Bible Strands
Esther 3:11
“Keep your money,” said the king to Haman. “These people are given to you to do with them as you please.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — King Xerxes speaks to Haman immediately after removing his signet ring and surrendering it for official use. This exchange occurs at the precise moment Haman receives both his promised silver and royal authorization to act against the Jews.
The words — נָת֣וּן (na.Tun) literally means “is given,” and כַּ/טּ֥וֹב (ka./Tov) translates to “according to the good” or “as you please.” These terms structurally mark the transfer of discretionary power from monarch to minister.
The thread — The delegation of authority parallels the conditional surrender of control in Jeremiah 26:14, Jeremiah 40:4, and Luke 23:25, where rulers or circumstances place individuals or decisions into another’s hands.
Why it lands — The text records how absolute political power operates through casual royal speech and bureaucratic sealing. It requires the reader to track the procedural mechanics that enable unchecked violence without softening the historical reality.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 26:14 As for me, here I am in your hands; do to me what you think is good and right.
- Jeremiah 40:4 But now, behold, I am freeing you today from the chains that were on your wrists. If it pleases you to come with me to Babylon, then come, and I will take care of you. But if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, go no farther. Look, the whole land is before you. Wherever it seems good and right to you, go there.”
- Luke 23:25 As they had requested, he released the one imprisoned for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over to their will.
- Psalms 73:7 From their prosperity proceeds iniquity; the imaginations of their hearts run wild.