Esther 3:13 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.
Esther 3:13 nkjv
And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions.
Esther 3:13 niv
Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews?young and old, women and children?on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.
Esther 3:13 esv
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.
Esther 3:13 nlt
Dispatches 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 on a 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.
Esther 3 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 3:15 | "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring..." | Origin of spiritual conflict/hatred against God's people |
| Exod 1:22 | "Every son who is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile..." | Similar decree to kill Hebrew male children, seeking to eradicate a people |
| Deut 4:27 | "...and you will be scattered among the peoples..." | Foretold scattering of Israelites, making them vulnerable |
| Deut 28:33 | "A people whom you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and all your labors..." | Threat of foreign nations seizing possessions (plundering) |
| Deut 30:7 | "The Lord your God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you." | Divine vengeance against persecutors |
| Psa 7:15 | "He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the pit that he has made." | Foreshadows Haman's demise in his own plot (cf. Esth 7:10) |
| Psa 57:6 | "They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit before me; into it they fell themselves." | Plots of enemies turning against them |
| Psa 91:3-4 | "...from the deadly pestilence... His faithfulness is a shield and buckler." | God's protection amidst dire threats and deadly plots |
| Prov 19:21 | "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." | Human plans (like Haman's) are subject to God's sovereign will |
| Prov 28:15 | "Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people." | Description of wicked, oppressive rulers like Haman and Ahasuerus |
| Isa 43:2 | "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you..." | God's promise to protect His people through trials |
| Dan 6:8 | "Now, O king, establish the interdict and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed..." | Irrevocable nature of Persian laws, increasing urgency and terror of the decree |
| Matt 24:9 | "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations..." | Future persecution of God's people/Christians for their faith |
| John 15:19-20 | "...because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." | The world's hatred for those chosen by God, echoing the Jewish plight |
| Rom 8:31 | "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" | God's ultimate protective sovereignty over His people |
| Rom 11:1-2 | "I ask, then, has God rejected his people?... By no means!" | God's enduring faithfulness to His chosen people, Israel, despite adversity |
| 2 Tim 3:12 | "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted..." | The reality of persecution for those devoted to God |
| Rev 12:13, 17 | "...when the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman... enraged at the woman..." | Satan's ongoing spiritual war and persecution against God's people |
| Judg 6:4 | "...and left no sustenance in Israel, either sheep or ox or donkey." | An earlier example of an enemy attempting to leave nothing to God's people |
| Ezr 4:22 | "Take care not to be remiss in this. Why should damage grow to the king's prejudice?" | Examples of royal decrees and potential harm from inaction |
| Zec 2:8 | "whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye." | Emphasizes God's intense care for His people, meaning harm against them affects Him |
| Eph 6:12 | "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities..." | Reveals the spiritual dimension behind earthly opposition to God's people |
Esther 3 verses
Esther 3 13 Meaning
Esther 3:13 details Haman’s decree, sanctioned by King Ahasuerus, commanding the indiscriminate annihilation of all Jewish people—men, women, and children—throughout the Persian Empire. This genocidal order also authorized the plunder of Jewish possessions, scheduled for a single day: the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar. The dispatch of these letters via swift couriers ensured rapid, widespread dissemination of this terrifying edict.
Esther 3 13 Context
Esther chapter 3 introduces Haman the Agagite, who rises to power under King Ahasuerus and commands absolute reverence. Mordecai, a Jew, defiantly refuses to bow to Haman. Informed of Mordecai's Jewish identity, Haman's prideful anger swells into a vengeful scheme, not just against Mordecai but against all his people. Haman manipulates King Ahasuerus through slander, falsely suggesting that the Jews are rebellious and disruptive to the empire. He then offers a substantial sum of silver to the royal treasury, presenting it as compensation for the loss of taxes from the exterminated Jews, thus concealing his true malicious intent. The king, indifferent and trusting Haman, grants him full authority by giving him his signet ring, empowering Haman to issue a decree as he saw fit. Verse 13 is the chilling manifestation of Haman's unleashed hatred, a decree of genocide issued with official royal seal across the vast Persian Empire, targeting every single Jew regardless of age or gender, and aiming to strip them of their property.
Esther 3 13 Word analysis
- And letters were sent (וְנִשְׁלוֹחַ סְפָרִים - v'nishloach s'pharim): "Letters" (s'pharim) signifies official documents, royal decrees. The use of "sent" in a passive construction highlights the immediate and far-reaching dispatch of this official, legally binding edict throughout the vast empire. It emphasizes the governmental power behind the terrible plan.
- by couriers (בְּיַד הָרָצִים - b'yad ha'ratsim): Literally, "by the hand of the runners." Ratsim refers to highly efficient, swift messengers often used for urgent royal commands. This detail underscores the speed and widespread nature of the decree's dissemination, indicating the immediacy and seriousness of the threat.
- into all the king's provinces: Signifies the immense geographic scope of the Persian Empire, spanning 127 provinces (Esth 1:1). The decree's reach was total, leaving no corner where Jews might be safe.
- to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate (לְהַשְׁמִיד לַהֲרֹג וּלְאַבֵּד - l'hashmid laharog ul'abed): This is a powerful, three-part verbal phrase indicating the utter totality of the intended genocide.
- l'hashmid (from shamad): "To cause utter ruin, wipe out, make desolate." It denotes complete eradication.
- laharog (from harag): "To slay, kill, murder, slaughter." A more general term for physical killing.
- ul'abed (from abad): "To cause to perish, to make extinct, to bring to ruin, destroy." Emphasizes making something completely lost or absent. Together, these verbs describe a ruthless and comprehensive act of mass extermination, ensuring no Jew would survive. This specific triplet is highly significant, portraying an escalating intensity of destruction.
Esther 3 13 Bonus section
The chilling precision and universal scope of Haman's decree in Esther 3:13 stand as a biblical archetype for anti-Semitism and attempted genocide throughout history. The phrase "destroy, to kill, and to annihilate" reflects an intense, comprehensive intent of extermination, not merely political subjugation. The casting of lots (pur) to determine the day also suggests a pagan reliance on chance or fate, contrasting sharply with the sovereign providence of the God of Israel who would ultimately orchestrate their deliverance. The king's nonchalant handing over of his signet ring, without truly understanding the gravity of Haman's proposal, underscores his extreme negligence and detachment from the suffering of his subjects, a common pitfall of autocratic power when unchecked by moral conviction.
Esther 3 13 Commentary
Esther 3:13 is the terrifying manifestation of Haman's calculated, yet irrational, hatred against the Jewish people. It’s a chillingly precise genocidal decree, aiming for total eradication ("destroy, to kill, and to annihilate") of an entire ethnic group—from infants to the elderly, men and women. The specific date, derived from Haman’s pagan divination (the pur), instilled a sense of fatalism and the perceived irreversibility of Persian law. The inclusion of "plunder their possessions" exposes not just Haman's malice but also a base financial incentive, dehumanizing the victims and turning their suffering into profit for the perpetrators. The widespread distribution of the edict across 127 provinces ensured maximum terror, revealing the utter powerlessness of the Jews against such an imperial command, setting the stage for God's providential intervention to avert what would have been a global tragedy. This verse powerfully illustrates the extreme dangers of unchecked power combined with deep-seated ethnic hatred and religious intolerance.