act of God or a twist of fate could avert the catastrophe, highlighting the need for Mordecai's and Esther's later courage and God's unseen hand guiding events.
Esther 3 11 Commentary
Esther 3:11 marks a critical turning point in the book, solidifying Haman's malevolent plan into an officially sanctioned royal decree. The king's nonchalant action of taking off his signet ring and giving it to Haman demonstrates a shocking level of apathy or foolish trust on his part, particularly considering the severity of the plot Haman just outlined. The signet ring represents absolute, irrevocable imperial authority, meaning Haman was given carte blanche to execute his extermination decree. This act is pivotal not just narratively, but also theologically. The designation "the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews" powerfully connects Haman's personal vendetta to the ancient, divinely cursed enmity between Amalek and Israel, indicating that this is a conflict far deeper than political intrigue; it's a spiritual battle against God's chosen people. Although God is never explicitly mentioned in the book of Esther, this verse vividly portrays the dark circumstances and the overwhelming odds faced by the Jews, setting the stage for divine providence to secretly work behind the scenes to preserve His people from certain destruction.