Esther 3:4
in Esther 3Day after day they warned him, but he would not comply. So they reported it to Haman to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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.
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.
⋯
This verse in Esther 3
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Whether Mordecai’s matters would stand - Rather, “whether Mordecai’s words would hold good” - whether, that is, his excuse, that he was a Jew, would be allowed as a valid reason for his refusal.
This site's exposition
Why transgressest thou the king’s commandment
on Esther 3:3-4
The king’s own servants press Mordecai daily, asking why he transgresses a commandment they themselves obey without question, until he tells them he is a Jew. The readings on his refusal are named without a verdict: many of the bench read a settled, inherited enmity with Amalek that a Benjamite of Saul’s line could not set aside, while others read a Jew’s ordinary refusal to give a man the reverence due to God alone. The servants report it to Haman out of curiosity rather than malice, to see whether Mordecai’s matters would stand, and the answer arrives in the next verse.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Nothing else is symbolized by the arrogant Haman than the opulence of the powerful of this world who take advantage of the benefits conceded to them by divine mercy. They despise allowing their neighbors, who are given to them as companions by nature, to have …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
16 ) and concerning which he had given that solemn charge ( Deut. xxv. 17 ), Remember what Amalek did. Though religion does by no means destroy good manners, but teaches us to render honour to whom honour is due, yet it is the character of a citizen of Zion that not only in his heart, but in his eyes, such a vile person as Haman was is contemned, Ps. xv.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him,....
The words behind it
20 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֗י | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כְּאָמְרָ֤ם | keameram | just as spoke they | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלָיו֙ | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| י֣וֹם | yom | a day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| וָי֔וֹם | vayom | and a day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| שָׁמַ֖ע | shama' | he listened | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם | ʾaleihem | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| וַיַּגִּ֣ידוּ | vaiyagidu | and they told | H5046 → | 370 times |
| לְהָמָ֗ן | lehaman | to Haman | H2001 → | 54 times |
| לִרְאוֹת֙ | lirot | to see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| הֲיַֽעַמְדוּ֙ | hayaamdu | ¿ will they stand | H5975 → | 521 times |
| דִּבְרֵ֣י | divrei | [the] words of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| מָרְדֳּכַ֔י | maredokhai | Mordecai | H4782 → | 60 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| הִגִּ֥יד | higid | he had told | H5046 → | 370 times |
| לָהֶ֖ם | lahem | to <the> them | ||
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| ה֥וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| יְהוּדִֽי׃ | yehudi | [was] a Jew | H3064 → | 75 times |
וַיְהִ֗יand it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
כְּאָמְרָ֤םjust as spoke they
keameramH559 →5305 times
אֵלָיו֙to him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
י֣וֹםa day
yomH3117 →2304 times
וָי֔וֹםand a day
vayomH3117 →2304 times
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
שָׁמַ֖עhe listened
shama'H8085 →1159 times
אֲלֵיהֶ֑םto them
ʾaleihemH413 →5510 times
וַיַּגִּ֣ידוּand they told
vaiyagiduH5046 →370 times
לְהָמָ֗ןto Haman
lehamanH2001 →54 times
לִרְאוֹת֙to see
lirotH7200 →1300 times
הֲיַֽעַמְדוּ֙¿ will they stand
hayaamduH5975 →521 times
דִּבְרֵ֣י[the] words of
divreiH1697 →1440 times
מָרְדֳּכַ֔יMordecai
maredokhaiH4782 →60 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
הִגִּ֥ידhe had told
higidH5046 →370 times
לָהֶ֖םto <the> them
lahem
אֲשֶׁר־that
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
ה֥וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
יְהוּדִֽי׃[was] a Jew
yehudiH3064 →75 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jonah 1:9“I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”
it leads to
- Psalms 146:5–6
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
- Psalms 95:5–6
The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.
- Nehemiah 9:6
You alone are the LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give…
- Psalms 146:5–6
Through
Ezra 1:3Whoever among you belongs to His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is…
it leads to
- Daniel 6:26
I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will…
- Jeremiah 10:10
But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.
- Daniel 6:26
Through
Genesis 39:10Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be near her.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 2:11
Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.
- 2 Timothy 2:22
Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
- 1 Peter 2:11
Through
Daniel 6:13Then they told the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, shows no regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed. He still makes his petition three times…
it leads to
- Daniel 3:12
But there are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—who have ignored you, O king, and have refused to serve your gods or worship the golden statue…
- Daniel 3:12
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Esther
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Rabanus Maurus, EXPLANATION ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER 6.