Esther 6:8 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Esther 6:8 kjv
Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:
Esther 6:8 nkjv
let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head.
Esther 6:8 niv
have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head.
Esther 6:8 esv
let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set.
Esther 6:8 nlt
he should bring out one of the king's own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden ? one with a royal emblem on its head.
Esther 6 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prov 16:18 | Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. | Haman's pride leading to his downfall. |
| Prov 18:12 | Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. | Contrasts Haman's pride with Mordecai's eventual honor. |
| Job 5:11 | The humble he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. | Divine reversal of fortune for the lowly. |
| Ps 75:6-7 | For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west... God is the Judge... he brings one down, exalts another. | God controls promotion and demotion. |
| 1 Sam 2:7-8 | The Lord makes poor and makes rich... He raises up the poor... to make them inherit a throne of honor. | God's sovereignty over status and honour. |
| 1 Sam 2:30 | ...for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. | God's principle of honouring faithfulness. |
| Ps 8:5 | Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. | Humanity's God-given dignity and honour. |
| Gen 41:42 | Then Pharaoh took his signet ring... and arrayed him in garments of fine linen... | Joseph's elevation with royal garments. |
| Isa 22:21 | ...I will clothe him with your robe... and commit your authority to his hand... | Symbol of authority transferred through attire. |
| Zech 3:4-5 | ...Take away the filthy garments... And he said... clothe him with rich robes... | Symbolic clothing representing a change in status/righteousness. |
| Lk 15:22 | But the father said... 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand...' | Restoration and honour symbolized by best garments. |
| Jas 4:6 | God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. | Direct statement against pride, fitting for Haman. |
| 1 Pet 5:5 | ...God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. | Reinforces divine opposition to pride. |
| Lk 1:51-53 | He has shown strength... he has scattered the proud... He has brought down the mighty from their thrones... | Mary's song of divine reversal of status. |
| Ps 7:15-16 | He digs a pit and makes it deep, and falls into the pit that he has made. | Haman creating his own trap of humiliation. |
| Ps 35:26 | Let them be put to shame and dishonor who rejoice at my misfortune! | Humiliation of those who desire others' downfall. |
| Jn 12:26 | If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. | Honour from God is through service. |
| Rom 2:7 | ...seek for glory and honor and immortality... | The ultimate source of true honor. |
| Rev 19:16 | On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. | The ultimate royal garment of Christ. |
| Rev 3:5 | The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. | Symbol of victory and spiritual honor. |
Esther 6 verses
Esther 6 8 meaning
This verse details Haman’s elaborate and specific proposal to King Ahasuerus for bestowing the highest honour upon an individual. Haman, mistakenly believing he is the intended recipient, suggests a grand public display involving items of supreme royal prestige: the king's personal garments, the king's own riding horse, and a royal crown to be placed upon the honoured man's head. These elements collectively represent a profound sharing of royal status, public recognition, and the king's personal favour, setting the stage for one of the Bible's most profound instances of dramatic irony.
Esther 6 8 Context
Esther 6:8 is a pivotal moment in the narrative of the Book of Esther, situated amidst a significant turning point. Just prior to this verse, King Ahasuerus suffers a sleepless night and orders the royal chronicles to be read aloud. He discovers a past record of Mordecai having exposed a plot against him, for which Mordecai received no honour. At this exact moment, Haman, driven by his burning desire to hang Mordecai, enters the outer court seeking permission for Mordecai's execution. Unaware of Haman’s murderous intent and unaware it's about Mordecai, the king consults Haman about how to honour a man whom the king "delights to honour." Haman, filled with immense pride and assuming he is this favoured man, proposes the elaborate ceremony described in this verse, which sets up the supreme dramatic irony and ultimate reversal of fortune in the unfolding story.
Esther 6 8 Word analysis
- let the royal apparel (לְבוּשׁ מַלְכוּת - lĕbûš malḵûṯ): Lit. "clothing of kingship" or "royal robes." In ancient Persia, royal garments were distinct and sacred, embodying the king’s authority and presence. Wearing them signified being momentarily enveloped in the king's majesty and power, an extreme form of delegated honour.
- be brought which the king useth to wear (אֲשֶׁר לָבַשׁ בּוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ - ʾăšer lāḇaš bō hamměleḵ): Lit. "which the king has worn therein." This specifies that the apparel should not merely be "royal" but the actual, personal garments that the king himself wears. This elevates the honour from a general status symbol to an intimate association with the king's very person, suggesting a profound, personal bestowal of his essence and authority.
- and the horse that the king rideth upon (וְסוּס אֲשֶׁר רָכַב עָלָיו הַמֶּלֶךְ - wĕsûs ʾăšer rāḵaḇ ʿālāyw hamměleḵ): Lit. "and a horse upon which the king has ridden." Like the personal garments, this is not just any royal horse, but the king’s own mount. In ancient monarchies, a king's horse was a prominent symbol of his dominion, wealth, and power, often adorned specially. To ride it publicly implied supreme favour and allowed the honoured individual to move through the city with royal pomp and prestige.
- and the crown royal which is set upon his head (וְכֶתֶר מַלְכוּת אֲשֶׁר נָתַן כֶּתֶר מַלְכוּת בְּרֹאשׁוֹ - wĕḵeṯer malḵûṯ ʾăšer nāṯan keṯer malḵûṯ bĕrōʾšô): Lit. "and a royal diadem [or crown] that was put upon its head." While some translations suggest "its" could refer to the horse's head, Esther 6:9 clarifies by stating "and put it on the head of the man whom the king delighteth to honour." This unambiguously confirms it is a crown for the man himself. A "crown royal" (kether malkut) signifies ultimate kingly dignity and delegated sovereignty, the highest honour attainable, making the recipient appear virtually co-regent for a day.
- let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear: This phrase indicates the sharing of the king's personal prestige and identity. It is a highly symbolic act, visually aligning the honoured person with the monarch's supreme status, elevating them beyond common nobility.
- and the horse that the king rideth upon: This signifies a public spectacle of honor. Riding the king's personal horse, especially through the city streets as elaborated in the next verse (Esther 6:9), was a prominent form of public commendation, designed to draw universal attention and respect, clearly communicating the monarch's special favour.
- and the crown royal which is set upon his head: This phrase represents the pinnacle of delegated honour. The crown is the most potent symbol of royal authority and sovereignty. Placing it on another's head is an act of virtual investiture, temporarily granting royal dignity and placing the individual second only to the king himself.
Esther 6 8 Bonus section
- Haman’s comprehensive outline for honour, despite his miscalculation, reveals his keen understanding of Persian court protocols and the power of public symbolism in imperial ceremonies.
- The dramatic tension in this verse is built upon Haman's tragic blindness; he crafts the perfect humiliation for himself by designing what he believes is his own supreme triumph.
- This verse showcases the immediate consequences of sleeplessness and reading for King Ahasuerus, serving as a critical moment where seemingly mundane actions become divinely orchestrated turning points.
- The emphasis on "the king's own" items—the clothes he wears, the horse he rides—highlights a degree of honour so exclusive it virtually transfers royal persona onto the recipient.
Esther 6 8 Commentary
Esther 6:8 is a masterstroke of literary and theological irony, serving as the dramatic hinge in the Book of Esther. Haman, utterly consumed by his pride and self-importance, unwittingly articulates the precise details of the honours that will be bestowed upon his despised enemy, Mordecai. His meticulous and extravagant description—encompassing the king's own raiment, his personal horse, and a royal diadem—reflects his grandiosity and his belief that such unparalleled pomp could only be for him. Each item proposed is pregnant with meaning, signifying an intimate sharing of royal status, power, and public adoration, elements Haman desperately coveted. This moment underscores the biblical principle of pride preceding a fall, where human arrogance becomes an instrument of divine reversal, setting the stage for Haman's swift and profound humiliation. The absence of God's name in Esther highlights the hidden providence at play, as Haman’s detailed plan for self-exaltation ultimately paves the way for Mordecai's exaltation and, subsequently, Haman’s demise and the salvation of the Jewish people.