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Esther 3:2

And so, King Zerk-sees made a law that said all the king's workers at the palace gates had to bow down to Haman. They had to get down on their knees to show him deep respect. All the king's workers did this, but More-dek-eye (Mordecai) would not follow that new law. He would not get down on his knees to show respect to Haman.

Barkly (portions)

In The King James Version

And all the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.

In Context

1Later on, King Zerk-sees (Xerxes) was very happy with a man named Haman. Haman's father was Ham-me-datha from the Aga-gite tribe. The king made Haman more important than any other man in the government.

3The king's workers at the palace gates said to More-dek-eye, “Why don't you follow the king's law and show respect to Haman?”

Read all of Esther 3

Cross References

Esther 2:5Many years before this time, King Neb-you-cad-nezzar (Nebuchadnezzar), the king of Babylon, grabbed Jehoi-achin the king of Judah and a lot of other Jewish people who were living in Jerusalem. Then he took them all back to Babylon as prisoners. Later on, the Persian army beat the Babylonian army and took all the Babylonian country and people for themselves. That is why there were Jewish people living in Persia. There was a Jewish man from the Benjamin tribe named More-dek-eye (Mordecai) who lived in the part of Susa that had really strong walls. More-dek-eye's father's name was Jair, his grandfather's name was Shim-eye and his great grandfather's name was Kish. And Kish was one of the people who was taken from Jerusalem as a prisoner by Neb-you-cad-nezzer, the king of Babylon.

Esther 2:21One day while More-dek-eye was sitting near the gate to the palace, 2 of the men who were the guards at the door to the king's private rooms got angry with the king. Their names were Big-thana and Ter-resh, and they made plans to kill the king.

Esther 3:3The king's workers at the palace gates said to More-dek-eye, “Why don't you follow the king's law and show respect to Haman?”

Esther 5:9At the end of the supper, Haman left the king's palace and went home. He was very happy and was feeling good inside himself. But when he got to the palace gate, he saw that More-dek-eye did not stand up or show him any respect and he got really angry with More-dek-eye.

Matthew Henry on Esther 3:2-7

Haman's Malignant Proposal. ( b. c. 510.) 1 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. 2 And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. 3 Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? 4… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

King James VersionBíblia Almeida (Português)Luther Bibel (Deutsch)Bible Louis Segond (Français)Библия (Русский)聖經 (中文)성경 (한국어)الكتاب المقدس (العربية)बाइबल (हिन्दी)Biblia (Kiswahili)Bibbia Diodati (Italiano)Alkitab (Bahasa Indonesia)Kinh Thánh (Tiếng Việt)

Study Esther 3:2

Matthew HenryJamieson-Fausset-BrownAdam ClarkeJohn WesleyJohn CalvinKeil and DelitzschScofieldFamily Bible NotesGeneva Bible Notes (1599)
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